<p>Hello everybody.</p>
<p>Next semester, the Fall semester, will be my last semester of Undergrad. I plan on applying for a graduate program in biology, which is very different from my current BA path of English. A lot of the biology programs require you to have taken undergrad classes that I haven't gotten the chance, and won't be able to take, at my school. </p>
<p>My question is: I've found programs online where you can take college courses, and receive a certificate for successfully passing the class. Some of these are places like straighterline.com and some open online classes from actual universities around the world. Do you think a graduate program would recognize that I took these courses, or just see them as a waste of time and not acceptable towards a program?</p>
<p>I've tried talking to my current University about taking classes not for credit, but just so that they appear on my transcript, but no one seems willing to help me.</p>
<p>If any one has any advice or experience to share, I'd be very thankful.</p>
<p>If you’ll be applying to biology graduate programs, you need to show that you can do graduate level biology work. Online classes are a perfectly legitimate way of fulfilling requirements, but only if you’re enrolled in genuine distance learning courses from an accredited, recognized university, and if you are earning actual college credit. If it’s just one of those random or free and mostly informal websites that anybody can sign up for and receive a certificate for, it doesn’t mean much (which is not to diminish to utility of those courses–I also switched my field of study between undergrad and grad school, and those informal resources were invaluable in helping me make the transition–but if those grades don’t show up on a bona fide transcript, they don’t mean much for your application).</p>
<p>Also, remember that lab courses are a big part of most biology programs. You can’t fulfill requirements for lab courses online.</p>
<p>In theory, you can fulfill requirements with online classes if you attend a reputable school that has a brick-and-mortar equivalent, like Penn State’s World Campus. In practice, most graduate programs are going to want to see you take in-person classes. Biology involves laboratory sections, and you can’t do those from a distance. Moreover, if you want a research degree, you’ll be expected to get some biology research experience before getting admitted to a program. If you want an MS this isn’t as crucial, but if you want a PhD you’ll need 1-3+ years of research experience before you are competitive.</p>
<p>Also, the whole point of taking classes for credit is that they appear on your transcript. If you’re not willing to pay the full fee, they won’t. Some places will allow you to audit classes for cheaper and they will appear, but you have to negotiate that separately with each professor, and most professors won’t agree to letting someone audit an introductory biology course with lab classes. If you want the classes to appear on your transcript, most likely you will have to take them for credit. That’s why people seem “unwilling” to help you.</p>