Don't misrepresent where you went to school.

[alexf.1990]

[quote pid='264322' dateline='1531003271']

But honestly, I don't care where I went to school, I just care that as I get back out in the workforce, I have a degree.  Period, end of story.  Prestige won't get me any further than a no-name school when I'm trying to get my resume looked at by a computer or hiring manager.  Just having the degree is enough.

BTW - when companies put job descriptions out, none of them say "business degree required, one from Harvard is preferable."  Nope, they say "business degree required."  I've never seen a school listed as the one they care about.  Most don't (probably 99%).

Of course. This is exactly the reason why I'm not paying $33k to pretend I'm special

Recruiters do search based on school though, and the hiring manager will certainly take the school you attended into consideration. In most cases, they'll funnel your school into four categories: no-named school, a local school they're familiar with, a school known for a sports program, or a prestigious school. Of the four, I would definitely put HES in the latter category, regardless of level of prestige you believe the degree warrants.
[/quote]

[sanantone]

I’m fully on board when this forum states most degrees are a checkbox and employers don’t generally care where a degree is from, but when people start pointing at the non competitive Harvard Extension School that even Harvard itself intentionally distances itself from and starts pretending it is in anyway similar to the prestige of the traditional Harvard schools, it’s a big blow to the credibility of this forum and the judgement displayed.

I expected more from a higher education forum. By only looking at overall rankings, it shows a lack of effort put into understanding how rankings truly work. If you're a CS or engineering major who is only attending Harvard because it's "#3 in the world," you're foolishly excluding many better programs in those fields. Fortunately, those in STEM know that MIT and Georgia Tech are better in those fields. If Harvard's regular engineering and CS programs aren't on that level, then why would some expect an unranked degree in Extension Studies to be on that level? 

Since Jennifer is counting a forum as meeting someone, she should look at the comments from Harvard students under the Crimson articles. Some students respect HES, some respect but want to segregate HES, and others think it's equivalent to a CC.

Just because I refuse to delude myself doesn't mean I have a negative opinion of HES. The only negative opinion I have is that they put graduates in a position of having to explain to employers what a major in Extension Studies means. Other than that, it's a good option for nontraditional students who live near Cambridge.

[alexf.1990]

I’m fully on board when this forum states most degrees are a checkbox and employers don’t generally care where a degree is from, but when people start pointing at the non competitive Harvard Extension School that even Harvard itself intentionally distances itself from and starts pretending it is in anyway similar to the prestige of the traditional Harvard schools, it’s a big blow to the credibility of this forum and the judgement displayed.

The courses are open enrollment, but the admissions process and attrition rate suggest the program is anything but non-competitive. How you value the prestige of the school is entirely subjective. For me, HES gives me a chance to study finance and real estate from Harvard faculty and receive alumni status at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I'm self employed, so the real value is in the knowledge obtained from the program. The Harvard diploma hanging on the wall will certainly be a big bonus though.

[sanantone]

[quote pid='264322' dateline='1531003271']

But honestly, I don't care where I went to school, I just care that as I get back out in the workforce, I have a degree.  Period, end of story.  Prestige won't get me any further than a no-name school when I'm trying to get my resume looked at by a computer or hiring manager.  Just having the degree is enough.

BTW - when companies put job descriptions out, none of them say "business degree required, one from Harvard is preferable."  Nope, they say "business degree required."  I've never seen a school listed as the one they care about.  Most don't (probably 99%).

Of course. This is exactly the reason why I'm not paying $33k to pretend I'm special

Recruiters do search based on school though, and the hiring manager will certainly take the school you attended into consideration. In most cases, they'll funnel your school into four categories: no-named school, a local school they're familiar with, a school known for a sports program, or a prestigious school. Of the four, I would definitely put HES in the latter category, regardless of level of prestige you believe the degree warrants.

[/quote]

I know this happens at some companies, but prestige is usually based on the reputation of the program rather than the entire school. For example, no one would call UTD or SHSU prestigious overall, but they're prestigious when it comes to criminology and criminal justice. Penn State is more prestigious than UPenn when it comes to criminology. Only looking at overall rankings oversimplifies things to the point of being inaccurate.

[Life Long Learning]

Why do you need to live near Cambridge?

[alexf.1990]

I know this happens at some companies, but prestige is usually based on the reputation of the program rather than the entire school. For example, no one would call UTD or SHSU prestigious overall, but they're prestigious when it comes to criminology and criminal justice. Penn State is more prestigious than UPenn when it comes to criminology. Only looking at overall rankings simplifies things to the point of being inaccurate.

Thats how it works at most companies. I'm sure there are a few specialty fields where certain schools are known to have good programs, but that simply isn't most cases. Harvard is the most prestigious school in the entire world. It's only natural that some of that glow will wear off on its alumni, extension or not. At the end of the day, most of the professors are from Harvard, and the ones who aren't are from BU, Tufts, or universities of a similar tier. I'm honestly not sure how to compare it to a traditional program, because thats not what it is. If a student has the opportunity to go to the best program in their field, they should do it. For the rest of us, it seems like HES is a great value.

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Why do you need to live near Cambridge?

You have to complete 4 courses on campus. The on-campus courses also offer the opportunity to network with other students and form a relationship with the professor. The consensus is that the more on-campus courses you can complete, the better. Alot of programs have hybrid courses available that allow you to complete the course online while getting on-campus credit if you attend the required on-campus weekend.

[sanantone]

I’m fully on board when this forum states most degrees are a checkbox and employers don’t generally care where a degree is from, but when people start pointing at the non competitive Harvard Extension School that even Harvard itself intentionally distances itself from and starts pretending it is in anyway similar to the prestige of the traditional Harvard schools, it’s a big blow to the credibility of this forum and the judgement displayed.

The courses are open enrollment, but the admissions process and attrition rate suggest the program is anything but non-competitive. How you value the prestige of the school is entirely subjective. For me, HES gives me a chance to study finance and real estate from Harvard faculty and receive alumni status at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I'm self employed, so the real value is in the knowledge obtained from the program. The Harvard diploma hanging on the wall will certainly be a big bonus though.

Well, for-profit colleges and CCs also have terrible attrition rates, but they don't receive praise for it. It indicates that thousands of unprepared students wasted thousands on a credential they'll never receive. 

Back on the topic of ignorance, this guy who used to be on this forum assumed that my doctoral program didn't require the GRE and that the graduates would have a tough time finding employment. He was assuming all of this because Texas State is not in the world rankings. Due to his refusal to educate himself on the topic, he didn't know that almost all of the graduates secured tenure-track positions within a year or two of graduating. He also didn't know that we have two professors who are practically international celebrities in the world of criminology. Now, this relatively new doctoral program is ranked #29.

My point is that you need to go beyond overall rankings to find the best faculty in a particular field. I didn't need to attend an Ivy League school to study under world-renowned faculty.

[jsd]

You’re making an argument for HES that even Harvard isn’t making for the school. If it was on the level of Harvard Traditional, they wouldn’t be distancing themselves from their own alumni.

Edit: replied late. Wasn’t directed at Sanantone

[alexf.1990]

Well, for-profit colleges and CCs also have terrible attrition rates, but they don't receive praise for it. It indicates that thousands of unprepared students wasted thousands on a credential they'll never receive. 

The courses are all open enrollment, and alot of those attending never had an intention of following the degree track. I'm not sure its fair to compare it to a for-profit college or a CC. It's hard for me to make sense of the criticisms that HES simultaneously isn't competitive and doesn't matriculate enough students.

Back on the topic of ignorance, this guy who used to be on this forum assumed that my doctoral program didn't require the GRE and that the graduates would have a tough time finding employment. He was assuming all of this because Texas State is not in the world rankings. Due to his refusal to educate himself on the topic, he didn't know that almost all of the graduates secured tenure-track positions within a year or two of graduating. He also didn't know that we have two professors who are practically international celebrities in the world of criminology. Now, this relatively new doctoral program is ranked #29.

My point is that you need to go beyond overall rankings to find the best faculty in a particular field. I didn't need to attend an Ivy League school to study world-renowned faculty.

I'm glad things worked out for you. HES seems like the best deal for me. If I time my courses right, I can complete a masters degree in finance while learning under some gifted professors for a little bit less than it would cost me for a similar program at the third-rate local university. It seems like a home run to me.

[Life Long Learning]

I know this happens at some companies, but prestige is usually based on the reputation of the program rather than the entire school. For example, no one would call UTD or SHSU prestigious overall, but they're prestigious when it comes to criminology and criminal justice. Penn State is more prestigious than UPenn when it comes to criminology. Only looking at overall rankings simplifies things to the point of being inaccurate.

Thats how it works at most companies. I'm sure there are a few specialty fields where certain schools are known to have good programs, but that simply isn't most cases. Harvard is the most prestigious school in the entire world. It's only natural that some of that glow will wear off on its alumni, extension or not. At the end of the day, most of the professors are from Harvard, and the ones who aren't are from BU, Tufts, or universities of a similar tier. I'm honestly not sure how to compare it to a traditional program, because thats not what it is. If a student has the opportunity to go to the best program in their field, they should do it. For the rest of us, it seems like HES is a great value.

---

Why do you need to live near Cambridge?

You have to complete 4 courses on campus. The on-campus courses also offer the opportunity to network with other students and form a relationship with the professor. The consensus is that the more on-campus courses you can complete, the better. Alot of programs have hybrid courses available that allow you to complete the course online while getting on-campus credit if you attend the required on-campus weekend.

So you could take 4 hybrid courses available that allow you to complete the course online while "getting on-campus credit" if you attend the required "on-campus weekend."  That would add up to only 4 weekends at Harvard (8 Days)?  That is not bad.  Travel will cost a little, but it would be a neat experience.