不花一分钱，免费上顶尖商学院

    还有别的好处吗？有。你可以在无需辞职、无需失去两年的工作经验、无需支付高达六位数学费的情况下，获得所有这些好处。事实上，你甚至没必要死磕GMAT考试，聘请一位MBA入学顾问，也不必胆战心惊地计算被排名前10的商学院录取的几率。

    当然，参加MOOC课程也有缺点。你将没有机会炫耀你的平均绩点(GPA)。如果你的英语不够好，你就无法参与课程时代和edX提供的许多带有外语字幕的课程。尽管有留言板和交互式讨论，但MOOC平台依然缺乏那种有利于学习的面对面互动，尤其是涉及到案例研究的时候。在一个数百、甚至数千人的课堂上，犹如沧海一粟的你或许得不到任何关注或支持。仅仅一个人学习，这本身就是一件难事。完成相关作业和测试需要足够的驱动力。由于没有约束机制，你很容易失去兴趣，特别是当免费课程意味着你没有切身利益参与其中的时候。此外，MOOC会让你陷入任凭技术摆布的境地。尽管教授们怀抱满腔热忱，但他们依然在适应录影棚的上课环境。

    最重要的是，MOOC无法提供商学院真正吸引人的东西：人际关系网络和实习机会。从理论上讲，MOOC可以给你一些工具，赶超那些人脉更深厚的同学。但说句老实话，他们的实习机会和校友网络将为他们提供一个极好的开端（即使你不断努力，也恐怕望尘莫及）。此外，无论公平与否，学位依然很重要。如果你没有获得一家知名教育品牌的认证，很少有雇主相信你已经掌握了先进的课程。

    那么，你究竟应不应该冒险尝试一下呢？这取决于你自己。但请参考下面这则消息：2014年，哈佛大学将加入沃顿商学院的行列，准备在线提供基础性MBA课程。有鉴于此，顶尖商学院之间的MOOC军备竞赛预计将隆重上演。

    尽管如此，还是需要提醒你一下：MOOC不会永远免费。没错，顶尖商学院正在给予学生机会，领略自己课程的风采，以打造学校的自身品牌。最终，它们需要把各自的开源理想与收入流联系在一起。否则的话，MOOC有可能破坏和蚕食它们现有的业务。

    就像媒体在近20年前所做的那样，通过免费奉送内容，教育工作者已经打开了潘多拉魔盒。客户开始期待免费的内容。它导致这一市场进一步整合和分化。10年后，学者们或许会把目前视为MOOC的鼎盛时期。为了延续这种模式，教育工作者最终将需要为内容收费，减少课程的访问时间或质量。

    所以，如果你打算参加MOOC课程，事不宜迟，现在就报名吧。付费墙和种种限制估计很快就要来了。（财富中文网）

    译者：叶寒    

    Another benefit? You can enjoy all of these benefits without quitting your job, losing two years of work experience, and shelling out six figures for tuition. In fact, you won't even need to study for your GMAT, pony up for an MBA admissions consultant, or face those daunting odds of getting into a top 10 business school.

    To be sure, there are drawbacks. You won't be able to flaunt your GPA. If you struggle with English, you won't find many courses with foreign language subtitles on Coursera or edX. Despite message boards and interactive discussions, MOOCs still lack that face-to-face give-and-take that facilitates learning, particularly when case studies are involved. In a class of hundreds (or thousands), you'll probably receive little personal attention or support. And just being on your own is difficult. It takes significant drive to complete assignments and tests. Without structure, it is easy to lose interest, particularly when free classes mean you have no skin in the game. What's more, MOOCs put you at the mercy of technology. And, despite their earnest efforts, professors are still adapting to teaching out of a studio.

    Most important, MOOCs can't deliver the real draws of business school: The network and internship. Theoretically, MOOCs can give you the tools to run circles around your more pedigreed peers. But their internship opportunities and alumni network will give them a huge head start (even if you keep working). Fair or not, degrees matter. Without certification from a renowned educational brand, few employers will trust that you've mastered advanced coursework.

    So should you take the plunge? That's up to you. But consider this: In 2014, Harvard will join Wharton in making foundational MBA courses available online. With that, you can expect a MOOC arms race among the top business schools.

    That said, here's a word of warning: MOOCs won't stay free forever. Sure, top institutions are building their brands by giving students a taste of their content. Eventually, they'll need to tie their open source ideals to a revenue stream. Otherwise, MOOCs could potentially disrupt and cannibalize their existing businesses.

    By giving content away for free, educators have opened the same Pandora's Box that media outlets did nearly 20 years ago. Customers began to expect free content. And it resulted in a consolidation and decentralization of that market. A decade from now, academics may view the present as the heyday of MOOCs. To continue this model, educators will eventually need to charge for the content or reduce access or quality.

    So if you're going to enroll in a MOOC, do it now. Paywalls and restrictions are soon to come.