At the beginning of March, every SHS underclassman signs up for their next round of academic courses. However, oftentimes, students simply cannot craft the perfect schedule they once hoped for. Classes that were once included in the SHS Program of Studies may not run due to scheduling issues or lack of interest; students may have to prioritize certain classes over others; and some classes run only during one or two blocks per year, making scheduling difficult.
However, for some SHS students, scheduling issues didn’t stop them from taking certain classes; rather, they chose online courses they could complete in their free time and/or during independent studies. Consequently, many students have been curious about these online courses. What do they cost? Can you get college credit? How much homework do you have?
To answer these questions, I spoke to two of these stellar students to get an in-depth look into the process of taking an online course. Senior Jacob Kenneway is taking both AP Physics C classes (Energy and Magnetism and Mechanics) through VHS Learning; senior Wesley Robertson took a college-level, semester-long Multivariable Calculus course through Harvard Extension School. I gathered some major takeaways from these interviews that any SHS student who is embarking on an online class should definitely consider.
Online courses are great for anyone facing scheduling conflicts or feeling limited by SHS’s Program of Studies. For the 2025-26 academic year, a record number of students signed up for AP Physics 1–which Kenneway took as a junior–so two AP Physics 1 classes had to run. Because the class requires a one-semester lab block, there was no space in Geoff Gross’s schedule, SHS’s sole physics teacher, to run AP Physics C, which a handful of students signed up for in March. Kenneway commented, “Physics C just didn’t end up happening, and I want to go into physics for college…I wanted to take the class, so I went to Mr. Newton and was like, ‘Hey, can I do VHS so I can take this course?’ and he said yes.”
Robertson was in a different scenario; his skills in math, specifically calculus, are beyond the difficulty of SHS’s hardest math class, AP Calculus BC, which Robertson took as a junior. “I wanted to continue taking math classes because I was a grade ahead and [SHS] doesn’t offer calculus past BC…I didn’t want to just do [AP Statistics], I wanted to keep doing calculus.” Through online platforms, students who want to take classes outside the Program of Studies can follow their passions and challenge themselves academically.
It’s just as much work as any in-school class, if not more. It’s important to remember that these students are completing the same amount of work as in an in-person class, but they don’t have the allotted hour in the school day to complete it. The more difficult the class, the more daily/weekly online work there will be to complete. Robertson was required to watch 2-hour weekly lectures and complete correlating homework: “It was about ten hours of work [a week],” he commented–about 1 to 2 hours a day, in his case. Robertson added, “Homeworks were graded on accuracy, but it was pretty generous grading, and the tests were, a lot of the time, easier than the homeworks. It wasn’t hard to get a good grade–it was just hard to get everything done.”
Kenneway expressed a similar sentiment about his Physics C classes: “There’s a lot of stuff…there’s weekly readings, usually a chapter out of a Pearson textbook…and then there’s problem sets and videos. There are tests, some shorter, some longer. I’ve had some pretty long MCQs that have lasted, like, two hours. There are labs and stuff. It’s a lot of work.” When asked how he is graded, he commented, “It’s not much different from regular grades, but [VHS] isn’t as flexible as in-person classes…you don’t always get extensions or grade boosts…it’s more harsh, I guess.” Kenneway said he spends “at least two hours a day” on work, noting, “I have close to 20 hours worth of work a week.”Anyone planning on taking an online course should NOT expect a lighter workload; if anything, they should expect more work than in their average in-person class.
However, you can complete your work at your own pace. Kenneway commented that most of the time, he can choose when to complete his daily work and homework. Since Kenneway is a busy student during and after school (he is a prolific member of the SHS Drama Club, which has rehearsals three days a week), he enjoys the flexibility of the curriculum due dates. Oftentimes, he chooses to complete the work in his F block independent study. “My favorite aspect [of the course] is being able to do [the work] when I’m able to do it. It’s nice…like, I don’t necessarily have to do it during F block.” This flexibility was also Robertson’s favorite aspect of his course: “I could take it at my own pace and work around my schedule… I could just do it when I had the time,” he explained.
It’s better with a friend. When asked about the biggest drawback of online classes, Kenneway commented that he has no one to do his work with, no one to “bounce [answers] off of.” Robertson, however, was lucky enough to have another SHS student to work with on his Multivariable Calculus work: SHS junior Micah Mulder also took the college course. So, any student considering an online course should try to find others who are considering it as well, since having someone to complete classwork with and compare answers is a major advantage.
Don’t expect a “present” teacher/professor figure–unless you seek the help of SHS teachers. Kenneway is lucky to have an independent study during one of Mr. Gross’s free blocks, and he seeks out help frequently: “I’m taking an independent study, and it’s technically supposed to be in the library with Ms. Newman, but I go to Mr. Gross’s room, and he helps me out a lot.” Outside of school hours, however, Kenneway is mostly on his own. The VHS Learning platform does not seem to provide a reliable professor figure; consequently, Kenneway lamented, “I really don’t like the ‘no teacher’ situation…I guess it kinda depends on who you get…It’s weird. I’m not a big fan of it.”
Robertson was in a different situation in his college course: while he was not seeking help from an SHS teacher, Harvard Extension School was better at providing teaching assistants to assist with the complicated work. “No teachers are helping me, but there were teaching assistants…I also took it with Micah Mulder, and we worked together,” he commented. Students looking at online courses for next year should try to schedule a time to meet with an SHS teacher knowledgeable about the curriculum, and aspiring VHS Learning users should know that teachers will not be available to help with course material frequently.
Online college-level courses still have in-person-level costs. Robertson cited the cost of his college course as the main disadvantage: “It was really expensive.” College-level courses, like Robertson’s Multivariable Calculus course, tend to cost the same amount as VHS AP online courses. Kenneway’s AP Physics courses provided by VHS Learning cost $925 each, while an average online college course costs about $1,000. However, remember that students in both class types can earn college credits if they do well enough, offsetting some of the costs of higher education.
Only take the class if you are really passionate about it. When asked if he would recommend online courses to other students, Robertson commented, “Yes, but only if there’s a class that you really want to take that [SHS] doesn’t offer.” Kenneway agreed, commenting, “I would [recommend them] if their school does not give them the opportunity to have that class…you don’t want to be restricted…you want to pursue things that you want to do.” Kenneway also made it clear that taking on an extra AP for the GPA boost is not a good idea, especially considering VHS’s tough grading: “If it’s an AP class and you just want to take it to boost your GPA, then no. Do them if you are really, really passionate and want to do that subject.”