Hello,
I am currently a junior at USC Columbia. I studied at Harvard during the 2016 summer session and received A marks. My needs are met at Harvard. I have been looking for courses geared towards presidential leadership and Harvard has over 30 government courses that relate to my academic interest.
I am torn, however, between USC Columbia and Harvard Extension. The easier route would be to finish at USC. I want a challenge. I find the course selection at Harvard Extension to be more on par with my academic philosophy.
Should I go for the Bachelor of Liberal Arts in extension studies from Harvard University or continue to seek a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from USC Columbia?
I could care less about the name. I just want to be challenged. USC Columbia is a fantastic school; however, I find myself fitting in at Harvard.
I graduated from Harvard Law School, where I earned a J.D. The name “University of South Carolina” is more prestigious than Harvard Extension School.
HES is NOT Harvard College. HES is, more or less, a community college geared at the working people of the Boston metropolitan area, and a degree from there will mark you as that demographic: not Tufts, BU, Brandeis, BC or Harvard College material.
Conversely, USC won’t limit you; if you’re from South Carolina, it’s often either there or Clemson, whether you have a 95th percentile SAT score or not. There are plenty of USC graduates who go onto Ivy League schools for grad school. There were several USC graduates in my class at HLS. There were no HES graduates in my class at HLS.
I’d finish up at USC and then look at a degree from a “real” Harvard school (i.e., not HES) for grad school, if you’re planning on grad school. If you’re not planning on grad school, I’d still finish up at USC or maybe transfer to Clemson or another reputable university.
Are you in the Honors College at USC? If not, why not transfer into it?
HES is a “real” school of Harvard University, It awards Harvard University bachelor’s and master’s degrees to working people in the Boston area who may not have had the privilege of attending other schools at Harvard. It is hard for Harvard elitists like @HappyAlumnus to accept that fact. That is an issue that they should take up with the President and Fellows of Harvard College if they seek a change to HES status.
That said, HES is not geared to full time college age students and you would be better off remaining at USC Columbia.
@TomSrOfBoston, Harvard Extension School is one of the degree-granting schools of Harvard University. However, it is NOT by any measure one of the “real” Harvard schools: the schools with very competitive admissions and strong alumni outcomes.
HES is not geared for everyone “who may not have had the privilege of attending other schools at Harvard”; that group encompasses everyone from MIT, Tufts and Brandeis students to UMass-Boston ones.
Rather, HES is more or less a community college or school of continuing education, aimed at working adults who take a class here and there; it does not serve the same student body that other “real” universities serve.
@TomSrOfBoston’s post is deeply misleading: HES does not award the same bachelor’s and master’s degrees as other Harvard schools. To the few people who do more than take an HES course here and there, HES awards degrees such as “Master of Arts in Extension Studies”–degrees that by and large are offered only at HES and are given names (such as the one I list, instead of, for example, “Masters in French Literature”) to ensure that they are never confused for a “real” Harvard degree. HES even requires its students to list “Extension School” and “Extension Studies” on their resumes so that they don’t get confused with “real” Harvard students.
It is hard for people like @TomSrOfBoston to realize what HES is: it’s not a school for people who have worked their tails off and met the admissions standards at Harvard College, Harvard Business School or others. Nor is it a school that will give you prestige and credibility. It’s a community college. It advertises on public transportation. Other Ivy League universities have similar things. Don’t leave a “real” university for it, particularly USC Columbia, which is a fine school.
And no, @TomSrOfBoston, I’m not a “Harvard elitist”, despite your slur. I’m simply someone who struggled immensely and worked extremely hard–much harder than my classmates–and earned admission in a “real” Harvard school, due to years of extremely hard work and focus. It was not a “privilege” handed to me. So you need to knock off bashing and resenting who work hard.
The love of my life who will attend Harvard Law kept blocking me. No, Harvard Law is not the same as Harvard. Just the way that Harvard Medicine is not the same as Harvard.
I appreciate your advice. I have decided to stay at USC Columbia. Thanks again!
@HappyAlumnus
You provided a compelling case for staying at USC. Thanks for telling me what I needed to know. I am working on an application for the Honors College now. Thanks for the recommendation.
@TomSrOfBoston
Thanks for providing a counter argument. It’s easier to make clear decisions when you have two perspectives.
My pleasure, @bostonstudent780. You’ve made the right choice and clearly have a very bright future. Best wishes!