Hello CC,
Plain and simple, I am going into college here soon and I have a conflict in my choosing. My options, in no particular order are to A) go to Santa Monica Community College next year and transfer into UCLA, B) go to Cambridge to attend the winter semester of essential classes in order to determine whether I can get into the extension school or not, or C) attend Harvard Extension for a few classes, just to be able to say that I have some sort of Harvard classes under my belt for resumés ( I am also wondering if these classes would count as credits, allowing me to use them at SMC or even use Harvard Extension as a transfer school into UCLA)
I am basically weighing out/trying to get both the prestige of a Harvard education, whether it simply be a few classes at their extension school, and my dream of attending my dream school in sunny Southern California.
Also, the reason why I am not applying directly to colleges - I was medically recommended to quit attending school due to a chronic illness. All is well at this point, so don’t worry about me, but I am now going completely off of a GED. I would consider myself to be intelligent and educated, despite only having a GED to prove it, and quit attending school with A’s and B’s in honors and AP classes.
Thank you!
Employers in the know are versed enough to know that Harvard Extension School is not Harvard College. The former is open enrollment for non-degree candidates and the latter rejects 95% of applicants.There are many reasons why one might want to take HES courses, but “prestige” is not one of them.
Further thoughts? Could I get accepted into the undergraduate program and transfer schools after a year or two? I don’t believe that Harvard Extension is not prestigious, if classes are passed with high marks. Also, I do believe that their degree programs are prestigious as well, as there are preliminary requirements for those courses.
Harvard Extension is a solid program, but not “prestigious” the way Harvard College is. It is more at the level of a normal state U. The advantage for a student in the Boston area is the cost and flexibility. So if you are already in that area and just want to pick up some classes, go ahead. Yes, they would be eligible for transfer to other institutions.
However, each place sets its own policy about what credits to accept for transfer. If you know where you will eventually want to transfer to complete your undergraduate degree, it is best to start out at a place that normally sends transfers there. In most cases, this means choosing a community college with formal articulation agreements with the university or universities that you are targeting.