Firstly, i need to determine that : What do you depend on to be a long-term online college student?" It depends on what your goal is. There are many long-term college students that enjoy learning for learning and aren't on a time line. There are others who give up because it is taking too long...
If your goal is a degree, the first thing to check is to see if there are time limitations (i.e. you need to complete within X years). These rules are very common, so be sure to lay out a plan that gets you to your goal in the time period. I would encourage you to leave a semester of leeway as life gets in the way (i.e. if it is a 6 year limit, plan on completing closer to 5).
As far as what will you 'feel'? If you are taking your time completing a degree, you will still complete it faster than people who didn't start or are putting it off. There are many who take 1-2 classes a semester (often because their work will only pay for that much or they can only afford that much) so you won't be 'odd'. Then again, you don't have to share anything with your fellow students if you don't want to.
A caution on finances... If you are using student loans or grants, make sure you do not run into issues with time or number of classes taken. Also, do not 'front load' your assistance (i.e. use al of your federal grants up front) as you will have to pay the bill in the end. Also while in school you can defer your loans, but in most cases interest still accrues so the amount you owe will be increasing.
Additionally, I'd also say that online universities are typically "for profit" which means the higher the tuition the greater the revenue to shareholders. It's a model that is coming under intense scrutiny at the federal level.
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