Harvard Extension School Students Rally for Degree Name Change

[ReyMysterioso]

Lmfao...guys, there are people are out here thinking Harvard College isn't "real" Harvard either. ? Don't listen to internet goofs that don't understand what universities are. 

[smartdegree]

Lmfao...guys, there are people are out here thinking Harvard College isn't "real" Harvard either. ? Don't listen to internet goofs that don't understand what universities are. 

I think this is the Harvard College the post was talking about:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Harvar...11kzck3b19
https://www.google.com/maps/@8.1349161,4...120!8i4160

I guess since it has "Harvard" in its name, it must be the "real" Harvard, right? LOL

[sanantone]

I don't know which Harvard College the commenter was referring to, but I don't think there's much overlap between school snobs and those who don't know that there are multiple colleges within a university. I'm pretty sure the HES detractors know what Harvard College is. Their whole argument hinges on the fact that there are multiple schools/colleges within Harvard University.

[LevelUP]

A "good deal" is a comparison of value versus cost. Being the best at something doesn't automatically make something a good deal. The fastest car in the world is a Bugatti Chiron, but at $2.9 million, is it the best deal for a sports car? I'd argue that it's not. A car that's a hair slower and half the cost could be the better deal.

The 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport does 0-60 at 2.2 seconds and costs $3.8 million.

The Tesla Model S Plaid does 0-60 in 1.99 seconds, costs $107,000, and is the fastest production car in the world.

[sanantone]

A "good deal" is a comparison of value versus cost. Being the best at something doesn't automatically make something a good deal. The fastest car in the world is a Bugatti Chiron, but at $2.9 million, is it the best deal for a sports car? I'd argue that it's not. A car that's a hair slower and half the cost could be the better deal.

The 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport does 0-60 at 2.2 seconds and costs $3.8 million.

The Tesla Model S Plaid does 0-60 in 1.99 seconds, costs $107,000, and is the fastest production car in the world.

The Bugatti Chiron has gotten to over 304 mph. The Tesla gets to over 200 mph, but the Tesla is still very fast at a more obtainable price.

[collegecareerstudent]

As the newly elected HESA president, expect this fight to continue. Identity reveal, ya'll! That's right, we're on this forum, too!

[KSoul]

Getting a degree studying "extension studies" is the sole reason I didn't even even consider trying for one of the technical HES masters degrees. I'm fine with HES. But knowing I'd have to explain to every single person that my extension studies "major" from the extension school was not some sort of general/liberal focus but actually focused on cybersecurity, data science, software engineering, or information systems wouldn't have been worth it in my mind. Extension Studies from an Extension School is redundant and unnecessarily degrading.

Who would you be doing all of this explaining to–every person? The whole thread is promoting a world that does not exist. Yes, there would be HR occasions or insecure colleagues trying to poke holes in your accomplishment; however, the narrative that someone stating they graduated from Harvard would return much more than appreciation is silly. I work with several colleagues who graduated from Yale with English and Theater degrees: one could feel a way about the difficulty of an English or Theater degree; however, I have seen several times when the response is very positive with zero devaluing statements. We tend to elevate our importance with all of this fear of what people will think. Heads up, most don't care about the details of your life, let alone your degree details.

If Harvard had not increased their tuition by so much, I would not hesitate to tackle one of the extension degrees.

[HESalumni1]

lol Harvard's acceptance rate is under 5% ...

Harvard Extension's acceptance rate is 100%

No kidding

Your statement on acceptance rate calculations may not hold water entirely. To ascertain the acceptance rate accurately, we need to factor in a few key variables. We need to identify the current number of students engaged in at least one course, as well as those pursuing a degree program. Then, the ratio of students in degree programs to those enrolled in at least one course would present us with the acceptance rate. Furthermore, the graduation rate can be assessed by comparing the total number of graduates to the aggregate of students who took a minimum of one course.

Now, let's take into consideration some insightful data from Jeffrey R. Di Leo's work, "Catastrophe and Higher Education," published by Springer International Publishing in December 2020. According to the cited reference, the Harvard Extension School had an enrollment figure of approximately 13,000 students in 2013. Out of these, 2,000 were immersed in pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees. It's noteworthy to mention that despite these figures, the Harvard Extension School has recorded a notably low graduation rate since its inception. This rate is less than one-fifth of one percent of its students. Hence, it's crucial to integrate these considerations into our calculations and assumptions.


To compute the acceptance rate, we would first need to figure out the number of students who have at least enrolled in one course. Given that 13,000 students were registered, and assuming they all took at least one course, the acceptance rate into degree programs would then be the number of students in degree programs (2,000) divided by the total number of students who took at least one course (13,000). This would yield an acceptance rate of approximately 15.4%.
Moreover, to determine the graduation rate, one needs the total number of graduates. As per Di Leo's book, the Harvard Extension School has graduated less than one-fifth of one percent of its students since its inception. Unfortunately, without the exact number of graduates, we can't provide a precise graduation rate. However, given that it is less than one-fifth of one percent, we can infer that the graduation rate is indeed very low.
Let's integrate these considerations into the discourse regarding acceptance and graduation rates, emphasizing the importance of using accurate and comprehensive data to draw conclusions. In the light of Jeffrey R. Di Leo's work "Catastrophe and Higher Education," these calculations underscore the complexity of higher education metrics and the necessity for a nuanced understanding of the data.


Di Leo, Jeffrey R. Catastrophe and Higher Education. Springer International Publishing, 2020. p. 7.

[MNomadic]

Getting a degree studying "extension studies" is the sole reason I didn't even even consider trying for one of the technical HES masters degrees. I'm fine with HES. But knowing I'd have to explain to every single person that my extension studies "major" from the extension school was not some sort of general/liberal focus but actually focused on cybersecurity, data science, software engineering, or information systems wouldn't have been worth it in my mind. Extension Studies from an Extension School is redundant and unnecessarily degrading.

Who would you be doing all of this explaining to–every person? The whole thread is promoting a world that does not exist. Yes, there would be HR occasions or insecure colleagues trying to poke holes in your accomplishment; however, the narrative that someone stating they graduated from Harvard would return much more than appreciation is silly. I work with several colleagues who graduated from Yale with English and Theater degrees: one could feel a way about the difficulty of an English or Theater degree; however, I have seen several times when the response is very positive with zero devaluing statements. We tend to elevate our importance with all of this fear of what people will think. Heads up, most don't care about the details of your life, let alone your degree details.

If Harvard had not increased their tuition by so much, I would not hesitate to tackle one of the extension degrees.

Ok, so I exaggerated by saying, "every single person." Obviously friends and family and other informal situations I'd just casually say I studied subject xyz and I wouldn't be going out of my way to share my degree in most situations unless it was brought up. Since the main reason I would be getting a technical degree would be employment reasons I mean every potential employer, interviewer, or recruiter who saw my resume, LinkedIn profile, or application might overlook a candidate with what appears to be a non relevant field of study for the position (negating the reason for getting the degree), or raise questions about why I got a generic major. The second example is not an absolute deal breaker but it does partially negate the value-add of having a "prestigious" degree when I can get a less expensive degree that accurately identifies what I studied.

I'm not particularly concerned with colleagues' opinions on my degree unless they're the ones signing my paycheck or controlling my promotion.

I have no negative opinion on someone who studied English or theater and don't know why anyone would care about what someone studied as long as they're honest about it and qualified for the job. The issue is having a not accurate major listed. If a Yale grad had theater listed as their major but they actually studied CS, that could impact perceptions about their level of qualification(and therefore their hire-ability and promote-ability). Again, this is not an absolute deal breaker and can be cleared up with a conversation if given the opportunity(may not have the opportunity if their application is overlooked altogether without followup) but the value or ROI of their degree might be lower than if they'd gotten a degree title that accurately reflects what they actually studied.

[newdegree]

I guess we are going to bring this topic back to life again.... Here we go.