1) It is painfully evident that you received your degree from the Harvard Extension School.

2) Why are you involved in clubs on campus if you're a graduate?

3) It doesn't surprise me that someone with an extension degree works at the school they earned the degree from.

4) The website STILL doesn't mention admissions criteria -- you have to earn Bs in your first three classes to be considered a degree candidate. Big whoop. That doesn't negate the fact that there are no ADMISSIONS standards and that if you want to be down, you just sign up.

5) Hussy!

Can you show us where the admissions requirements are different for non-degree and degree-seeking candidates?

http://extension.harvard.edu/2008-09...dergrad/admit/

I am involved in the clubs because I like to and I can. I am WORKING at the university.

You are funny. When the admission criteria are up front, you say there are no admission criteria. Applicants need to do honors-lever coursework in the prerequisites at Harvard, not your high school or undergrad courses. And that's not the only thing you will need to get in. What are the admission standards when other universities/schools don't even require to take the prerequisites to apply?

But where are they up front? And where does it say that you need to take Harvard undergrad courses before you can enroll in the extension school?

So, basically, the Harvard program is open to the general public and no one can be turned away as long as they've taken the prerequisite courses and achieved B averages. Whereas at a traditional university, not everyone is accepted to enroll. Right?

Am i talking to a 3rd grader?

The "Degrees and Certificates" page has listed all degrees and certificates programs the school offers. Each program has its specific admission criteria spelled out.

No. It does not say you will be admitted "as long as..." It says you "must."

Only 2.5% of the course takers are able to earn the degrees, certificates, or diplomas from the Extension School anyway.

For the programs, can anyone be turned away if they meet all the prerequisites?

Ok, so you must meet the prerequisites and if you do you must be admitted to the school. It is non-competitive?

ETA: Neutral, look, the Harvard Extension whatever is an OPEN ENROLLMENT night program that any ole body can get into if they bother to skim through a few lower-level college courses. The "graduates" of this program receive an education of sorts (or else there were be no point in having professors/teachers) but they are by no means on an educational par with graduates of the real Harvard University nor could they possibly have the Harvard experience. For a graduate of the night program to even hint that he/she has received a Harvard education is pathetic.

If a person wants to go to the night program because he/she didn't have a chance to finish college, that's awesome! However, for that same person to put "Harvard" on a resume is stupid and misleading.

Where are you getting 2.5%?

True story: I NEVER liked the character of Dayne Wayne! Believe it or not!

I was in the Whitley/Byron camp!

Also known as the Mrs. Gilbert "Die. Just die!" delegation.

Anyone could apply to any colleges or universities. There aren't any minimum application requirements. What is so competitive about it?

Don't even bother to apply to the the degree programs at the Extension School, if you don't meet the minimum "must" admission criteria.

Harvard University confers degrees on its students. NOT you.
When the university grants degrees to students studying at the 12 degree-granting schools of the university, all graduates should be proud of their degrees and accomplishments. All degrees are FIRMED.

It is pathetic of you trying to deny the truth.

It's pathetic that you want to run around saying you have a Harvard degree when you don't really have one. And I think it's pathetic that you have any degree, what with your terrible grasp on the English language.

You sure are defensive. Must be because you know the program is inadequate.

"And I think it's pathetic that you have any degree, what with your terrible grasp on the English language."
How funny! Look at the grammatical errors in the sentence you wrote. You seem to ridicule yourself!

I noticed this thread and thought i'd chime in amongst all the bickering.

I served in the military from 2002-2008 and if it weren't for online education I would have never been able to acheive what I have in that span. When I first started college I went to Hawaii Pacific University's Monoa Campus on the island of Oahu. I took 4 classes and each semester was 12 weeks long. I typically had class about 3-5 times a week and didn't really get much from the courses.

About the same time those courses ended I signed up for four of their eight week accelerated online courses in physics, statistics, calc-1 and psychology. I don't know how many of you can recall these courses but they are not easy by any means and learning them online is a whole differen't ball game. I mean you are trying to learn them without much help from a professor and crunching 12 weeks worth of work into 8 doesn't make it easier. Oh and did I mention the tons of home work, reading, proctored exams and the thought of me getting any less than a C in any of these courses constituted me to pay back Uncle Sam face value for the courses? How about the fact my wife and I both worked 10-12 hours a day and had a family?

It sounds as if some of you never took an online class but want to judge it simply because you are looking at them out of context. They aren't made for the typical bachelor, they're made for professionals and dedicated family men that need flexibility. Sure some colleges let bachelors take the courses but the colleges I attended made sure you had at least 2 years of work experienece before you were able to attend online courses.

Oh, did I mention that some of the more prestigious schools have gotten more "brick and mortar" like when it comes to online programs? I just started the Medical Informatics Master's program at Northwestern online and it's no joke. I'm only taking two classes every 10 weeks but we have class for 2 and a half hours twice a week, tons of reading, tons of homework, group projects, papers and proctored exams during that span. Did I mention my wife and I are both still working and have 2 kids?

Oh and I almost forgot my Six Sigma Master Cert I took through Villanova--all Online. It was one of the toughest courses i've ever accomplished and very expensive. Granted, if you wanted to take advantage of their system the opportunity was there but I doubt anyone takes a 10k certification course to learn Six Sigma without attending the lectures and doing the home work.

Let me ask you brick and mortar guys this. If you had to choose to hire or work with a particular job candidate which would you choose: A recent college graduate from a brick and mortar institution or someone who has an online degree with six years military training, leadership/followership skills and/or real world work experience? The choice seems pretty easy to me but i'm curious to see what others would choose.

Military training doesn't impress me.

Do you even know what goes on in a military training facility? Little comments like that piss me off so much because I just assume you're some punk who thinks he knows everything and feels the need to put some arrogant comment out there like they know whats going on. Here's and idea maggot, go to Basic Military Training and technical training then come back and tell me what it's like.

Maybe you can go to a desert facility for 6 months of training so you can separate from your family for 15 months (or more) and tell me how "impressed" you are.

Go build networks and set up information hubs in hostile areas like Iraq, and then go on some message board and hear some punk who hasn't done anything that closely resembles giving up their freedoms so others can have theirs and tell me how you feel.

No, that's too tough. You'll sit on your but and type on your stupid computer and pout around like every other disrespectful American that doesn't have enough courage to stand up for their country. You'll then spout off at the mouth about how "unimpressed" YOU are like YOU matter one bit to anyone. I'm not sure what you've done with your life but I highly doubt it's anything like what the men and women that have been through this training do for people like you every day. How about some respect for the people that give you your freedom?

Disrespecting military training is like spitting in the face of everyone that goes through it. You might as well say you're not impressed with the military and what they do for America because none of it could happen without the training they recieve. Once you sign up for a branch let me know when you get back from Basic so you can tell me how much training doesn't "Impress" YOU... Your a clueless joke man. Get a life.

Not getting into the substance of this argument, but KSigKid is probably one of the smartest people I've encountered on an internet message board. You lost a bunch of credibility with that statement.

Your mother is a maggot.

And military training still isn't impressive to me.

That's interesting - what you've done is narrow it down to an "either/or" thing, which isn't realistic.

I'll give you a personal example: I graduated from a brick and mortar institution in 2003 (I worked full-time, approximately 50 hours per week to pay my way through college), then worked for 3 years after college before heading off to law school. Now, I take law school evenings, four classes (at a lower tier one law school) and work 50-60 hours per week at a high stress job, while trying to spend as much time with my wife as possible.

While that may be somewhat of an exception, I know a great many people who have done the same thing, either in undergrad or grad school. I have classmates who work jobs as engineers, physicians, and in other professions, who have families, and who, like you, have done this country a great honor by joining the military.

I'll admit, I've formed my opinion without taking an online class myself. However, I've spoken to people who have taken online classes, many at solid colleges, and they had a variety of issues with the classes. They also said that they didn't take away nearly as much information or benefit as they did in a more traditional setting.

I respect your service to the country, and I understand what you're saying - but you also need to understand that not every "brick and mortar" student is a traditional student, so to speak, so the criticisms of the online classes go a bit deeper.

Wow, thank you - I really appreciate that.

Well done, KSigkid. You and your friends are definately the exception...

Most guys I know really didn't work their way through college let a lone have a family and on top of it all you move around or deploying every year or so.

It's great that you could stay in one place and get your education but some don't have that option, which is why I think online classes are great. Think about it for your undergrad.. If you did have the option to take online classes and free up some of your time, would you have?

I understand as far as Law School goes and if I was into Law i'd go to a brick and mortar school just like you.. The fact you picked that specialty means you need to simulate trials constantly and learn the nuances of the court system before heading into the court room. Plus laws are always changing and the more robust your resume becomes the better lawyer you become.

There's a number of programs that I would never attend online courses for: Any Med School, Law, any sort of scientist, carpentry, engineering and probably some i'm forgetting. But when it comes to fields such as: Anything informatics related, management, education, arts and literature, english, MBA, BA, Healthcare Management, I don't mind it one bit.

They are all very challenging and very easy to expand on in an online environment because every problem can be solved in a number of ways. It's all about learning different methodologies and getting the basics down so you aren't lost when you perform your OJT. With specialties such as yours you can't really do that. They have to be ready to go out the gate with very little variance in their success rate.

This debate is all relative on ones experience and surroundings but with technology advances online schools have become just as good as brick and mortar schools as far as the learning aspect go for certain specialties. The part I wish I had more of was the comradery part. You can't really eat lunch with someone or hang out after school in an online environment so it's difficult to make lasting relationships. The good part about online school is that it gets you ready for nation wide business conferencing and interacting with a diverse group of individuals.

For instance, I have a group in my masters class that I would have never met if it weren't for online classes. I have a guy from France, a girl from India and a guy from Canada all in one group. It really gives you the opportunity to learn first hand from people in other cultures and broaden your horizons about issues abroad.

Either way you slice it, each type of University has it's place. If you're a hard working student you are going to get the same education out of either type and the same goes If you slack off.

Check this out, my buddy went to Penn State main campus and got all A's and B's in his B&M classes and then got two C's in his online courses (the only 2 he ever took). He thought they were much tougher because of the discipline it took to actually do the work without actually being in class.

I think we can agree on one thing, the opinions formed are generally subjective as far as online schools go. I've yet to see an objective response from a poster on the subject so hopefully we get one... Cheers!

Because of the stupid spammer who posted above me, I found this thread!

Before I went to university, I took college classes during highschool via an online program! I enjoyed they and they were challenging! Some schools, especially junior and community college (4 year colleges in FL) are offering the same courses you would find in the classroom online. I liked taking a mix of in class and online and it helped my work schedule a lot!

I don't know about the Harvard program, but many universities in FL such as FSU and UCF has complete Masters and even PHds that you can earn either online or at a nearby distance learning campus!

I am taking advantage of online learning this summer. I teach at a Christian school, and I have to earn some college credit in Bible. All of the local Christian colleges are very expesive, but I am taking a class online from a very well-respected Christian college for half the price. I am excited!

There are definitely some legitimate programs out there that make use of being online. As I've said, my law school offers online classes for one of its LLM programs, and I know there are some other schools that do the same thing. The programs are organized and conducted by knowledgable faculty members. Most of the ones I know of are supplemental programs - they're not "primary" degrees, as I would think of those degrees (like a BA/BS, J.D., PhD, M.D., or Masters), but supplemental programs (like the LLM, certifications, or the Bible classes you're taking). I still have questions about how effectively one could run a "primary" program online.

I also know, from talking to some of those faculty members, that teaching a course online is a big challenge. The schools that correctly utilize it are frequently tweaking with the setup.

I am pursuing a Master's in Humanities, with an emphasis in literature via the Humanities External Program (HUX) at Cal State Dominguez Hills. It has been a wonderful experience. My instructors are every bit as challenging as those I worked with at my undergrad campus, UCSB.I have also received more personalized attention than I ever received as an undergraduate. My classmates are located all over the world. I am a teacher, and the credits I have earned have enhanced my earning potential, at a very reasonable price. I also earned my Professional Clear teaching credential through online learning. The online format may not be for everyone, but for some of us, it is invaluable.

First, let me start by saying "Thank you for your service" to our country. I also want to say that I don't necessarily know if that's what Seurset was saying. Believe it or not-military training does not impress a whole lot of people. Think about it-MANY people join the military, daily. There are members of the military I have encountered that I wonder how they get themselves dressed in the morning without the assistance of others-they are that....ehhhhh....well....

Second, before you say that I am bashing the military-please know that I spent 9 years in the military. I was in both the Reserves and the National Guard. I am/ was a 96B/35F Military Intelligence Analyst. I served overseas during "Operation Iraqi Freedom" at the beginning of the war and I was pulled out of college (Penn State) to serve in Baghdad, Iraq. I have to admit that while it is great to have military experience, no one really gives a damn if I served 4 years, 6 years or 9 years-they just care that I served. Sure, being Military Intelligence has had its advantages but, not as much as being a Penn State Alum!

I really wish people would stop using the whole "I'm serving our country" and "Wouldn't you want someone who is in the military over someone with a traditional college education?" arguments because they don't hold up for me. I'm sorry but, I would rather have someone who had BOTH but, if I had a military man who graduated from a so-so school or a non-military man who graduated from a great nationally recognized school...You bet I'd choose the non-military man.

Please stop assuming that just because you join the military you have to attend a horrible school or do all of your classes online. It simply isn't true. In fact, my Professors and my uncle (who was a Professor at my University) all said not to really "play up" my military involvement for my law school applications. I even had Professors who are on the board of Admissions tell me that it was best not to focus on my military experience because while many people in Academia may not be anti-military...many of them are def. not pro-military. My boyfriend spent 6 years active Navy with 2 deployments to Iraq as a Hospital Corps. Man and now he is a full-time student at an incredible University...He did online courses at a great school and received his Associate's after getting out of the Navy and finishing the rest of the classes at that school's brick and mortar buildings.

Also, to say that having an online degree for certain programs like Education but, not Engineering is a bit messed up. I would rather my child's teacher take traditional classes (like all the teachers in my Masters of Education program did) then take online courses. Its important to interact with students. Do online courses serve a purpose? Yes. I'm happy for anyone that can get a great education (online or traditionally) through hard work.

So the good 'ol boys network is still consumed by ego and narcissistic efforts to keep the doors closed to under represented segments of your community. Shame on you, I came here by accident while searching 'online ivy league' and your comments were some of the first things I saw in my search. Sadly, I thought membership in to a group was supposed to also include the mission of serving others. The online business school was a crap shoot and it grew legs: this model will now serve as the benchmark in the business of education. Yes, if you do not realize your ivy league degree is little more than an old way of doing business to make you feel elite: then you failed 'B' school. Maybe I can tutor you once I start taking Harvard Extension Classes: where industry leaders go to bone up you bone heads. For Shame.

Who the hell are you talking to? No one has responded to this thread in 2 months.

For shame.

ETA: LOL @ folks saying "I was GOING to join a GLO, but NOW..." like we care.

Great display of the kind of business leadership needed in today's world. Register for an online message board solely to defensively berate those who don't believe the same thing that you do.

You enjoy those classes for which all you had to do was pay money- not pass any admissions standards.

Saying you went to Harvard when in fact it's Harvard Extension School is like saying "oh, I work for NASA" when in fact you just empty the trash cans.

Online business school is STILL a crap shoot. Or maybe just crap.

Considering the state of the economy, those Harvard Extension classes sure must've served them well to get us in this mess.

Wonder what high profile "Captains of Industry" will be your classmates?

Gag. This is one of those cliched crocks of crap that people try to use as an argument to cast vast generalizations upon those who are competing with them for jobs. "Oh, of course, it's just the good 'ol boys network."


On another note, I received an email just yesterday about "eCornell" as well as "distance learning." I am not sure what the distinction is because I haven't really researched it, but they do make a distinction between eCornell for online courses and certificates, and distance learning. I have the impression that eCornell does not offer actual degrees, but rather, courses to hone expertise in a specific area for career development.

Distance Learning for M.Eng in Systems Engineering

The eCornell page


In this debate, I think this is the bottom line (from the eCornell site):

Learning happens through interaction and collaboration–a dynamic, creative process that involves the exchange of ideas, not simply the accumulation of facts. In eCornell courses you interact with an expert instructor and a cohort of your peers to collectively develop knowledge, and to effectively apply that knowledge in your organization. [emphasis added]

Rubbish, at least as applied to Harvard Extension graduates.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Yes, you do. :rolleyes:

I'd like to point out that although The extension school is an online degree prgram the program specifically requires their students to take atleat 2 courses at Harvard before recEiving your degree. These courses are taught by Harvard professors, and many of the courses are just video streams of classes at the university. I think a person with a degree from Harvard (extension school or college) should be given credit period for attempting to educate themselves at one of the nations most prestegious institutes.....of course that's just my opinion

You can point out whatever you'd like - I know people who've gone through the extension school for different subjects (mostly real estate), so I know that you're not exactly getting (or even attempting to get) a Harvard education.