In my experience, I have seen that many students are interested in taking courses outside of school but do not know how to go about doing so. If you are interested in taking courses outside of school, there are several different ways you can go about doing so.
- Community college courses. Community college courses can be a great way to increase your knowledge on a subject while also gaining experience on what it is like to take college-level courses. To read more on community college courses as well as my personal experience taking a community college course, visit Research Rationalized’s article about taking classes at a community college.
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Coursera courses. Coursera is an online platform that calls upon top instructors from universities and companies all over the world to teach hundreds of different classes. Coursera is a great option if you want to take a low stakes class about a field you may potentially be interested in. If you would like to dabble in new fields and explore potential interests, Coursera may be for you. Coursera courses are planned 4-6 week long courses. If you want to access the quizzes, projects, and Coursera certificates upon completion, you will have to invest in the course by paying. Coursera also offers many other services, but their courses are most relevant for high schoolers. The best part of Coursera, in my opinion, is that they provide courses on even the most niche fields and you are not likely to find such courses elsewhere as a high schooler.
- I myself took a course through Coursera. I discovered my passion for neuroscience at a young age, and I didn’t have many ways to explore my interest further, so I decided to take a Coursera course about The Neurobiology of Everyday Life. Although I did find that the course material was complex and hard to understand at times, given my limited knowledge of neuroscience at the time, I thought it was very interesting nonetheless, and I did obtain much of my current knowledge of neuroscience through that course.
- Udacity courses. Unlike Coursera, Udacity offers courses that are more STEM focused. Common courses include programming, data science, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing. If you would like to specifically hone a particular STEM related skill, Udacity is the platform to join. In my experience, most high schoolers don’t take Udacity courses to explore their interests. Instead, high schoolers take Udacity skills to improve their skills in programming, for example, in preparation for something else, such as an advanced Computer Science course in high school or an internship that requires a thorough understanding of and experience with programming, to name a few.
- Khan Academy videos. Khan Academy is one of the best free resources you will encounter as a high schooler. Each video is extremely helpful and explanatory. I wouldn’t recommend learning an entirely new topic just from Khan Academy. Rather, I would recommend that you use Khan Academy to supplement and clarify your high school learning. Khan Academy videos, quizzes, and practice material are great ways to reinforce what you are learning in school and get in some extra practice as well to completely solidify your concepts. I would also highly recommend checking out Khan Academy’s SAT preparation materials; in my experience, they were extremely helpful and great practice.
The above platforms are great options to take courses outside of school if you are looking to expand your knowledge in a field of interest, simply explore new interests, or hone particular skills. Whatever your reason may be, I definitely recommend checking out these platforms. Who knows — you may just end up finding your passion through one of these courses.