Consider These 5 Reasons for Attending a Brick-and-Mortar College
- Access to Physical Learning Resources
- Facilities for Students
- The Campus Experience
- In-person Tutoring and Faculty Access
- Counseling and Healthcare Services
A person who wants to advance their education should look at these five reasons to attend a brick and mortar college. Online degree programs and extension education services have grown rapidly in the past few years, but they may not be the best option for everyone. Here are five benefits of going to a brick-and-mortar college.
1. Access to Physical Learning Resources
Some students do better at learning when they have access to physical learning resources. A student may want to visit the campus library in person, pull a reference book off of the shelves and use it for their research paper. Some reference materials cannot be checked out of a library, so an in-person visit is essential. Students may not have a computer for submitting papers or using the university’s communications or testing systems, so they might need to go to the computer lab for those aspects of their work.
2. Facilities for Students
Brick-and-mortar colleges have a lot of facilities that are dedicated to student use. For example, the student union on campus usually has gathering spaces, meeting rooms, study areas, a cafe or cafeteria, coffee shop, book store, lounge and more. Most college campuses also have gyms or indoor aquatic centers for students to use. These places include locker rooms, showers, fitness equipment, scales and other equipment and services that a student could use for maintaining their health and well-being.
3. The Campus Experience
According to Pennsylvania State University, another one of the reasons to attend a brick and mortar college is the campus experience. College campuses have a lot of activities. A student might want to join a club based on an interest or their future career. They might want to join a fraternity or sorority. Some people like to attend sports events at their college. Dances, races, charity events, guest speakers and rallies are some of the other in-person activities that take place weekly on college campuses.
4. In-person Tutoring and Faculty Access
Some people communicate or learn better in person. Students who need some extra help with a subject may benefit from the in-person tutoring or office hours held by teaching assistants and faculty members. It may also be easier to get feedback on a paper or project by meeting with the professor in person during their office hours. Students may also form study groups within certain classes. Practicing giving a speech or oral defense of a project is also easier to accomplish in person on a college campus.
5. Counseling and Healthcare Services
The pressure of being a college student can be overwhelming for some people. Attending a brick-and-mortar college campus provides a student with access to mental health services, including counseling. Most campuses have drop-in and appointment counseling services to help students who feel anxious, depressed or overwhelmed. The campus student health clinics also offer healthcare services for routine and emergency medical care.
Related Resource: 20 Tuition-Free Colleges
The choice of where to go to college and which type of college environment to select is an important one. Some of the factors in the decision might include the cost, faculty, available majors, ability to do research, financial aid, internships, alumni and job services and the campus experience. Each of these reasons to attend a brick and mortar college should be considered by prospective students.