Don't misrepresent where you went to school.

[AJ_Atlanta]

HES had been around for decades and was never know for being a cake walk, sure it's not UPenn but neither is Harvard proper for that matter

Yeah, this is another thing. Only like 600 people graduate from HES every year out of 13,000 people who sign up for their classes. A breeze to get through it ain't.

Regarding the community life thing, everyone is obviously different in this regard... but one of the benefits that comes with a more prestigious degree is the networking involved. And not just with your profs and classmates. The idea is that, decades from now, you will be at an alumni association meeting seven states away talking about the good old days drinking at (INSERT COLLEGE BAR) with someone who will then say "Hey, do you need a new job?" and proceed to open some sort of door for you. The desire to get in on those kind of networks are a central motivating factor for those who don't go the DegreeForum route and instead pursue their online educations at Arizona State, Penn State, the University of Florida, Indiana University, and other name brand colleges with big online offerings. What the comment from the Harvard blog I highlighted shows is that those students may never be able to break through into that kind of networking. Your resume may say Penn State, but when you demonstrate a lack of ability to differentiate Zenos from Zola, your carriage m I ay turn back into a pumpkin. And that's a stigma that should be fought against, not leaned into.

I do think there is some value to it, it really does depend on the student - obviously finishing the degree and actual learning is the most important part.

personally now living rather far from Philly and the NE I don't meet many other UPenn folks