<p>I think it would.. Its the same courses, professors, textbooks, exams, syllabi, but your not in debt thousands of dollars. Plus if you get below a B average your out.......I'm sure there are plenty of Harvard grads out there with a C average. Theres absolutely no difference! I mean a Harvard degree is a harvard degree. A HES degree is just as valuable, in my opinion. </p>
<p>Do employers/community view a Harvard Extension School degree in the same light as a Harvard degree?</p>
<p>so you asked a question and answered it in the same thread? Interesting.</p>
<p>i doubt it</p>
<p>"I think it would.. Its the same courses, professors, textbooks, exams, syllabi, but your not in debt thousands of dollars. Plus if you get below a B average your out.......I'm sure there are plenty of Harvard grads out there with a C average. Theres absolutely no difference! I mean a Harvard degree is a harvard degree. A HES degree is just as valuable, in my opinion. </p>
<p>Do employers/community view a Harvard Extension School degree in the same light as a Harvard degree?"</p>
<p>Harvard is known for having grade inflation, and I can guarantee that hardly anyone gets C averages at harvard. Average i think is like a B+ about.</p>
<p>Also, no. Nobody would view a degree from "Harvard Extension School" and Harvard as the same.</p>
<p>just say that a extension school degree is a harvard degree</p>
<p>The success of Harvard graduates is probably more a result of selection bias than training. Since HES students don't go through the same rigorous admissions process as Harvard College students, therefore, an HES degree is worth less.</p>
<p>What is the equivalent of an HES degree....tier 2 schools, tier 3 schools??</p>
<p>A Harvard degree is a harvard degree</p>
<p>Harvard Extension can provide a very good education and a very lost cost, comparable I think to some quality liberal arts colleges. It's limitations are the depth of it's course offerings in many areas. Also, most courses meet only once a week. I don't know what tier 2 and tier 3 means. It's really designed for non-traditional students and is a way for Harvard to contribute to the larger community. </p>
<p>But, I'll be honest, but if I had a job candidate who tried to pass himself off as attending Harvard College and when I get the transcript it's Harvard Extension, and that candidate made me figure that out for myself, I'd show the ethically challenged individual the door. If you want to go there to try and fool people into thinking that you went to Harvard College, it's a very bad idea. If you put Harvard Extension School on your resume, and then impress people with your brilliance, that's much more ethical.</p>
<p>I mean...would one compare it to community college?</p>
<p>No, the students are much stronger IMO and I think more mature and serious than a community college or some party school. Since most people are nontraditional students, they are often taking the classes in addition to working full time. One just don't bother if one's not serious. Many are either very ambitious and see their degree as a ticket to better things or find the material very interesting and are just there for fun (like me). I've taken 4 classes as a noncredit student and I found 3 of the 4 very substantial; those were taught by Harvard faculty. The 4th was not taught by a Harvard professor and was probably very easy to get a good grade, but just OK IMHO. I know there are non-Harvard instructors who are excellent though. The age range was from 18 to 75. Class discussions are excellent.</p>
<p>a lot of the prestige of a harvard degree comes from the selectivity associated with being accepted to the program, so, no, it would not hold the same weight as a harvard degree</p>
<p>
[quote]
a lot of the prestige of a harvard degree comes from the selectivity associated with being accepted to the program, so, no, it would not hold the same weight as a harvard degree[/quote[</p>
<p>Agreed. 10</p>
<p>Do Extension School students go on to lead successful lives? What do they do?</p>
<p>They dont succeed. Right out of school they all go to work at macdonalds and sell crack.</p>
<p>Like I said, the people I've chatted with in my classes were for the most part very impressive and yes at least one was 18 and was there because it was cost effective. HES's brochure's must have some answers to your questions about where people go afterwards. Why don't you try and visit during your break and attend classes some evening to get a feel. I don't think it's everybody's cup of tea, but for the money (roughly $7200/year tuition, $900 per class plus some fees), it seems like a great deal.</p>
<p>From the Crimson, May, 2006:</p>
<p>"The majority of candidates in the Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) program, the four year undergraduate program of the Harvard Extension School, are working adults. But, according to Mark Ouchida, assistant director of the ALB program, a small but growing number of ALB candidates are coming directly out of high school. This growing population also faces new challenges, having to establish an non-traditional identity at a university where tradition reigns. </p>
<p>Currently, less than 10 percent of the roughly 150 students accepted into the ALB program each year are of “traditional” college age, defined as between 18 and 22 years old. While students have diverse reasons for enrolling in the ALB program, the rising cost of college tuition can be one of them. </p>
<p>According to Linda A. Cross, director of communications and marketing for the extension school, the mission of the Harvard Extension School is to offer the resources of Harvard University at a price that is affordable to members of the community. Undergraduate courses at the extension school cost between $550 and $825 each while comparable courses at Harvard College carry a price tag of $3,594. ...</p>
<p>"By choosing to forgo the more traditional college experience of living in dorms and eating in residential dining halls, extension students also give up access to the social community those experiences provide. Nurse admits her transition was made easier because she lives with her two older sisters, both students of the ALB program. </p>
<p>Unlike Nurse, Shortill initially found herself in social limbo. Looking back, Shortill says forming a social network is the hardest part of the extension school experience. “There’s not a huge community you can tap into very easily. There is a student association, but it’s hard for people to meet because everyone has their own life,” she says. “You get a college experience that is completely not coddled in any way, there is no hand holding.” </p>
<p>And the fact that the ALB program was designed with the working adult in mind means that the majority of students have already established their careers. ..."
<a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513391%5B/url%5D">http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=513391</a></p>
<p>Lexus or Toyota? Kellog's Frosted Flakes or K-mart brand? HES just isn't the real stuff.</p>
<p>individual classes are open to the public. no real admissions process required. however, to earn a degree and be entirely enrolled, there is a formal admissions process. but come on... nothing like getting into the real Harvard University</p>
<p>You might be able to fool a couple of ignorant employers tho... and some relatives and what not. anybody can take an evening class at Harvard Extension and start going around telling people they went to Harvard.</p>
<p>Excuse me??? Ethical??? As per Harvard FAQs on <a href="http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2007-08/programs/alm/help/#resume%5B/url%5D">http://www.extension.harvard.edu/2007-08/programs/alm/help/#resume</a></p>
<p>it says the following:
How can I present the ALM on my resume?</p>
<p>Harvard University offers the following degrees in Extension Studies:</p>
<p>Associate in Arts
Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Master of Liberal Arts</p>
<p>It is acceptable, therefore, to list the ALM degree on your resume in the following manner:</p>
<p>Harvard University, Master of Liberal Arts, concentration in history</p>
<h2>Unacceptable: Harvard University, MA in History</h2>
<p>NO WHERE does it say you have to put "extention". I am sorry but people on this board are better off listening to the Harvard admins then you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Lexus or Toyota? Kellog's Frosted Flakes or K-mart brand? HES just isn't the real stuff.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Uh, that's not the issue on the table. Whether we like it or not, HES is in fact part of Harvard. Maybe you don't think it should be, but the fact remains that it is.</p>
<p>
[quote]
individual classes are open to the public. no real admissions process required. however, to earn a degree and be entirely enrolled, there is a formal admissions process. but come on... nothing like getting into the real Harvard University
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Look, I think the closest equivalent is all the executive education classes run by Harvard Business School. The admissions process for those classes is quite easy, with many of them basically being open: you pay for them (or, more likely, get your employer to pay for them), and you can just "say" that you studied at Harvard Business School.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You might be able to fool a couple of ignorant employers tho... and some relatives and what not. anybody can take an evening class at Harvard Extension and start going around telling people they went to Harvard
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But you did "go to Harvard". The truth is, whether we like it or not, HES is in fact part of Harvard. </p>
<p>Now, you can't say that you went to Harvard College. But you did go to Harvard. Just like those people who took exec-ed classes at HBS can say that they "went to HBS". They can't say that they went to the HBS MBA program, but they can say that they "went to HBS". We may not like it, but it's not a lie. </p>
<p>Or let me give you another scenario that extends your "Lexus vs. Toyota" analogy. I know a guy who's making less than $15 an hour who drives a Lexus. Impossible, you say? No, very possible. How? It's a *very old * Lexus. You can buy a used Lexus of a model year from the early 90's for only a couple thousand dollars. But it's still a Lexus. What that means is that practically anybody in the country can afford to drive a Lexus.</p>