Free Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Get your geek on: MIT offers a far more comprehensive selection of free online courses than other universities — nearly its entire undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Downloading materials takes minutes. A newsletter highlights new offerings, from Quantum Physics to American Women Authors.

What’s the Catch? Users can’t enroll, take classes on campus, or earn degrees.
Find Out More: www.ocw.mit.edu.

BBC, FrenchPodClass. The BBC offers top-notch online and MP3 lessons in languages familiar and obscure, including French, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Greek, and Urdu. FrenchPodClass has easy-to-use, enjoyable podcasts that allow you to learn French while you do errands or go for a run.

What’s the Catch? Classes are one size fits all, which fast learners may find sluggish (and slow learners may find difficult).
Find Out More: www.bbc.co.uk/languages, www.frenchpodclass.com.

Free Classes

U.S. Small Business Administration. Learn how to write a business plan, register your company, and deal with the tax details of running a home business at your local Women’s Business Center evening classes (men are welcome, too).

What’s the Catch? Novices and more advanced learners share the same classroom.
Find Out More: www.sba.gov (click on “Local Resources” for a nearby center and for financial and marketing information).

Apple Stores. Apple gives excellent classes on business and entertainment software, music programs, and computer basics, all remarkably free of sales pitches. There are also classes on how to use Apple hardware, like iPods. Most of the company’s stores — there are more than 170 — offer several classes a day.

What’s the Catch? All classes relate to (often pricey) Apple products.
Find Out More: www.apple.com (click on “Visit an Apple store”).