Online degree -bad idea?

[1%homeless]

I'm thinking about getting a degree online... So far I've found one place that offers a program for Chinese. It looks much cheaper than offline schools, but... I don't know... any thoughts on this?

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/beijing/chinese-language-degree.htm

[doumeizhen]

Well, online degrees are often looked down upon, and sometimes are not accredited. Make sure that it is accredited before you enroll.

My thoughts, if you are living in China, this is a feasible option since you can have interaction with Chinese and your language skills will improve. That is vital. The two might balance one another, and you would get that nice slip of paper.

I think, tho, that you could learn as much in 6 months as you could learn in 2 years online, (maybe 1 years in non-Chinese college) so talk to a school about doing a certificate program.

To be honest, an oline language degree doesn't sound like the best idea to me. Other courses yes, but with language it is the interaction adn continuous correction from the elevator lady (in my case) that has accelerated my learning and allowed me to develop a good base as well as make constant progress.

[seansutton]

I was thinking about this at one time too and the thing that made me not want to do it is that the EBLCU people told me that I could transfer from the online program to the in class program with no problem, but I talked to the BLCU people that set up the in class program and they said it was not possible.

Furthermore I had a hard time setting up tests with them on skipping the first year because of my prior knowledge.

My advise for anything you want to do in China as you should do at home is ask a lot of questions, and most important, if you have a chance drop in on the school and check it out with your own eyes.