Harvard ALB vs. Excelsior then Harvard ALM

Hi all! This is my first post.

I've been aching to finish my Bachelor's degree for years now and I think I'm finally getting up enough of a head of steam to do it.

I'd looked at Excelsior way back when it was called Regents College and instead decided to enroll in a traditional B&M school to finish up my engineering degree.

Let me tell you: trying to carry a courseload at a traditional univeristy while holding down a fulltime job is murder. My grades reflect that.

Now I'm looking at starting up again. I have a LOT of credit. My transcript from said university has about 113 hours of credit attached.

Now the question: I can try and finish with the Harvard ALB program. This will be difficult and expensive but has the benefit of being a relatively robust degree compared to Excelsior. I know that statement will rankle some people but I think the best defense against anyone questioning the content of my educational credentials is a strong offense of academically challenging coursework.

Then again: I'm no dummy. If I apply at Excelsior, I can probably be done in 6 months. Harvard would take me maybe 4 years.

Lately I've been thinking of doing a little of both: Excelsior to finish the bachelors, Harvard for the ALM in IT.

Any thoughts on this plan? I'm going nuts trying to figure this out. At the end of the day, it really won't affect my career much right now. I'm already well placed in my field; the result of getting my foot in the door of the Internet inductry when it was still on the climb. A degree won't get me much farther than I already am unless some things radically change in my life. The quest for a degree is really just an itch I've been waiting for the right moment to scratch.

I appreciate your comments.

 

Do Excelsior first. Should you burn out and quit later, you'll still have RA bachelor's. If not - you'll have Harvard master's.

 

Stanislav's suggestion is perfectly good. So long as you plan on getting the Master's, why not go to the Big H Extension afterwards?

I'm kind of ignorant on this point, but does Excelsior have the requisite accreditation to be able to get into Harvard's extension school? I think Excelsior's RA, so that should be fine, but someone correct me if I'm wrong, I know very little about them.

 

Lately, that's what I've been thinking.

I've known about the Excelsior degree for a long time but I've shied (shyed?) away for a long time because I suffer from the same amount of degree-origin snobbery that I suspect a lot of people do.

Now that there are options opening up for me at some of the more prestigious schools, it looks like it may be time to get over that.

 

Excelsior is RA, so should be fine.

 

I think the Harvard Extension ALM degrees are all incredibly easy to get into. They don't list any undergraduate GPA, GRE, GMAT requirements. Getting out of them is another matter... it seems like you would be best off getting a quickie BA, but spending a bit of time before going into the ALM making 100% sure you have enough background knowledge so that the first courses don't kill you.

 

I got my BS from Excelsior and I'm now a Harvard ALM student. If you're only 6 months away from the bachelor's, I'd strongly recommend completing it and then pursuing the master's.

This quite rapidly will give you the personal satistfaction (not an insignificant consideration) and academic/professional benefit of having earned a degree. Once you've entered the ALM program (or any graduate program), your bachelor's will fade into the background.

(Jack Tracey often mentions this, though in his case it's the Harvard degree that takes a back seat to his professional master's.)

Also, the Excelsior bachelor's degree will get you into Harvard Extension. It got my best friend's mother into several good law schools.

As for ALM admission, don't mistake the fact that they disregard the specifics of earlier academic work and the lack of testing requirements for ease of admission. You must pass three Harvard classes including a research proseminar with grades of B or better. It can absolutely be done, but it requires dedication and a high level of academic work.

 

"Shied." I even checked two dictionaries just for the fun of it.

 

I just noticed that you say you have 113 credit hours. I transfered 115 to Excelsior, and chose it over the ALB with input from the then advisor for the ALB program.

Do not pursue the ALB. It's not worth repeating nearly half a degree's worth of credits.

 

Doesn't exactly scream my qualification as Harvard material, does it?

 

I promise I won't tell anyone on campus!

 

I spoke to an advisor there today (Mark). He wasn't familiar with the Excelsior program but did say that it's possible that I could take courses at Harvard Extension that would transfer to Excelsior. With the BS in IT, I could apply to the ALM in IT program which is much easier to obtain via distance education (relative to the ALB).

I sent for the viewbook from Excelsior today. When it arrives, I'll have a better feel for how much of my coursework will transfer over for credit to that degree.

 

Mid,

If I was in your shoes I would finish with Excelsior, and then attempt the Harvard ALM. As alarmingidea has pointed out, you have many credits accumulated and would be adding extra time and coursework. You appear very close to you’re a bachelor’s degree already. Consequently, it is possible that you could complete an Excelsior Bachelors & Harvard ALM in just a short span of time in excess of what it would require to complete the ALB (correct me if I’m mistaken). Additionally, I believe future employers will place more weight on which institution you obtained your masters degree, courses, content and whether the masters program was completed and degree conferred. I would, however (if it were my decision), take a few of my final course through Harvard if they can be applied to your Excelsior degree.

Taking your final courses (if financially feasible) through Harvard would give you several advantages:

You will be more familiar with the Harvard system.

You’d get a better feel for how courses are delivered, what is expected and whether the institution and courses are suited to your learning style, time/life constraints, needs and abilities.

If you pass the courses, you’ll have demonstrated to yourself and possibly to faculty at Harvard that you are able to handle the rigor of the coursework.

It might smooth the transition into the ALM program.

 

You've gotten some good advice from the previous posters and mine will be more or less the same. I'd advise you not to throw away the money and especially the time by enrolling in the ALB program. Your Excelsior degree will serve you well enough in the future, especially if you earn a grad degree on top of it. I haven't kept up with the Harvard Extension programs but I believe that the admission requirements are less than stiff. In general, it's relatively easy to get in and relatively hard to stay in the Extension programs. Please remember that the ALM program can NOT be completed entirely online. Good luck, whatever your choice.
Jack

 

I appreciate all of the helpful comments that everyone here has offered.

As I move forward, are there any hints that anytone can offer regarding Excelsior and their BS/IT?