I’m taking my second online class this semester. Both have been good experiences so far, although I still think college students need to experience life on campus. Getting an online diploma without going to classes and campus activities is like getting married without going on a honeymoon.

So I went online to find out a little more about the growing popularity of online college courses. I was surprised by the variety of free online courses offered by some of the finest institutions in the country such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Berkeley. The first Web site I visited mentioned Missouri Southern offering a free Internet class for U.S. citizenship.

But there is neither a diploma nor transferable credit offered for these free classes. So why do it? So you can be a contestant on Jeopardy without making a fool of yourself? For most, the diploma is the ultimate goal.Southern has an excellent variety of Internet classes, especially for some of the core requirements that are much more tolerable when studied at home in pajamas at midnight. Even older, non-traditional students who never used a computer until a few years ago will find Blackboard pretty simple.

There is an issue of trust and accountability in online studies. I believe it would be pretty hard to pull the wool over the eyes of a professor if a student chose to “cheat.” What would be the point of having someone else do the work all semester only to show inconsistent results on the final exam?

So far, I have found a few minor disadvantages of online classes: 1) No face-to-face relationships with professors and classmates; 2) the cost is slightly higher; and 3) there are no snow days – that pure joy of waking up and finding out that school is closed and there’s already people sledding outside. Incidentally, it sounds like President Barack Obama wants to veto snow days.

Online classes are obviously a growing trend, but just like online dating, shopping, banking, movies, concerts and Wii sports, it will never be as good as the real thing.

Take every opportunity to be on campus and experience the amenities that are already factored in your tuition, and in the winter months, just “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”