First of all, thanks you, Dr. Bear, for this great website. I visit it almost daily and still learn a lot. I got my copy of 'College Degrees by Mail' about 10 ago while in Tokyo and then took a 'one-off' course through Uni.London via correspondence (yes, hardcopy). DL has truly come a long way since then. Question: Enrolled in a Harvard Extension DL course this Spring, I'm considering applying to the ALM after completing three courses and would be interested in hearing of others' experiences with the application process before moving to MA for the rest of the coursework in residence. Concern: My undergrad. GPA leaves much to be desired, although subsequent 66 sem. credits of undergrad. and grad. coursework over the past 14 years have netted a 3.6/4.0. How much weight is put on the performance in the 3 prelim. courses, prior GPA and admission essays etc.?
you know that you have to be in Harvard campus for at least one semester, right? It is not totally by DL. ------------------ Jonathan Liu http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html
Hi Jonathan, Although unrelated to the topic, I just wanted to thank you for maintaining such a fine website for all of our benefit. The updated listing of schools has provided a terrific service and I appreciate your time and devotion to this endeavor.
Thanks. It is great to hear that the web site is useful to people. ------------------ Jonathan Liu http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html
Thanks also go to the diligent administrator(s) of this website. Further to the topic, I would also be interested in any comments about their personal experiences with Harvard Extension's ALM program in general. I understand that most of the ALM is in residence.
Long time ago, back on the AED board, a person living in New Orleans, finished the ALM in Government partially by DL. I can not remember his name. there are also people said that he/she finished the harvard extention bachelor degree. ------------------ Jonathan Liu http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html
From what I understand, the only residence requirement is that you must be enrolled full-time residentially for at least one semester. This can be done in the summer session, which is 8 weeks, but it seems wise to make sure that you are far enough along in the program that you will be able to work effectively on your final project while you are there (for the IT major, at least). The rest can be completed via distance learning. I've been contemplating this degree myself, I'm just having trouble justifying going to MA for 8 weeks. I think that it would be tough to bring my family out there with me, but at the same time I wouldn't want to be away from them for 8 straight weeks. If I didn't have a family then there is no doubt in my mind that this program would be my first choice. I believe that having the Harvard name on my resume would be of great value, and the program seems good. I don't know of anyplace else that I could get a Master's (ALM) in IT with an emphasis in Software Engineering.
I have hesitated to add anything to this thread because my Harvard Extension ALB degree is almost 15 years old now and so it's not clear that my experiences would have any relevance to the question at hand. With that qualification I can tell you that when I was admitted to the ALB program I was clearly informed that prior academic performance meant very little. It was how you did on those first few qualifying courses that got you admitted (or not). Beyond this I would just suggest that you spend a big chunk of time on the phone with the Extension people checking this all out. They have always been exceedingly friendly and helpful any time I've had to contact them. Good luck, Jack
Jonathan Liu wrote: ...Long time ago, back on the AED board, a person living in New Orleans, finished the ALM in Government partially by DL... --- Yes, quite a few DL courses are available that can be used toward the ALM with which to "get one's feet wet," prior to studies in residence. Gary Rients wrote: ....must be enrolled full-time residentially for at least one semester ---- From what I gather, the studies do not have to be at *full-time* status. For example, for a recent college graduate in CS could easily combine a part-time Summer session in residence with an corporate internship in Boston. Jack Tracey wrote:...It was how you did on those first few qualifying courses that got you admitted (or not)... They have always been exceedingly friendly and helpful... ---- In my phone conversations and email, I was told the same; that's good news. ----I found the staff to be friendly and responsive and thus I look forward to my course this semester. Kajidoro wrote: ...How did you manage to deal with placement testing for EXPO E-25 via DL? ---I'm not taking EXPO E-25, although I may be required to take it later on in residence and would complete placement testing then. Thanks for all your comments, Russell
Correction! Harvard Extension states: "Students who plan to be in residence for just one semester are stronly advised to do so after their software project has been approved." This would be upon completion of one's sixth course.
