1
3 years ago
Admissions Advice

How would I show coursera & duolingo achievements on college applications?
Answered

Well, I guess my first question should be CAN I even show those achievements on college applications. I was just thinking since I spent a lot of time on them, they might be considered an extracurricular in college admissions. For both, there's no really "concrete" proof of me doing it, except maybe a screenshot. Any thoughts?

Duolingo
extracurricular
onlinecourses
admissions
1
4

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2 answers

2
Accepted Answer
3 years ago[edited]

Hi there! Depending on how impressive your achievements are, you could list them. You don't necessarily need proof, as this is the case for anything on your app. You should obviously be honest, but the Common App never asks you to "prove" anything, and many schools even allow you to self-report test scores (and verify upon acceptance).

I would just hesitate to list duolingo/coursera as they are quite common achievements. It's better to fill up your application with extracurriculars that are more unique/impressive. It may also be more effective to demonstrate your language skills in other elements of your application, like AP exams, formal language exams like DELF, language clubs, or using your language skills in an extracurricular (like speaking to customers in a foreign language), translating your blog into a foreign language, etc. When you can use your language in real-life settings, it's even more impressive.

Hope this helps!

2
-1
3 years ago

If they're very important and impressive, you can include the achievements in the "honors" category on your CommonApp. They couldn't really be considered an extracurricular, that would be like self-studying for an ap exam and trying to call it an extracurricular. The amount of time spent doesn't have much to do with if something is classified as an extracurricular or not. If you don't want to put them in the "honors" category, you could include a short note in the "additional information" section, but I wouldn't suggest that.

-1
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