How Prestige Is Harvard Extension?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by sshuang, Mar 3, 2009.

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  1. AGS

    AGS New Member

    renzo makes a good point...and the analogy is not about cost effectiveness of 2 cars but the status of a school with a luxury car...
     
  2. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    We had to resurrect a stale three year old thread to beat the horse with this week??? :)
     
  3. I got caught up in it. Didn't pay attention to the dates on the first page and got really confused. I was like "How many times do we have to discuss this?!?!" :chairshot:
     
  4. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    Very, very true. I'm glad someone pointed that out. Why does it matter if it's Harvard Extension or Harvard? No one cares about Penn State having an online department. No one says "but its not really Penn State." You know why? Because ITS STILL PENN STATE. We are all suppose to be advocating for DL, yet if we are here bickering about wether Harvard's DL program is really good enough, arent we being counter productive to our own cause?
     
  5. ryoder

    ryoder New Member

    Harvard is impressive because they don't admit just anybody. Thats the main reason. Exclusivity. Harvard Extension does not have this.
     
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Why hast thou disquieted me?
     
  7. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    I will not dispute the general meaning of this. I agree that Harvard does not accept just anyone. You have to be academically exceptional.

    I will however point out that Extension will not admin just anyone to a degree program. You have to be academically bright to achieve that (though I won't go to the extreme of saying that being exceptional is required).

    Last.. there should be an auto ban for non-moderator thread necromancy. You can read stuff without commenting on it.
     
  8. I would have to disagree. Harvard isn't impressive solely because of their selectivity. It does have a major part of it though. There are many other factors that give Harvard the "wow" factor.

    With all of that said. I would venture to say that we (this forum) are probably one few people that actually splits hair on this subject. I would guess that 7-8 out of 10 employers would view them to the same degree. People see Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc...and rarely say "well this is from the Extension School, or the Art Department..." That's more like a second level of investigation that most people don't go through when you mention schools with their amount of prestige.
     
  9. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    So can you. Why be mad about it? You dont HAVE to read it if its an old thread.
     
  10. jude84

    jude84 New Member

    The perception of Harvard Extension will never change because there will always be bitter people who missed out on the opportunity and already completed their undergrad or have no need for a masters. It's bitterness and I am convinced. No one should care that much about a school's cont Ed program bit since it's Harvard, they do.

    People forget about what some of these students do while they're at HES. One guy I knew joined several clubs while there, networked, started an archery sporting club, and pretty much made himself a part of the undergrad college as much as any regularly admitted student. Now he is at Columbia University completing a masters at SIPA, the pubic policy school.

    A lot of top schools have continuing education programs. WUSTL, Columbia, Northwestern, Tulane and UPenn. All of them have about the same admission standards of a local flagship. No one cares about making a grand distinction about their day and night programs.

    The original Toyota and Prius analogies were childish and utterly wrong. The better analogy was the Mercedes one, or better yet, it's not Armani proper but the lesser Armani Xchange clothing brand. It's still Armami albeit more affordable and not as fancy.

    I was bitter and resentful at HES grads too because they found an entry into Harvard. The first reaction that came to my mind was "how did I not know about these schools at top universities"? So I mocked my friends degree and told him it wasn't really Harvard. He smiled back this grin like I was just ignorant and didn't know any better.

    The trick is that HES grads work their butt off within the school and are more grateful than anyone there to have access to such a prestigious school. They know the perception people have of HES and tend to steer clear of anything not associated with Harvard or the Ivies. They go straight to grad school or take jobs that Harvard listed on their career services website or network with other Harvard people.

    Only on the net do I encounter the bitterness toward HES as I doubt many of you would be so openly rude toward someone from HES. The other half of the population doesn't give a flying flip about HES because they're too busy with their own lives to demean someone.

    Point is before I go into a rant, the hostility toward HES projects a lot of insecurity and bitterness. A weird reaction that I doubt will ever go away when it comes to this school. I mean you have to be really ignorant of the school and university itself to be that hostile toward it.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 23, 2012
  11. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    Fair. So in reply.

    1. If I use this place as a research tool and only want to see new content, if I hit the new threads option to make my life easier and get content from 2009, it's not easier.

    2. If I look at the front page and see five threads with dates in antiquity then it forces me to think about page two, etc. There's not enough traffic on the site to merit that otherwise on a daily basis.

    To be fair in return:

    1. It's gotten better since the stickies got trimmed. The first page of stickies was silly and I'm glad that got handled - Thank you to the mods.

    2. It's not as bad as it was a couple weeks back. Thanks from refraining somewhat.

    I wouldn't characterize my approach as "mad" but I would like those of us who have been here a while, read some of this stuff once or who are only here for the latest program information to not have to bother with the "I agree" and "Yeppers" on years old threads.
     
  12. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    If I graduated from Harvard Extention I'd drink tea and brag about it. :approve:
     
  13. DLH123

    DLH123 New Member

    Please review the Harvard Extension website for information on this program. A degree from Harvard Extension is a degree from Harvard (Extension is one of the 13 schools at Harvard). A better analogy of the degree program at Harvard Extension is that of open tryouts for a professional sports team. Anyone can try out, but only those with talent will make the team. Anyone can take courses at Extension, but if you want to earn a degree, admittance requires taking 3 classes and making A's or B's in those classes, then applying for admission. Graduation requires maintaining a B or better average throughout the program. Special student status can be applied for where you take regular on campus classes with other Harvard college students. Graduation requires a certain amount of on campus classwork as well as a certain percentage (70%+) of coursework from Harvard instructors. The Ferrari/Prius analogy is not even close to being accurate. If you want something close, watch the movie Invincible, the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. Completing either an undergraduate or graduate degree from Harvard Extension is the academic equivalent of this.
     
  14. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Living in Massachusetts not too far from Harvard, I know many, many people who have taken courses at Harvard Extension, but I know only one who has actually earned a degree from there.
     
  15. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    I would be all over HES if they didnt have residency requirements. Extension School or not, its freaking HARVARD!!!
     
  16. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    HES *graduates* (not just anyone who took a course there) are considered Harvard graduates, and can avail themselves of the appropriate privileges, including the use of the many Harvard Clubs all over the country.
     
  17. NMTTD

    NMTTD Active Member

    I wish there was a way to complete an entire degree online through the HES. If I could do that, I would in a heartbeat. I mean, a degree from HARVARD? Are you kidding me?? Who WOULDN'T do that?!
     
  18. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    People who look for more than a famous name when selecting the source their education?
     
  19. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    You know this can be completed 3 weeks at a time every January. Or half can be done in just 7 weeks taking two courses in the summer. Since many classes meet only once a week some people actually fly into Boston, go to class, then catch a flight home...there are ways to do this. The tuition is actually very competitive at just $250/credit (unless you go for CS or Business where the cost can double).
     
  20. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    I'm glad, with this thread, we have finally once and for all settled this HES issue... :)

    Been keeping me up at night.
     
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