What exactly is correspondance studies or distance education?

Question

And do you get the same credited grades?

Do you meet anyone?

I have a severe social phobia. and i've been diagnosed with it since i was 15. can this be brought to my advantage in studying things I want without meeting people?

I'm 24 now. I was 18 when I graduated from high school with a C average because of the same problem. If I were to go back to school, I need to 'upgrade' my grades all over again to study the fields I want to study.

Is there a remote/distance/correspondance education where each courses are completed in short period of time as where in normality would take a year to complete? like summer schools for adults etc.

I live in B.C Canada, please advise. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

There are schools that offer online programs. These programs are completely online. University of Phoenix is the largest and most well known. I also read that they are one of the best in a random news article...I don't know if they have a program in Canada, but you can always ask.

Government universities are also beginning to offer online classes. I do not know of any in the U.S. that have offered a full curriculum online, and I know less about Canada. But again, you can always ask.

As for the same kind of accreditation; in the U.S., a university needs to be regionally accredited. I do not know what the criteria is for Canada. (I am just hoping that my answer will get you started...)

With a severe social phobia, I don't know if that extends to phone conversations...hopefully not. If it does, then you might want to try corresponding with the universities you look at through email.

I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 2

I won't be answering your direct question, but want to make you aware of the following:

Universities and Colleges have a Disability Services/ Disability Resource Center, that makes several students comfortable taking classes.  Most have something as simple as ADHD, but about 20% of these students have social anxiety.  The office there can make you several accommodations, including seating you closest to the door (so you can leave if feeling very nervous or trapped), excused absences due to your medical condition, testing in a private room, option to not work in groups, and not have the teacher call on you to speak aloud.

Please look into it, the office I work at helps scores of people with social anxiety and phobias, and they feel very comfortable on campus.