Nowadays, distance-learning programs have gained popularity, but some people argue that online courses can never be as good as those taken at a college or university in person. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Today, we are seeing more and more colleges have started to adopt
distance
learning. While some people prefer studying remotely, personally I am all for the view that attending college on-site still has advantages that cannot be achieved through online learning. Admittedly, there are a number of reasons why online learning methods are becoming more prevalent in universities. One explanation can be it gives
university
students the convenience and flexibility of time management, in line with their requirement to free up time for internships, volunteering, and other off-campus activities while managing a demanding course load at
university
. That said, I believe that on-site
university
courses
can outperform
distance
courses
in several ways.
Firstly
, people who attend
university
do not only aim at academic excellence but
also
the sophistication of interpersonal skills for future careers;
however
,
distance
courses
tend to lack social components in every aspect since class attendants can only communicate remotely via the internet.
In addition
, on-campus visits allow students to have in-depth face-to-face conversations with their teachers, which is helpful in pursuing more advanced educational degrees in the future.
On the contrary
, a survey jointly conducted by the U.S. top 5 universities revealed that graduates found the online learning programs limited their chances to establish off-line relationships with their admired professors, making them even harder to request a reference from them for PhDs.
Furthermore
, many engineering disciplines involve extensive technical training that cannot be completed online.
For example
, students majoring in architecture and construction are required to complete practical programs with a wide range of tasks that need class attendants working in teams, under the assistance and supervision of a tutor. In conclusion,
although
the trend towards
distance
courses
at
university
seems to be firm and irreversible, I would argue that it will not completely stop people from physically attending college.
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