Taking an Online Class in High School

I often am asked whether taking an online class in high school is a good idea.

There are several reasons a student might want to take an online course. Most commonly, their high school doesn’t offer the course they wish to take.  Sometimes, their high school offers the class but they have a conflict in their schedule that prevents them from taking the class at their high school.

In most cases it is perfectly acceptable to take an online class that you might want to take. In fact, if the course is in an area of particular interest to you it may help enhance your background showing this interest.

The bigger question is what provider should you use for the online class?

The are many reputable programs providing online classes including Stanford’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) and BYU’s Independent Study Online Courses. In deciding which program to use for your course you will want to make sure that it is an accredited program.

You should check with your high school to see if they will give you credit for the online course. Also, will they put the course on your transcript and will they consider your grade in that course for your GPA. Each school handles these issues differently.

Even if your high school does not put the online course on your transcript, you will have a chance to let colleges know about the course when you complete their application. Every college will give you credit for taking a class that you did not need to take and its status as an online class should make no difference.