New from Harvard Extension School

[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.