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Comment by ColinCera | Hacker News Reader

> My jokey way of putting it is that HES "takes anyone with a credit card."

That's nice & humble of you, but it's not precisely true. There are very few requirements for taking a random course or two (or 20) at HES, but to be admitted to a degree program at HES is not so easy. You have to take a certain number of HES courses and earn a high GPA in them to be admitted to a degree program. Then, of course, you have to pass the full slate of courses to earn your Bachelor's degree.

Some people also seem to be under the impression that HES courses aren't as difficult as regular Harvard College courses. If anything, I'd say there's far more grade inflation in Harvard College than in HES, i.e., it's probably easier to make an A in a lot of (though obviously not all) regular Harvard courses than it is in Extension courses.

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This is part of what I referred to in my first post and is usually what I mention when someone is truly interested in the school. Harvard College does its credentialing when you apply. A very low percentage of people who apply to the College get in, but almost everyone who does will walk away with a degree. The Extension School moves that credentialing until after the student enrolls in classes. There are virtually no barriers to take classes and the application process isn't hard to get through, but the amount of students who leave the school with a degree is very low. Therefore the school is more of a meritocracy. Almost anyone who is capable and determined enough to earn a degree is able to regardless of their prior educational history. The last time I saw stats on it, the actual percentage of people who apply to Harvard College that earn a degree was very close to the number of people who take a class at Harvard Extension school that earn a degree.

Sure, but a lot of the people taking classes at the Extension School don't want a degree. For example, I had students whose employers were paying for them to take a single course to give them some background knowledge or insight into their jobs. They're not looking to graduate; just to take a class or two that will help them with their careers.

That is a good point and the numbers aren't measuring the exact same thing (on the flip side of your example is the number of applicants to Harvard College who might not attend even if accepted). I didn't intend to reference them as some justification that the two schools are in any way equal. The only reason to really compare the two rates is because they have similar values and highlight the differences between the two schools. The toughest part of the College is getting in, the toughest part of the Extension School is getting out.

As a grad student at Harvard I was involved in teaching several courses at Harvard Extension School. While the students were generally motivated and enthusiastic about the course material, it was a very different academic environment, one that was not as intellectually rigorous.

You are right about grade inflation, but the difference in the level of rigor between the two schools means that not all As are equal.

    > > My jokey way of putting it is that HES "takes anyone with a credit card."
    > That's nice & humble of you, but it's not precisely true.

Thanks for pointing that out. I meant no disrespect to the folks who sign up to HES for the long haul.

Someone mentioned that HES courses are less rigorous, and I believe that's true. (Although Greek and Latin were still pretty tough!) On the other hand, the students I met were all extremely motivated and hard-working. It changes things a lot when everyone in class is attending voluntarily on their limited free time and out of their own pocket. I'm sure we weren't as smart or intellectually curious as an undergrad Harvard class, but I had way more respect for my peers there than I did in my own undergrad setting.

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