4 ms·

What are the chances of attending Harvard / Stanford later in life? I have a life goal of going there but the older I get (24 now), the less I believe it can fo

by nkot 8y ago

What are the chances of attending Harvard / Stanford later in life? I have a life goal of going there but the older I get (24 now), the less I believe it can form into a reality.

currymj 8y ago
If you can come up with a compelling story and a reason (other than bragging rights), and can prove you have academic skills, you will have a shot. The goal is to convince the admissions committee who are just a few people, so you want to try and form a mental model of how they think. But why those two? Even if you are solely focused on prestige in the most superficial sense, there are at least a few more comparable US universities. You could increase your number of options by 5x or 10x even being very picky.
btowngar 8y ago
Undergraduate or graduate? I began my Stanford PhD as a 27 year old, after spending a number of years in the workforce. It's not at all unusual for grad students to be in their mid to late twenties.
- donaldknuth123 8y ago
  Particularly at Stanford with SCPD, it can be something of a backdoor to a Stanford Engineering Graduate degree. http://scpd.stanford.edu/search/publicCourseCertificateSearch.do?method=searchCert&courseSearch.courseDescriptionKeyword=&courseSearch.certificateStringArray=MS+Degree&buttonSearch=Search http://scpd.stanford.edu/search/publicCourseCertificateSearc...
stale2002 8y ago
Attending Harvard is actually quite easy. They offer classes, both online and onsite, for anyone who is willing to pay tuition. These classes are offered under a program called "Harvard Extension School", and they are the same exact classes that students who got accepted the "normal" way, take. It even gets you a degree. If what you care about is the education and resources offered by Harvard, they are available for the taking, and they are the same exact classes offered to "regular" students.
- OldHand2018 8y ago
  I'm doing the Harvard Extension program right now and am currently on campus taking a course (you cannot go 100% online and get a degree). My last class, in the fall, was a course that was offered online for the first time ever. We had a bunch of Harvard College students in-person and a bunch of Harvard Extension students online watching the lectures live (they are also recorded). Office hours with TAs were live-streamed and interactive between in-person and online students, we had the same homework and exams, etc. The professor even gave out his cell phone number so we could text questions directly to him. The professor asked us all about our interest in a particular class that they had been asked about offering online. As it turns out, Harvard is fairly open about offering almost any of their courses online if you can show that demand warrants it, the professor supports it, and that you can get the TA slots filled.
- acomjean 8y ago
  I work and take classes at Harvard Extension (professional development). The classes are quite good and often taught by people who aren't full time professors but work(ed) in the field. The only downside is very very few show up for class since they're often taped and can be viewed remotely, which makes for a strange dynamic. Teachers watch the class for feedback, and its difficult to teach against nothing. My genomics class had about 5-6 people actually going to the class, but about 30-40 showing up for the exams.
- groth 8y ago
  They are not actually the exact same classes -- some are, if they are cross listed in the undergraduate catalogue. Others are taught by lecturers hired specifically for the extension school (my credentials: I graded for Harvard Extension School multivar calc one summer. That guy was far from a harvard professor....)

by nkot 8y ago

What are the chances of attending Harvard / Stanford later in life? I have a life goal of going there but the older I get (24 now), the less I believe it can form into a reality.

currymj 8y ago

If you can come up with a compelling story and a reason (other than bragging rights), and can prove you have academic skills, you will have a shot. The goal is to convince the admissions committee who are just a few people, so you want to try and form a mental model of how they think. But why those two? Even if you are solely focused on prestige in the most superficial sense, there are at least a few more comparable US universities. You could increase your number of options by 5x or 10x even being very picky.

btowngar 8y ago

Undergraduate or graduate? I began my Stanford PhD as a 27 year old, after spending a number of years in the workforce. It's not at all unusual for grad students to be in their mid to late twenties.

donaldknuth123 8y ago
Particularly at Stanford with SCPD, it can be something of a backdoor to a Stanford Engineering Graduate degree. http://scpd.stanford.edu/search/publicCourseCertificateSearch.do?method=searchCert&courseSearch.courseDescriptionKeyword=&courseSearch.certificateStringArray=MS+Degree&buttonSearch=Search http://scpd.stanford.edu/search/publicCourseCertificateSearc...

stale2002 8y ago

Attending Harvard is actually quite easy. They offer classes, both online and onsite, for anyone who is willing to pay tuition. These classes are offered under a program called "Harvard Extension School", and they are the same exact classes that students who got accepted the "normal" way, take. It even gets you a degree. If what you care about is the education and resources offered by Harvard, they are available for the taking, and they are the same exact classes offered to "regular" students.

OldHand2018 8y ago
I'm doing the Harvard Extension program right now and am currently on campus taking a course (you cannot go 100% online and get a degree). My last class, in the fall, was a course that was offered online for the first time ever. We had a bunch of Harvard College students in-person and a bunch of Harvard Extension students online watching the lectures live (they are also recorded). Office hours with TAs were live-streamed and interactive between in-person and online students, we had the same homework and exams, etc. The professor even gave out his cell phone number so we could text questions directly to him. The professor asked us all about our interest in a particular class that they had been asked about offering online. As it turns out, Harvard is fairly open about offering almost any of their courses online if you can show that demand warrants it, the professor supports it, and that you can get the TA slots filled.
acomjean 8y ago
I work and take classes at Harvard Extension (professional development). The classes are quite good and often taught by people who aren't full time professors but work(ed) in the field. The only downside is very very few show up for class since they're often taped and can be viewed remotely, which makes for a strange dynamic. Teachers watch the class for feedback, and its difficult to teach against nothing. My genomics class had about 5-6 people actually going to the class, but about 30-40 showing up for the exams.
groth 8y ago
They are not actually the exact same classes -- some are, if they are cross listed in the undergraduate catalogue. Others are taught by lecturers hired specifically for the extension school (my credentials: I graded for Harvard Extension School multivar calc one summer. That guy was far from a harvard professor....)