Do postgraduate degrees make you a “true” alumni?
In Harvard’s case specifically (this could apply to other schools like Stanford or Oxford as well), if someone gets a PhD or MBA from Harvard, are they considered a true Harvard alum the same way someone with a BA from Harvard College is?
Or is there a cultural difference where people mainly view Harvard College graduates as the “real” Harvard alumni?
Also wondering about the term alma mater. If you earn a postgraduate degree from a university, does that make it your alma mater as well, or is alma mater typically used only for the undergraduate institution?
Basically curious whether you need a BA from Harvard College to be a “true Harvard man,” or whether any Harvard degree (PhD, MBA, etc.) counts the same in practice and in the alumni community.
Interested to hear how people here think about this.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, there seems to be a nuanced cultural perception regarding alumni status at institutions like Harvard. While earning a postgraduate degree such as an MBA or PhD from Harvard does make you an official Harvard alum, there is a cultural distinction in how alumni are perceived within the community.
Cultural Perception of Alumni Status:
Legacy and Alumni Networks:
Alma Mater Usage:
In summary, while any Harvard degree officially makes you an alum, there is a cultural difference in how alumni are perceived, with Harvard College graduates often being viewed as the "true" Harvard alumni in a traditional sense. This distinction may not hold as strongly in other institutions like Stanford, where graduate alumni are integrated more fully into the legacy and alumni framework.
Sources: MBA: Stanford or Harvard?, MBA: Stanford or Harvard?, Georgetown MSB vs UC Berkeley Haas Undergrad, Q&A: About to graduate from HBS - Ask Me Anything
Some purists will say only undergrad counts.
For all intents and purposes, if you have a legit grad degree (PHD, Law, MBA, Medical), you can call yourself an alum and most people won't bat an eye.
One interesting note; different schools treat the whole legacy thing differently. Cornell for example will consider your kids legacy regardles of whether you have an undergrad or grad degree. Some schools will only do this if you were an undergrad.
.
Not really no. If you have a Harvard PHD you will get 80-90% of the benefits of the school and network. The only real things you'll miss out on are networking with a few jackasses trying to be elitist and legacy status for your kids at certain schools.
.
.
Any degree program makes you an alumni. What doesn't count is those $5K online courses and Harvard Extension courses. Executive MBA is borderline, but counts.
.
Well, I believe HBS grads are Harvard Alum. You could say HBS alum also, but Harvard alum is legit, some may disagree.
Probably the only true distinction that matters.
Kills me when people do those online programs and then claim alumnus in their LinkedIn headline. Those things yield certificates, not degrees.
Do they not see that they benefit more to display where they actually got a degree from vs where they took a few classes and fell for a cash grab?
please touch grass…
But it’s a simple question
Why would you not go by HBS or Harvard Medical School for those distinctions? Both are very compelling signals with their own strong alumni bases. This question seems like it really only applies for Harvard PHD or Harvard Kennedy, etc. graduate programs.
.
That's not what I said. I said the HBS and HMS brands and alumni networks are strong enough on their own that leveraging "Harvard" alone has little value.
I don't think the school-specific network of PhDs or MS in other fields is strong enough on it's own where maybe they'd want to leverage Harvard overall.
Don't have an opinion on view no whether Mark Carney is an Oxford man
what pragmatic purpose does answering this question serve? curious to hear, just to gauge the level of autism we're dealing with
Trying to see whether to go to Oxford for postgraduate or undergraduate (2nd BA) for full prestige and aura.
neither, after 19th century oxford lost its aura, all the undergards and grads since then are fake Oxford alumni
wtf is a true harvard man lol
for what its worth, harvard undergrad has too many cringe influencers with college admissions businesses
That’s the game of capitalism
.
i can see that their are tiers of alumni strength at most elite schools, where undergrad is superior to mba, but i wont say hbs arent harvard alumni. they're just different program alumni.
i would think about it like this. an hbs alumni is also less likely to specifically help harvard college alumni same way harvard college alumni will be less likely helping hbs.
Also I have to mention that the PR teams at every school will promote every Alum of any kind when they reach monumental success. They are quick to name them as a part of the school.
If a Harvard Extension School alum becomes US President, Harvard would start claiming them fs.
You guys are definitely overcomplicating this. I went to an Ivy for ug and an M7 bschool for grad. I’ll generally be receptive to anyone who got any degree from one of my institutions. You’ve gotta be autistic as hell to only accept inbounds from students/people from your exact program. Hell I accept networking calls and the like from students/people at other Ivies and other schools I didn’t even go to.
.
All relative. There will be different tiers of grad programs and some will be considered more close to the undergrad prestige. Harvard college > HMS/HLS/HBS > Harvard Kennedy school > Harvard extension school
Ipsa necessitatibus quo pariatur aut enim mollitia. Enim sed perferendis culpa doloribus perferendis. Delectus exercitationem aperiam aut error. Numquam eveniet nobis est ut in est.
Et voluptas dolorem est tenetur qui pariatur nisi. Sunt sunt sed porro voluptatibus temporibus cupiditate ipsum. Animi natus iste repellendus porro et optio itaque.
Asperiores excepturi molestiae odio ullam. Est molestiae minima nihil et qui assumenda numquam. Eveniet ullam consequatur maiores dolor aut aspernatur. Qui omnis laudantium vel nulla eos quam voluptatum quia. Ut voluptas commodi qui nisi molestiae iure quod.
Et est eum itaque pariatur possimus quam ut. Atque hic nesciunt error vel repellat nemo. Et odio ratione odio nemo. Quibusdam qui qui voluptatibus excepturi accusamus rerum est.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Animi illo autem saepe dignissimos itaque rem repellendus praesentium. Ut adipisci facere sit nostrum. At ullam deserunt delectus sed earum. Ea dolorem libero deserunt eius voluptate repudiandae. Exercitationem illum nam numquam nihil maiores blanditiis.
Corporis soluta et sint nam. Qui est et commodi quod. Doloribus et iste velit asperiores.
Ex reiciendis nemo voluptatem similique. Qui sed necessitatibus ipsum. Sed illo amet accusantium quos. Voluptas omnis qui corrupti alias. Et maxime ad sed sit. Commodi at est sunt sed cumque ut.