<p>Does anybody know the ins and outs of this back door way into Harvard.</p>
<p>You might want to start here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.extension.harvard.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.extension.harvard.edu/</a></p>
<p>Thank You for pointing out the obvious , I asked for people's opinion not a link.</p>
<p>I wouldn't characterize it as a 'backdoor' way into Harvard. It's simply a way that Harvard serves a mostly different type of student, mostly older, nontraditional reentry students who were not able to obtain a college education using normal means, and/or people holding engaged in continuing education while holding full-time jobs. Not everybody goes to college right after high school, you know. Plenty of people have to get a job to support their families. Others never bothered to value education as a youth and only later in life do they come to realize its importance. HES caters to this clientele. </p>
<p>The point is, you shouldn't expect HES to provide you with a 'normal' college experience. Most students are older commuters who are just coming in to take a class or two as part of a continuing education process.</p>
<p>How is it a back door to Harvard? Basically anyone can take courses at the extension school. The degree you receive will not be from Harvard, but specifically from HES. Unlike, let's say, the Columbia School of General Studies, HES is not a college of Harvard University.</p>
<p>I would also add that the vast majority of HES students will never receive a degree from the school. Like I said, plenty of HES students are simply people who hold full-time jobs who are utilizing HES as part of a means of honing their professional skills or pursuing an intellectual interest but who have no intention of actually completing an entire degree program.</p>
<p>If it were obvious, then you would have noted that anyone can take classes at HES, and that you need to take ECOMP and a couple of classes before applying for admissions.</p>
<p>As for peoples opinion, you did not ask that in the OP. IF you meant to ask about admissions policies, then yes...people know what they are based on what the website says.</p>
<p>It's not a 'back door'.
You can't just say you got your degree at Harvard... you need to put a certain abbreviation (I forgot what it was) on your resume, which most educated people realize is the extension school.</p>
<p>lol a back door into Harvard [College, I presume]...</p>
<p>A lot of my friends take classes at HarvardX (that's what we call it, anyway...). It's basically like community college in that you pay per course, it's open-enrollment and there are many non-degree-seeking students there. Definitely not a "back door" to Harvard.</p>