Quite often, especially in towns where offline colleges or universities are located, we will meet people whose shirts, jackets or hats are emblazoned with the insignia or name of the college. They take pride, and usually rightly so, in being able to say, “I am a student at, or I am a graduate of such and such a college or university. This is a good thing, in my estimation. If one can’t take pride in their college or alma matter, why are they going there or why did they go there in the first place? It is altogether right and proper that they should take this kind of pride. It may not seem important to some but to others it has vast importance.
It is often thought that this kind of relationship if you will is sadly lacking in the relationship one develops with online colleges. Nothing could be further from the truth. In these days of computer technology students are able to interact with others involved in taking classes from the same online colleges and to form the same ties of brother and sisterhood often found on close knit college campuses. These relationships are encouraged, indeed enhanced by many online colleges. One such online college is Almeda University] with its online college store, featuring such items as the official ring of Almeda University. This ring is made and guaranteed by one of the leading manufacturing companies of school and class rings as well as other college and university type memorabilia. Students can also buy hats, shirts, sweatshirts and other such items in the online campus stores of such online colleges. These items are emblazoned with the insignias of the online colleges.
Online colleges are not virtual imitations of the real thing, but are, in themselves, the real thing, simply in a different format or form. Online colleges, like their offline counterparts, are setting traditions, traditions which are recognized, valued, and yes cherished by their students and graduates. Some online schools and online colleges are going to the extent of setting up competitions between themselves and other online schools and online colleges. These competitions may be vastly different from the competitions found on the football fields and other sports fields of the traditional offline schools and colleges, but the friendly rivalry and feelings of comradely are there and these are much the same online as they are off.
It is important for people to feel good about themselves, to strive to be the very best “themselves” that they can possibly be. Our educational institutions in which we study are very much a part of making up the person that is each one of us. It is important to take pride, the right kind of pride, in ourselves. It is important to know that we have done our very best to meet our goals. Not those goals set for us by others, but those that we set for ourselves. It is important to take pride in our online colleges and universities and to know, unwaveringly, that they are indeed worthy of that pride.
