College From Home? Sure . . . At Least a Few Classes

The internet has changed a lot of things. Some for the better, and some not. One good thing is the proliferation of ways to learn online for free or nearly free. College has become insanely expensive, so getting a head start on college from home by taking free online classes can be a good idea. Many famous colleges and universities are posting entire lectures and classes, along with exams, online for anyone to access. I came across several interesting sites while working with the Excellence in Literature project; here are a few of the most interesting.

You might want to start by browsing Coursera,  or EdX, both of which offer courses from many excellent colleges and universities. As you browse, you might see courses such as

• Creative Writing from Wesleyan University
• Introduction to Philosophy from University of Edinburgh
• Machine Learning from Stanford University
• Roman Architecture or Financial Markets from Yale University

There are many college at home choices in the humanities, arts, and sciences, as well as business and technology. Learning can be free, though if you want to earn a certificate there is usually a fee. These courses can be used to supplement homeschooling study, prepare for a CLEP exam, or just to learn something new and interesting.

Other sources of free knowledge include Open Educational Resources Commons and Academic Earth, as well as some individual college sites.

At OER, you’ll find thousands of courses in primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels in almost any academic subject you can imagine.

At Academic Earth, you can search by university, subject, or instructor. Like the others, this site is clean, very attractive, and easy to use.

MIT Open Courseware, offers free lecture notes, exams, and videos with no registration required.

Taking classes online isn’t quite the same as doing it on campus, but if you stay focused, practice good learning habits, and do all the required work and readings, you will gain useful new knowledge and skills. The internet has brought the possibility of college from home to almost everyone, and it’s easy to try.

Look for more free online classes by doing an internet search for “free college courses.” No matter what you’d like to study, whether it’s physics or publishing, there’ll be something available. Enjoy!

When you start thinking about college, it’s time to start thinking of financial aid, too. Even if you do some college from home, you’ll still need to apply. Here’s an article on how and why to do it: Financial Aid.