# Free College



## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

Ever since I discovered Udacity, a free online "college" (they don't give out degrees, just classes and certificates stating you took the class) I have been very hooked. I am actually learning a lot with them and am currently enrolled in two classes. I just thought I could share this with my fellow PerC members so they can learn, too! ^_^

https://www.udacity.com/


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## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

Oh, also, they do offer a proctored exam to make the classes worth college credit, but it's 85 dollars.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

ISFjosue0098 said:


> Oh, also, they do offer a proctored exam to make the classes worth college credit, but it's 85 dollars.


$85 bucks is cheap if it's legit college credit.


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## Eos_Machai (Feb 3, 2013)

It's sick that you actually have to pay for college. :/


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## SherlyDEDUCE (Jul 25, 2012)

Eos_Machai said:


> It's sick that you actually have to pay for college. :/


I don't have to


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## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

SherlyDEDUCE said:


> I don't have to



Let me guess. You're not going to college.


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## slender (Sep 28, 2012)

ISFjosue0098 said:


> Let me guess. You're not going to college.


either that, or she's either got scholarships, or is in a country that gives her free college...


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## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

Rinying said:


> either that, or she's either got scholarships, or is in a country that gives her free college...


She's in the US, so that disqualifies free college.


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

Interesting. Seems very limited on number of courses, but I guess you get what you pay for. Would be a good start for people going into the computer programming field from what I can see.

Credit pricing sounds pretty good. I like the recommendation I've heard several times about starting at a community college to cover some of the basics at a fraction of the cost of a University and then transferring those credits to a University to finish up. You may be able to do the same with this but would want to check with the school you are thinking of transferring it to. Most employers don't really care what the college name is on the degree, they just want to be able to check off a minimum requirement that you have whatever degree they require, so paying for the name or an out of state school is generally a bit of a waste.


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## Arabian Knight (Jun 4, 2012)

Or her parents are paying, and she hates them.


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## Nope (Mar 13, 2011)

Cool, I'm starting the Intro to Physics course.


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## jonah123 (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks at lot...


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## trailblazer (Aug 16, 2012)

Cool site. 
You can also explore different subjects by using MIT OCW and EdX, though they don't offer any degrees or certificates.


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## searcheagle (Sep 4, 2011)

Diligent Procrastinator said:


> She's in the US, so that disqualifies free college.


There are a few college in the US that are "work your way through college" program and have no other fees. 

The obvious ones are the US Military Academies.

College of the Ozarks-In exchange for free tuition, students at the College of the Ozarks work on campus 15 hours a week. Possible jobs at this Missouri college include dairy farming and custodial work.
Deep Springs College-Students enrolled at California’s Deep Springs College don’t pay anything but must work on the school’s cattle ranch and alfalfa farm. 


For more colleges on this list:
Some Schools Don't Charge Tuition: 12 Tuition-Free Colleges - US News & World Report

So, there are free options- you just have to work for them!


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## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

searcheagle said:


> There are a few college in the US that are "work your way through college" program and have no other fees.
> 
> The obvious ones are the US Military Academies.
> 
> ...


Okay... So they aren't free... Free would be asking for nothing in exchange. Maybe they don't charge you money, but they do charge you time, and time = money.


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## searcheagle (Sep 4, 2011)

Diligent Procrastinator said:


> Okay... So they aren't free... Free would be asking for nothing in exchange. Maybe they don't charge you money, but they do charge you time, and time = money.


If you want to get technical about it, there is nothing free. Or in economics terms, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Every decision we make has an opportunity cost due to a time and/or cost investment. But when you have to pay with both TIME and MONEY, the opportunity costs are much higher. (Granted, that is expected to be paid off with higher earnings, but that's not guaranteed either.)


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## Death Persuades (Feb 17, 2012)

searcheagle said:


> If you want to get technical about it, there is nothing free. Or in economics terms, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Every decision we make has an opportunity cost due to a time and/or cost investment. But when you have to pay with both TIME and MONEY, the opportunity costs are much higher. (Granted, that is expected to be paid off with higher earnings, but that's not guaranteed either.)


There actually are free things. If you use time you were going to do nothing with anyway to obtain something with no expected return, it is free. Like the free lunch I get from the local church every Wednesday. Not joking. Free lunch Wednesdays at 12.


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## searcheagle (Sep 4, 2011)

Diligent Procrastinator said:


> There actually are free things. If you use time you were going to do nothing with anyway to obtain something with no expected return, it is free. Like the free lunch I get from the local church every Wednesday. Not joking. Free lunch Wednesdays at 12.


Still, that "free" lunch requires you to go out of your way, expending energy (either car, bus fare, or food via walking) to get there. Also, free lunches, frequently have other obligations both inferred or stated outright, that you may not feel make it worth it.

"Free lunches" usually have expectations of listening to sales pitches for other things. Or for returning the favor in another way. Or a push for donations, in some way. 

"Free Car washes" run by charities actually bring in more money than "Pay $5/10/15 for a car wash." So, their really not free either because you're obligated/supposed to pay.

In fact, the phrase was coined by bars that offered "free lunches" but when you got there, the food was so salty you needed to buy a drink too- which was sold as a much higher cost. lol


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## OrdinarinessIsAFWTD (Jun 28, 2011)

I recently checked out some of their comp-sci content. Good stuff. The courses are certainly more challenging than their Coursera counterparts.


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## Jetsune Lobos (Apr 23, 2012)

It's pretty awesome how viral free college is becoming lately (as in, the past several years, anywho...)

Here's a pretty girthy list that ranges from Algebra and Computer Science to Language, Music, and Culinary stuffs.

Bon appetit, *****.


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