Hello.
I want to study mathematics (pure mathematics) at Harvard as an undergraduate student first.
Should I go for Harvard College or Harvard Extension School?
Does the Harvard Extension School provide same quality as the Harvard College?
If you can get into Harvard College, go. If not and you want to pretend you are getting the same education, go to Extension.
The majority of classes at Harvard Extensive School are evening classes. That’s because the average age of HES student’s is 33 years old, with most having full-time day jobs and families to support. It’s basically night school, as most student’s are working on their 2nd and 3rd degree’s.
If you were to start taking classes at HES, you would have to find housing in Cambridge (HES doesn’t offer housing and Cambridge isn’t cheap), get a job during the day, and take classes at night. Is that what you want from your college experience?
Understatement of the year!
At Harvard College, students with certain qualities are admitted and would be in class with you. At Harvard Extension, I students need to take a composition class and two other “admission classes” in order to prove they can do the work. It is an adult learner program with both in person and online classes, and ages up to 89. There are not as many courses available as at the College. The degrees are different too (BLA not BA).
Remember that, if you do pursue your bachelors at Harvard Extension School, your degree and transcripts will say “Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies”… not a degree in mathematics.
Just something to keep in mind. Later on, you may need to fill out a job or graduate school application. Depending on your future personal, educational, and career goals, you may or may not feel comfortable filling in that your degree was in “Extension Studies” rather than filling in that your degree was in “Mathematics”.
Now, I will say this… it may matter less for applying to graduate school. I say this because the grad school will want to see your transcript and, despite it saying you got a BLA in Extension Studies, the admissions team can at least see the breadth and depth of your math education.
For a job application, this might be more problematic.
You could write you got a degree in “Extension Studies”, which may not impress the hiring manager as much as writing you have a degree in mathematics…
Or you could write that your degree was in “Mathematics”. But, most companies do not ask for school transcripts. Instead, companies will often perform background checks via 3rd party agencies. These agencies will verify your degree (school, name of the degree, dates of attendance)… and in doing so, will report back to the company that you received a “BLA in Extension Studies”, not a “BLA in Mathematics”. Their company’s initial conclusion may be that you lied about your degree… you already have 1 foot out the door. Then you may have to spend additional time and effort trying to explain to the company that even though it is a degree in “Extension Studies”, you studied primarily math there… that is additional time and effort you are hoping the potential employer is willing to put up with.
Note, I am not saying that HES is a bad place to go to school. On the contrary, I respect the school a lot.
I just know a lot of people who went to there (getting their Masters of Liberal Arts) who advertise they got a Harvard degree, while omitting the “Extension Studies” part.
If a 40 year old earns his degree in extension part time it will impress hiring managers and grad school adcoms. A 21 year old earning such a degree will not impress them.
The Extension School is Harvard’s night school. You need to ask, “Do I want a night school degree?”
They also dont offer that many math classes through the extension school
It IS a Harvard degree just as much as an AB is a Harvard degree.
@TomSr
Yes, a degree from Harvard Extension School is still a Harvard University degree. I am not contending with you at all on that point.
My point was that, on things like job or grad school applications, you are expected to not just list what schools you attended, but also what your degrees and majors were.
And well, for Harvard Extension School, everyone who graduates there receives a Harvard University degree, and everyone’s major is “Extension Studies”.
I am just pointing this out, in case that for the OP author, it is important whether or not his degree was in “Mathematics” vs. “Extension Studies”.
To @nakoruru’s point: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/completing-your-degree/graduation-honors
The following degrees are awarded by Harvard University Extension School:
For employers in the know, that’s quite different from a resume which reads.
Also, your transcript (if you are applying to grad schools) will read Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies or
Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. Similarly, potential employers running background checks will also see the same thing.
OP hasn’t ret’d since he/she opened his acct and made 2 posts.
Not sure why there is a discussion whether it is a real or good degree.
Fact is the HES, I call it the working man’s or woman’s school and has proven to be very affordable to many and has helped a lot of people achieve their goal.
HES is one of the 13 or so school from HU. You graduate and your diploma says ‘Harvard University’
You represent your diploma as Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies + add your specialty + minor
Same for ALM
It should never be diminished as lesser because someone couldn’t go to college before or are trying to better themselves. It is rather foolish to diminish it. I have personally known 3 students who went on to do PHd’s after getting an ALM. Granted you migh and I say might have to do 1 or 2 extra courses but the value of a Harvard Degree is not to be lessened.
Many HES students can take classes from HC and the other dept.
Some other Ivy colleges offer the same and I would rather have an Ivy diploma in continuing education than a what some of you on here call a real education (full time) from a minor college.
To put this to rest, your life is what you make of it and any little things that helps, is good. I have not heard on an employer who would look at a HES graduate as a lower grade.
A degree is a degree, you even go to commencement just like the regular HU guys and gals.
That’s partially true. As you said, graduates of HES are not allowed to market themselves as having graduated from Harvard College. See: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/completing-your-degree/graduation-honors
Employers in the know understand the differences between a degree from Harvard University Extension Studies and Harvard College.
One clear distinction, for example, is that a graduate from Harvard College has been vetted by the Admissions Committee and deemed to be better qualified than 94% of the rest of applicants. That cannot be said for an HES graduate. For some employers who are swamped with thousands of resumes for a position, that distinction matters when granting a student an interview for their first job.
If the person who graduates with an HES degree is 35 years old and has earned the degree part time while working and raising a family I would value that person at least as much as an HC graduate, perhaps more so.
Well of course. An experienced 35 year old with a family, attending night school while working would be preferable to a brand new grad from any college. But that has nothing to do with the relative merit of an HES vs HC education.
Character and work ethic and persistence are all evident in a person with a family who manages to work and go to Harvard Extension at night and graduate.
But they did not get admitted in the same way as a Harvard College undergrad, HES does have entrance requirements and prerequisite classes before becoming a full-fledged degree candidate. But it is not as selective as the college, obviously. Some employers look for grads from the college because of assumed smarts. That’s just the way it is. But graduating from HES improves job prospects just as a degree in many schools might.
There are professors at Harvard College who teach at HES, and HES has other faculty who don’t teach at the college.
The main drawback to HES, in my mind, it that there aren’t really enough courses, or enough of a sequence of courses, in a given subject area, to form a really thorough major.
For that reason, as an older student quite a few years back, I chose UMass Boston, which I was more than happy with. Small classes in my area of study with a lot of personal attention from teachers.
I was told by one Harvard alumnus that as a part of HES is a type of test after certain period of time after being admitted that for students who pass it, it enables an option to go and register for any subjects from Harvard College. Is that true?