New from Harvard Extension School

[sanantone]

I'm one class away from completing my ALM, with two grad certs from HES and just recently accepted a new position.  Just a couple of things to say on it.

I've had exactly three interviews, with two offers, 2 of them asked specifically about my HES (applicant) status. Specifically they asked me about my education, and I started to talk about undergrad, then my MBA and mentioned I was completing another masters degree.  Both specifically asked about the harvard applicant and I discussed a bit about the extension school.  Reception was positive, but it could be my distance from Cambridge (i'm in the southeast), or it could be that I downplayed the harvard name by emphasizing my work experience.  Difficult to say, but 2/3 from interview to offer (I declined to continue the process with the 3rd due to salary..) has not been common at my level (Director) previously.  Previously I've also never been asked about education (its at the bottom of my resume), now it comes up almost every time I speak with a recruiter/interview.

This discussion has been rehashed a number of times and everyone seems to have an opinion.  Here's mine after completing 12 classes:  

• It was worth every penny for the quality of education I received.  My professors were leaders in their field and they pushed me to learn.
  
• I'm a nerd, but the library access is phenomenal and a huge benefit I hadn't considered previously.
  
• The Harvard brand may be diluted by the extension label, but I haven't seen it and don't care.  I'm not competing for top level investment banker gigs and don't need that level of recognition.
  
• It was expensive, but I've taken extra classes that don't go towards my credential because the tuition in relation to the value is cheap
  

I'm not arguing that HES will have a negative reception. I'm arguing that it won't have the same reception as other Harvard schools. My degree from the unranked Angelo State University has received positive comments. People were more interested in what I studied than where I studied. Just being in the process of working on a PhD at a state university has gotten me many positive comments and a lot of "wows" during interviews. My PhD is at a Top 30 criminology school, but no one outside of academia knows that. Criminal justice professionals in Texas just know that Texas State University has a popular criminal justice program. I am learning from leaders in my field. Where the leaders are is program-specific, not university-specific. One of my professors has written the most popular criminal justice ethics textbook in the country, and she's often called by police departments nationwide when they're having ethics issues. One of the professors in the program is famous worldwide for creating a popular theory in criminology. Another professor has been asked to consult on TV shows and was asked to work on a serial killer case in Europe. He helped solve that case. Texas State University is not expensive. 

I've always put my education at the top.