The summer between my sophomore and junior years I took 2 Coursera courses and received certification upon completing them. I am wondering if this will be able to boost/enhance my application, and what kind of message it may convey to colleges.
These courses will give your application a small boost. They demonstrate that you enjoy learning outside the classroom, and if the classes relate to your major of interest, they will add to your spike. With that said, the boost is small enough that it would be worth replacing them with other activities on your list if you have done them. Hope this helps!
Not really. They're just far too easy to get. If your college explicitly asks for them (I know Harvard does, for example), there's no harm in enumerating them. If not, omitting them will probably streamline your application if you're a competitive candidate for T20s or T50s. If you aren't, they'll help in any case so including them would seem like a good idea.
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