<p>I have read the long debates about Harvard Extension School and Harvard College. I see both sides. I have taken classes at HES and they were great. That being said, I am more interested in the difference between going to HES and going to a State University. I have the option of going to either HES or say Arizona State. I would like to go to law school after I graduate. I would be proud to say that I graduated from HES, I do not think there is any reason at all to be ashamed of this fact or the need to hide it on a cv. I just want to know which one will be more helpful and will hold more opportunities for me in the future. I am 26, am willing to spend the money on whatever it takes and have the ability to attend day or night classes. I simply want to go to the school which will provide me with the most rich and rewarding education. It is all about learning and the opportunities the school will provide (and hopefully help get me into law school!) Thanks, as any info is appreciated.</p>
<p>The Harvard Extension School does not provide any information about the rate of admission of students to graduate schools, or what GRE, LSAT, GMAT scores those students attain. In fact, HES appears averse to providing any numbers that would allow any kind of comparison between their program and others. </p>
<p>This is a strategic decision by HES. One would think that if they score low on measures of incoming student qualification but higher on measures of outgoing graduates’ placement, that would show HES is providing substantial added value (as it probably does) and be something to celebrate. However, full disclosure would also permanently puncture the fuzzy aura of pseudo-Harvard prestige that is HES’ main marketing tool, so don’t expect any specific answers to pointed questions.</p>
<p>That is all fine. I am not worried about other peoples LSAT scores, just my own. The main point of my question though is in peoples opinions which would be a better choice. A degree from HES or a degree from a state school? Which one will provide a more rounded education?</p>
<p>@MikeBFunk Can you get into the honors program at a place like ASU? Would you like the idea of hanging around with 18-22 year olds, or would you feel out of place?</p>
<p>I’m usually a strong proponent of a traditional college setting, where you end up learning a <em>lot</em> from your peers outside of classes (not to mention having a lot of fun). At HES, that doesn’t exist to the same degree, because many students are working jobs or not on campus physically.</p>
<p>That said, I think it’s less of a cut + dry case, because you’re 26. There are also a plethora of intellectual opportunities you can tap into in Cambridge (but be aware that some of the things available to Harvard College students aren’t available to HES students).</p>
<p>For HES things are hard to predict because the students, even in a single class, are more heterogeneous. Sure there are the middle aged, low-key adult learners. But if you take a pre-med, pre-law or summer class you could be competing for the high grades with MIT grads switching careers, or Harvard College (and Tufts and JHU and …) students and alumni taking organic chemistry and neuroscience in a less competitive environment. Your multivariable calculus classes will be filled with smart high school students, in-service high school calculus teachers, programmers and engineers, all taking it for certification of various sorts. Half of the grades awarded at Harvard College are A or A-minus, but that may or may not be true of the Extension School courses. Some of the classes are a joke but in others the instructor has a chip on the shoulder about making the class difficult and/or grading it harshly. It’s hard to predict and changes year to year due to the turnover. </p>
<p>If you’re a superstar at HES and can fully leverage the Harvard College daytime classes, Law School classes (and professors) if those are accessible, research opportunities (if available), then that may pave the path to Harvard Law School or one of its competitors. This is not a standard or predictable track that anyone can count on, and neither, I assume, is admission from ASU. However, ASU may have enough historical data on graduates who got into top West Coast law schools, to get an idea of your chances.</p>
<p>@MikeBFunk - Going to HES would give you the better preparation.</p>
<p>I agree with part of what Siserune said - you will be in classes with students who have a plethora of backgrounds. This will prepare you better than being one of a few students at ASU with actual experience in the “real world.” Students at HES will have more to contribute to class lectures, so you’ll learn more. For instance, if I had taken an HR Management course only with students right out of undergrad, I wouldn’t have learned as much as I’m learning now taking the course with students who are actually working in HR and trying to advance in the field, or students who have worked in other areas and are making the transition to HR Management. They have so much more to offer than sitting in a classroom where all of the other students know as little as I do about HR Management, and we’re all discussing class readings without having any type of real world knowledge to go with it.</p>
<p>I have a friend who attended my alma mater later in life, and she had a difficult time because it’s a traditional college and there weren’t a lot of students her age (the continuing education program is small and not really promoted, so she was one of only eight or nine adult students at the entire college). Sitting in classes with traditional students meant she had to deal with a lot of immature students. So you might want to look at the ASU population and see what the average age is of the students. I’m not saying you can’t learn anything from being in a classroom with traditional students, just that you don’t learn as much.</p>
<p>Also, HES gives you the option of taking classes at Harvard College, and if you can take the four (maximum) classes with the same professor (or a couple of professors), you can have some very good recommendations from both HC and HES professors (most, if not all of whom have some serious connections). </p>
<p>Also, there’s a camaraderie at HES that I haven’t seen other places. And because the other students are more mature, and coming out of the workplace (or still in the workplace), you’ll make a lot of connections with them that can also help you with law school.</p>
<p>I wanted to know which would be a better option: Pursuing an ALB (BA) from Harvard Extension School or going to a community college for two years and then attempting to transfer to a four-year univeristy.</p>
<p>I am considering going to a MA community college like Middlesex Community College or Bunker Hill Community College and then transfering into UMass or maybe even Haravrd.</p>
<p>Assuming I can’t transfer into Harvard, what’s going to get me a job: A BA from Harvard Extension School or a BA from UMass (Amherst, Lowell, or Boston?)?</p>
<p>Things to consider:</p>
<p>1) What do you want from your college experience? </p>
<p>Harvard Extension School classes occur at night – it’s basically night school for working adults who have a full-time job during the day. Is this what you want from your college experience? Do you want to work during the day and go to school at night? It’s not the same thing as attending a community college during the day.</p>
<p>2) What do you want to study?</p>
<p>Check out the Extension School classes. They have a limited selection of courses, certainly not as wide or diverse as the college, or of a community college. See: [Course</a> Search](<a href=“http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-search]Course”>http://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/course-search). </p>
<p>A Harvard Extension school student DOES NOT automatically get to take courses at Harvard College. To take 2 classes per semester at the College, you need to have already taken 32 credits at the Extension School, have a 3.33 GPA, and be pre-approved to take those courses. See: [Special</a> Options | Harvard Extension Undergraduate Degrees](<a href=“http://www.extension.harvard.edu/degrees-certificates/undergraduate-degrees/special-options]Special”>http://www.extension.harvard.edu/degrees-certificates/undergraduate-degrees/special-options). </p>
<p>3) Where are you going to live?</p>
<p>Harvard Extension School does not have dorms. Apartments in Cambridge are expensive; I don’t think you can find a one bedroom apt in Cambridge for under $1000 a month; look on craigslist and see. Maybe you can find a cheaper apt in Sommerville or other parts of Boston, but then you would be commuting to school and not living in the area.</p>
<p>4) How are you going to pay for school? </p>
<p>Although Harvard’s Extension School does offer financial aid, it is not as generous as the FA at Harvard College. Currently Harvard Extension courses average about $1,000 per course. After 32 credits, if you are able to receive “Special Student Status”, those 2 courses taken per semester at Harvard College will cost you $4,697 per course. Harvard Extension School can be a very expensive way to get a college degree.</p>
<p>Only read the first post in this thread. ASU Honors is worth serious consideration in your case.</p>