Students considering pursuing a degree online often have a lot of fears: that employers won't accept the credential, for instance, or that the quality of teaching will be lower. But experts say that at many reputable universities, online degree programs are perfectly legitimate. Often, online students earn a real degree while balancing their education with a full-time job and other obligations. To help prospective students learn more about what to really expect in an online degree program, U.S. News interviewed several current online graduate students and asked them what surprised them most about their experience. The students include Lara Bersano Calot, an online master's student in public relations and corporate communications at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies; Corey Talley, who is pursuing his master's in real estate online through the same school; Troy Cornell, an online MBA student in the Business@American program at the American University Kogod School of Business; Sara Levi, another MBA student at Business@American; and Amandeep Dhami, an online master's student in nursing leadership and management at the George Washington University School of Nursing. Trying to fund your online education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for Online Education center. Tags: online education, education, Online MBA, technology, students, colleges, academics