What is Virtual High School like?

Answer 1

Virtual high school is different from regular high school because of the social experience more than anything else.

1) No competition - in a normal high school, you are in contention for the top spot and GPA, so you are driven by your peers to exceed. Virtual school is independent, and you need a strong motivation to actually care about your grades.

2) Clubs - Some virtual schools have online clubs, but it's just not the same.

3) Peers/Cooperation - Although virtual schools try to get you to work with others, talking through email and doing work separately just isn't the same.

Academically, the work is much more independent.

1) Teacher help - Mostly, when you are learning online, you are learning on your own. Teachers are usually helpful if you have questions, however.

2) Curriculum - With an online course, you can always be sure that you will be learning the entire curriculum, because it doesn't change from year to year.

3) Self-paced - You can generally choose how fast you go through courses, but you do have to maintain a minimum weekly average of assignments per class. If you don't understand something, you don't have move on immediately. If you really get something, you don't have to be held back by the rest of a class.

Virtual school is a different experience, with both it's pros and cons compared to regular school. Do your research about the particular school and if you feel it is right for you. Sometimes, your local high school might be poor quality or the community might not be friendly. If so, virtual school might be right for you.

Just don't become a hermit. :p