I think that there is a benefit to online education that is rarely discussed. Paul Graham talked about breaking the "geographical monopoly" of schools through

I think that there is a benefit to online education that is rarely discussed. Paul Graham talked about breaking the "geographical monopoly" of schools through online education. I've worked in test prep for many years (Sylvan, Kaplan, College Network, Grockit, Veritas), and I've seen the same flaw in all of their classroom and tutoring offerings: If you live in a big metropolitan area, you have a better chance of finding a good teacher or tutor. It's no coincidence that the best GMAT teachers are in Manhattan, because that's where Wall Street is. This phenomenon is not unique to test prep. I'm willing to bet that there are more Spanish teachers (and therefore a better chance to find great ones) in Los Angeles or Tuscon than in Boise or Cheyenne. But since students usually go to school near where they live, they have to settle for what is available. But imagine an online learning platform that let a student in Bozeman, Montana take Spanish from a teacher in Buenos Aires, English from a teacher in London, calculus from a teacher in Moscow, and art from a teacher in Paris all in the same day? I think it would be interesting to learn about the Vietnam war from a teacher in Saigon. When people talk about online education, they tend to highlight the isolation students experience. I think it can be quite the opposite...it can be a more social experience than sitting in a classroom a few miles from home with an instructor and peers who likely share the same background as you.