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Hacking Harvard: How To Bypass Admissions and Get a Harvard Degree for Less Than $40,000
 

Edmundo Braverman's picture
ST
(Human, 14,705
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 4:32am
3stooges-grad-273.jpg

You're not about to let that adolescent breaking and entering conviction keep you out of the Ivy League, are you? Would your score on the SAT make it a tough sale to get into community college? How about that 1.6 cumulative high school GPA?

Fear not. You too can be a Harvard man.

Thanks to a little-known back door into the Harvard system, you can bypass the admissions process and complete a Harvard degree for less than $40,000 according to this article. By joining the Harvard Extension School, you just pay your class fee (around $1,000) and show up. No essays, no test scores, no mess, no fuss.

Manage a 2.5 GPA in 3 of the Extension courses and you can petition for acceptance to the degree program. All that is required at that point is for you to be in good standing financially with the school and have a proficiency in the English language.

Here's the real kicker: a degree from the Harvard Extension School only costs $35-40,000 total. That's about a quarter of what the nerds who actually excelled in high school pay for their degree. But is it the same degree? Yup. Same degree, same student ID, same access to alumni and career center.

Of course, you won't be able to call yourself what the students of the real Harvard can call themselves after going $150,000 in the hole for a piece of paper:

SUCKERS!

Can't wait to hear the hew and cry from all those a little "Crimson"-faced after reading this...

Comments

cfaboston28's picture

D-bag

AM
(Baboon, 127
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 8:52am

Most of the people know Harvard extension school is a school where d-bag goes. It is not the real harvard but its extension school which allows drop-out/part-time students to complete their education.

In reply to cfaboston28
princetonwarrior's picture

I know quite a few extremely

IB
(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 8:59am

I know quite a few extremely smart people who are working in Boston who are using the HES to take a few extra classes.....I wouldn't say they are all rejects.

cfaboston28's picture

so

AM
(Baboon, 127
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 9:19am

to princetonw -

It may not help them anything career wise. Best HR pros know what HES is and criteria of admission in very weak. Whoever applies gets in unlike Harvard.

MoneyKingdom's picture

Lol

IB
(Gorilla, 626
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 9:54am

Yea, you may be fooling that dumb, mildly drunk blonde, but you are not going to fool anyone with a brain. Sorry.

Edmundo Braverman's picture

^^^LMAO

ST
(Human, 14,705
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 9:59am

Yeah, because chicks fall over with their legs in the air for guys from the "regular" Harvard.

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The WSO Guide to Understanding TARP

hol3's picture

is there an MBA extensions

O
(Baboon, 102
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 10:02am

is there an MBA extensions program?

and if so would employers differentiate

IvySource's picture

There are plenty of

IB
(Chimp, 3
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 10:38am

There are plenty of extension and nontraditional student programs at the nation's top schools. The idea behind them is that they will best serve the students they are intended to represent. For example, Columbia's School of General Studies will allow the same coursework at Columbia College, but is more flexible for part time students and has support systems for nontraditional students. The contention here, and with most of these programs, is how well will one be recruited from them? For a student with great work experience wanting to complete their degree at a top institution this could be a great option, as they won't usually be using entry level career recruiting.

For students on a normal time line, it is still possible to save most of the money by transferring from a less expensive institution. This option is not currently available at Harvard or Princeton, but most of the other top schools have transfer programs.

- IvySource
http://ivyleaguetransfer.com

- IvySource
http://ivyleaguetransfer.com

MoneyKingdom's picture

Oh Edmundo

IB
(Gorilla, 626
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 1:33pm

Haha, its been a while since I have ragged on you.. I know you didn't attend a prestigious school, but believe me, with attractive, smart, independent women, they cannot resist the aura of prestige.

In reply to MoneyKingdom
Edmundo Braverman's picture

LOL

ST
(Human, 14,705
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 1:56pm
MoneyKingdom:

Haha, its been a while since I have ragged on you.. I know you didn't attend a prestigious school, but believe me, with attractive, smart, independent women, they cannot resist the aura of prestige.

That's why they all go home with construction workers when they're out drinking with their girlfriends.

----------------------------------------------------------
The WSO Guide to Understanding TARP

peventure's picture

Took 1 class there...

VC
(Monkey, 38
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 2:01pm

I took a private equity course at the Extension school that my firm paid for. The course itself was great and worth the time considering the teacher was a Harvard MBA and a GP at a private equity firm.

However, full-time students in the Extension school are largely d-bags. Some have managed to convince themselves that they are in fact real Harvard students, which is sad and pathetic to see. I've heard stories of these people trying to BS interviewers, who easily called them on it.

I'd recommend it for those interested in taking a class or two for career development/fun, but it in no way should be portrayed as the real Harvard considering all you need is a checkbook and basic understanding of the English language.

In reply to Edmundo Braverman
MoneyKingdom's picture

Sorry.^^

IB
(Gorilla, 626
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 2:01pm

Sorry to hear about your ex, Edmundo. I'm sure she got "drilled"

cfaboston28's picture

fellow worker's

AM
(Baboon, 127
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 2:36pm

husband is doing MS in Computers or something telling the whole group her that her husband goes to harvard. Most of us knew that harvard is not well known for engg like MIT. I looked up and found that her d-bag husband is in extension school and now marketing himself as Harvard Grad.

Harvard should close its extension school. This is misguiding many people

jackofalltrades's picture

you can be classmates with

IB
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 4:05pm

you can be classmates with Hilary Duff:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=506037

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jocksnjills's picture

Turtle went to UCLA

IB
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 4:29pm

Turtle went to UCLA extension and he pulled a banging girl!!!

wolfy's picture

My Two-Cents

CO
(Gorilla, 614
 
Points)
 on 10/14/09 at 7:08pm

During my sophomore-junior years in college, I was seriously considering HES while working full-time post-graduation.

So after speaking to admissions people, HBS people (including the director), and fellow students, here's what I have to say:

1. Extension School graduates do graduate with a real Harvard degree, not from Harvard College but Harvard University. However, there are two discrepancies for HES graduates.

On the resume: You are allowed to put MLA (I think) in Extension Studies, Harvard University. But You are not allowed to put Masters, Harvard University. This has to be clarified. Every Harvard College graduate knows that his/her degree will say A.B.

On the diploma: It still says Harvard University but it will also mention School of Etension Studies.

2. You do get to attend graduation ceremonies, convocation, etc. as a Harvard University graduate under the HES banner. More specifically, "Extension School."

3. This is a great experience and a service for the community for those who are working full time or those who've never had the ability to attend college for whatever reason.

4. You can be eligible for special student status, wherein you can attend Harvard College or Harvard HGS classes with great grades and you are even eligible for workstudy with faculty.

5. It's not cheap. Especially graduate classes which cost a considerable amount per credit.

6. This is not the backdoor to Harvard Law or Harvard Business School, although some find that route. Again, I think if your passion shines through with the work you put in, it should be no problem.

From what I know and the classes I've audited, and even the info sessions I went to, HES is a great program IF it is right for you.

If you really want to get that vault in your career, I suggest full-time MBA/Grad School or a part-time at a great place like NYU or Northwestern Kellogg.

What's the Harvard degree for free? Work for a MBB consulting firm or some company that will put you through school, provided with 2 years of work afterward + killer stats + tough work + not a douchebag.

My two cents.

hrdnitlr's picture

That's about right ...

ER
 
Points)
 on 10/16/09 at 12:46pm
dyor's picture

More so, a big part (I think

O
(Baboon, 125
 
Points)
 on 10/16/09 at 4:14pm
TheKing's picture

Ha

O
 
Points)
 on 10/17/09 at 9:00pm

Check out my WSO Blog

Omniscient's picture

I know those HES students are

O
(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 9/6/10 at 1:50pm
Samey's picture

I am a student in Harvard

O
(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 6/3/11 at 9:21pm
In reply to Samey
arkansasrunner's picture

Samey, Congrats on gaining

(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 9/15/11 at 1:59pm
Angelus99's picture

strange how you guys are

AM
(Orangutan, 345
 
Points)
 on 11/30/11 at 9:22am

Beast

In reply to jackofalltrades
ERGOHOC's picture

jackofalltrades wrote: you

AM
(Orangutan, 271
 
Points)
 on 12/1/11 at 2:36am
In reply to cfaboston28
Terriers12's picture

cfaboston28: husband is doing

(Monkey, 45
 
Points)
 on 5/9/12 at 5:29pm
In reply to cfaboston28
Terriers12's picture

cfaboston28: husband is doing

(Monkey, 45
 
Points)
 on 5/9/12 at 5:29pm
In reply to Terriers12
cfaboston28's picture

Terriers12: cfaboston28: hu

AM
(Baboon, 127
 
Points)
 on 6/29/12 at 4:34pm
In reply to Terriers12
cfaboston28's picture

Terriers12: cfaboston28: hu

AM
(Baboon, 127
 
Points)
 on 6/29/12 at 4:35pm
In reply to cfaboston28
Terriers12's picture

cfaboston28: Terriers12:

(Monkey, 45
 
Points)
 on 7/15/12 at 10:26am
DLH's picture

Lot of opinions and

(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 9/9/12 at 10:34pm

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