Since an online education is done entirely through the Internet using your computer, one might wonder about one of the key components of going to college is in the first place, socialization. Sure, going to college means work, study, research and all that, but it also means meeting people, making friends and finding people of similar interests.

While online schools like Kaplan University or University of Phoenix are entirely online, meaning there's no campus to hang out on or other places in order to meet students face-to-face. However, online schools such as these and others do have alternate ways of communicating and meeting other students that, while not as personal, are still meaningful.

The first method of socializing with fellow students is through forums. Forums, or message boards, are comprised of message threads and posts on specific topics, such as assignments, courses, instructors and so on. These forums also have off-topic and general discussions that don't necessarily focus on school or work, and here a lot of socializing takes place.

Other schools also have the option of real-time chat rooms, where several students can converse as if they were right in the room together. Other popular methods of communication are via traditional email and instant messaging, all of which add to the social aspect of going to an online school like Capella University.

So as you can see, there are several ways to be social while going to an online university. Different schools have different options, but there are always ways to communicate with each other, which is part of the fun of college anyway.