Should I finish my degree online or in person? All prereqs are done. A list of pros and cons to both.

[Tarantino]

Hi, everyone. I'm a non-traditional student, wrapping up my associate's degree in psychology from a small state school (not a community college) in Georgia. This college only offers 3 bachelor degrees, which is why I would finish elsewhere. I was a student at Arizona State Online, but transferred to take my prerequisites and labs in person. All my science prerequisites with in-person labs for PA programs will be done prior to transferring to the next college for my bachelor's degree. Now that I'm almost done, I was originally planning to then finish my degree through ASU, but am now considering finishing it at my local university for various reasons. Here's the two options I have:

 

Option A: Finish my bachelor's degree in psychology at my local university.
PROS: Graduate with less than $10k in debt. Get hands-on experience in research. More than likely get a stronger letter of recommendation.
CONS: It would take longer to finish. I would barely get by, working part-time and living paycheck to paycheck. I would have to devote more time to in-person classes, which would take away from my income and time to do other things. Less volunteer hours. ALL clinical hours will be in private EMS, so my hands-on experience and skills won't be utilized as much, as it's 95% mostly transporting stable patients.

Option B: Finish my bachelor's degree in psychology at Arizona State University (online).
PROS: Accelerated program and can finish in 1.5 years instead of 2.5 years. Work in 911 EMS, which means better hands-on experience and utilizing my skills more - I think this will also make me a better provider in the future. More time to work, which means more income. More time not in a physical class, which means more time to volunteer, which is less stressful since I also have more money in general. Still get to go graduate in person.
CONS: Graduate with around $30k in debt. Weaker letters of recommendation. Little research opportunity. Obvious I finished my degree online because the college is 20+ hours away.

 

Although it would cost more to finish at ASU, I could become a PA faster, which means it would actually be better financially IF I were to get into both at the same cycle.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Tarantino

[Janie55]

I would choose option B: faster and better economically. Your hands on experience sounds better too.