Hey i was just wondering, im taking a bunch of edx courses related to my intended major, but i was wondering, for my college application is a certificate required, would it be more appealing? because each course costs about 50$ for a certificate and its free minus a certificate
so i just want to be sure, would a certificate for each edx course be required for your college application?
I doubt it will make a difference.
No.
The unasked question: Will the certificate move the needle on an application? Also no, IMO.
I looked at my local State U:
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
The School of Arts and Sciences does not grant degree credit for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including those offered through Coursera, even when those courses are offered by units of Rutgers University. SAS students may participate in these courses, but they may not be used to fulfill requirements, prerequisites, or contribute to the Rutgers GPA.
Colleges are in the business to have you go to their college, pay to take classes, and graduate.
Doing well in your HS classes shows that you have the ability to do that.
SAT/ACT gives them an indication on how you would do.
But taking a MOOC?it is something you did in an uncontrolled environment (e.g., they can’t know if you cheated if you got a certificate). Would show some interest in the topic, but classes or ECs related would do it better.