I’m an international student preparing for college. Since I’m not from the US, I don’t have the opportunity to take APs and can’t even choose the classes I’m taking, for that matter. So I though that in order to boost my application I might as well take a MOOC for credit - the ones in Udacity available for $150 for example.
Is that going to help me in any way when applying - because if not, I’d rather save those $150 and take a free MOOC without credit instead (I’ve taken a dozen of these, btw)?
Also, from what I’ve read this credit counts when I enter college as well, is that true?
Thanks!
Colleges wil understand if your school doesn’t offer AP courses and you will not be penalized for that.
The Udacity courses are of little value for admissions. They may be viewed as showing interest, just like a free course would. Online MOOC’s are unlikely to be used for credit at your college. Very few colleges allow credit from them, only a couple of colleges are running pilot programs doing that. At least one college has disallowed it because of cheating.
Yes, I do know that MOOC certificates aren’t valuable when it comes to college admission but I thought that the ones offered by SJSU in Udacity (which are designed the same way as the actual university course and the credits are accepted there) might be of some use. Thank you for your comment.