New from Harvard Extension School

[sanantone]

I got a job interview for a good opportunity with the corporate hq of a 9-state, $18B company in which the only education discussed was "Wow. I didn't know Harvard had a distance program like that. I may have to think about doing that myself!" It seemed to be the thing that really got their attention. Extension or not. That brand really tracks. Especially the farther you get outside of the Northeast. I have only run into one person who was not impressed and gave me a "yeah but." (And that guy was an uppity ivory tower ivy professor.)
Your mileage may vary.

Did you get the job? How much was the potential salary?

[TheMaskedMutant]

I got a job interview for a good opportunity with the corporate hq of a 9-state, $18B company in which the only education discussed was "Wow. I didn't know Harvard had a distance program like that. I may have to think about doing that myself!" It seemed to be the thing that really got their attention. Extension or not. That brand really tracks. Especially the farther you get outside of the Northeast. I have only run into one person who was not impressed and gave me a "yeah but." (And that guy was an uppity ivory tower ivy professor.)
Your mileage may vary.

My favorite part!  "And that guy was an uppity ivory tower ivy professor."

[bluebooger]

there a bunch of courses there I would love to take
particularly

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/course...ions/15168
BigData in Healthcare Applications

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/course...ysis/15880
Building Interactive Web Applications for Data Analysis

but $2840 each is "a little" too much LOL

[sanantone]

The people who spend twice as much as required just to earn a degree at Harvard Extension for the "name" are in the same category as the "uppity Ivy Tower" professor. The only difference is that he probably had the academic background to get in the front door and probably had his entire tuition paid for.

I paid the, then, TESC a $3,000 enrollment fee to earn my first bachelor's degree. I spent $11k at a podunk state university to earn my first master's degree. The irony is that I likely make too much with my degrees from no-name schools to qualify for a need-based grant at Harvard Extension. What does that tell me? I don't need to spend over $22k for a second class citizen degree at a school of professional studies that's ashamed of non-traditional students with the hope of tricking people into believing that I was an elite student.

[alexf.1990]

Five years!?!

I priced it at $14,650 out of pocket if you take 3 years to complete the program. That's assuming $100 increase in tuition per course per academic year, 2 courses in the fall and spring, and one course during the summer. If you stretched it out to 5 years, it would be cheaper as you'd be taking advantage of more of the free summer courses. If you timed it right, it's possible you could get it for under $10k out of pocket. Obviously, if you're taking the program for career progression, it would be better to just take the financial hit and complete the program in 3 or even 2 years.

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The people who spend twice as much as required just to earn a degree at Harvard Extension for the "name" are in the same category as the "uppity Ivy Tower" professor. The only difference is that he probably had the academic background to get in the front door and probably had his entire tuition paid for.

I paid the, then, TESC a $3,000 enrollment fee to earn my first bachelor's degree. I spent $11k at a podunk state university to earn my first master's degree. The irony is that I likely make too much with my degrees from no-name schools to qualify for a need-based grant at Harvard Extension. What does that tell me? I don't need to spend over $22k for a second class citizen degree at a school of professional studies that's ashamed of non-traditional students with the hope of tricking people into believing that I was an elite student.

My state university charges $16,000 for an online MBA. The absolute cheapest online MBA program I can complete while working full time will cost $9000. For $15,000, I can get a masters degree from Harvard and pick up a graduate certificate in Real Estate Investing along the way. For me, this degree is a bargain. If I learn something that helps me with just one real estate deal, the degree will have paid for itself.

Not everything is for everyone. The entire point of this forum is to discuss education plans that meet the needs of unconventional students. The HES program is a great bargain for those that meet specific criteria. I understand if you aren't in a position to benefit from the program. I don't understand your desire to shit on the school continually.

[Jonathan Whatley]

I don't need to spend over $22k for a second class citizen degree at a school of professional studies

It's a degree with a different title. Someone could dismiss TESU as a second class citizen institution within the New Jersey public system, compared to Rutgers. There'd be some empirical support for TESU to lose that match. But the comparison wouldn't be useful for much, and the speaker would be wrong to dismiss TESU generally.

that's ashamed of non-traditional students

HES certainly isn't ashamed of non-traditional students! Every HES student is non-traditional really. You may mean to say Harvard University is ashamed of non-traditional students. Because the degree titles are different? That's reading in a lot.

There is office politics. There's going to be in a university established in 1636. Units within the university move around each other sometimes gingerly. If there's a turf battle between Harvard Extension School and Harvard College and the outcome of the battle means a lot to the right people associated with Harvard College, Harvard Extension School will probably lose. Harvard Extension School is less powerful than Harvard College in this sociological sense. But to say Harvard Extension students are "second class citizens" is a stretch.

And there aren't many turf battles, and there is a lot of sharing resources.

with the hope of tricking people

I hope you don't judge everyone from HES based on the very worst reason to go there!

into believing that I was an elite student.

Going to HES doesn't mean you are an elite student, but doesn't mean you aren't either. I'd say there are elite students practically everywhere, including open enrollment schools whether the Big Three or HES or The Open University.

HES is unlikely to elevate you to or within the socioeconomic elite the way Harvard College or Harvard Business School often seem to elevate people.

[ReyMysterioso]

Note: I haven't completed the degree yet, just listed it in progress on my resume. I haven't gotten the job yet, but made it to round 2 of interviews, and that went extremely well. Made it to round 3. Fingers crossed.

[Life Long Learning]

Harvard Extension (1910) is the 8th oldest College at Harvard (1636) with 13 total.  You will have 4 resident periods at Harvard on campus. it's not 100% distance.  I would have no issues selling it as a mid-career adult.  

Harvard branding is huge.  Over 1,062,807 followers on LinkedIn.  Check your college?  Personal branding does help a little.

[studiousimp]

Chiming in with another anecdote that might help someone continue considering the HES path.

I have a relative who went to HES. She went there on my recommendation because she had some rocky patches in her undergrad experience and did not get accepted to grad school. She went to HES more like a traditional student, and THAT was perhaps the best decision she made and the most impactful on her career since. I think this is worth sharing anyway because of this persistent idea that "it's not Harvard." Bologna. It is Harvard and it can be an incredible opportunity for motivated students. It can also open significant doors.

She started slow by taking one class with an on campus/online option... grappled with how hard it was for her, buckled down and learned how to study at this level and how to succeed at Harvard. Pulled up her britches and committed to what she wanted.
She got involved in organizations and activities for grad students.
Eventually she ran for and won a seat in the university-wide graduate student government (along with students from the medical school, the law school, etc.)... not as an "Extension" student, as a Harvard University grad student.
She worked for a leading researcher in an in-demand field.
She became a TA or whatever their equivalent is such that she is listed and reviewed (favorably) on Rate My Professor.
She was recruited hard before graduation, got an excellent job in the Boston area by a company that likes recruiting from Harvard and has since testified before Congress about her field.

I watched her hard work and that amazing brand combine to change the trajectory of her life. So I know it's possible. I know it was reasonably economical (as far as traditional graduate education goes) and though I love this girl and she's special to me, she's not a unicorn. This is just one story. There have got to be other similar stories out there.

People get bitter and crazy when it comes to Harvard. People also get unrealistic about what "just" attending will do for a life.

It makes sense to me that, as with anything, you have to do the work and distinguish yourself. But sheesh, all the negativity is disempowering in an environment that is usually spectacularly empowering. This place is better than that. The incredible people here who add so much value but crap all over the idea of grad school at HES are better than that, too.

I don't post much because I don't usually have anything even remotely as helpful that the amazing braintrust here has already said... but this time I wanted to chime in with something I know to be true much in the same way that I know it's possible to get an accredited BA for a fraction of the price and with a lot of alternative sources. It wouldn't matter to me what people said to the contrary, I know it's possible. I'm very close to having accomplished it and I know a lot of you already have. This, for me, is the same thing.

[sanantone]

I don't need to spend over $22k for a second class citizen degree at a school of professional studies

It's a degree with a different title. Someone could dismiss TESU as a second class citizen institution within the New Jersey public system, compared to Rutgers. There'd be some empirical support for TESU to lose that match. But the comparison wouldn't be useful for much, and the speaker would be wrong to dismiss TESU generally.

that's ashamed of non-traditional students

HES certainly isn't ashamed of non-traditional students! Every HES student is non-traditional really. You may mean to say Harvard University is ashamed of non-traditional students. Because the degree titles are different? That's reading in a lot.

There is office politics. There's going to be in a university established in 1636. Units within the university move around each other sometimes gingerly. If there's a turf battle between Harvard Extension School and Harvard College and the outcome of the battle means a lot to the right people associated with Harvard College, Harvard Extension School will probably lose. Harvard Extension School is less powerful than Harvard College in this sociological sense. But to say Harvard Extension students are "second class citizens" is a stretch.

And there aren't many turf battles, and there is a lot of sharing resources.

with the hope of tricking people

I hope you don't judge everyone from HES based on the very worst reason to go there!

into believing that I was an elite student.

Going to HES doesn't mean you are an elite student, but doesn't mean you aren't either. I'd say there are elite students practically everywhere, including open enrollment schools whether the Big Three or HES or The Open University.

HES is unlikely to elevate you to or within the socioeconomic elite the way Harvard College or Harvard Business School often seem to elevate people.

TESU is not a part of Rutgers. Rutgers doesn't have a guide telling you to put "Rutgers University, Thomas Edison Extension" on your resume.

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Note: I haven't completed the degree yet, just listed it in progress on my resume. I haven't gotten the job yet, but made it to round 2 of interviews, and that went extremely well. Made it to round 3. Fingers crossed.

So, the job doesn't require a degree?