question for boston-area students

[bostonpet]

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i'm wondering if there's anyone out there who's taken classes at either harvard extension or bunker hill community college in boston?

i'm signing up for classes at harvard extension for the first time, and i just finished a stats class from bunker hill. i've talked to a couple friends who have taken classes from these schools who say the classes won't transfer over to other schools (there were also students in my stats class who were using it as reqs for other colleges). but i think their classes were geared toward a MBA or a graduate program. i'm hoping my classes will be acceptable to a) another undergraduate institution if i decide i pursue a second degree (such as umass amherst animal science degree) before applying to vet school b) vet school. i've tried looking up information on all 3 college websites, but i can't seem to find a clear-cut answer. luckily, i'm only on my second class and have a long way to go before applications start. i'm just curious if anyone in the area has encountered a similar situation?

 

[sundoggie]

I took some of my veterinary pre-reqs at Northeastern Adult School. It was a bit more expensive, but the schedules were much more accomodating than Harvard Ext School. There were a couple of pre-vets doing the same there. I dont know for sure if they would transfer for an undergrad degree, however. It probably depends on the school. I would contact the undergrad programs and vet schools that you are interested in and ask them. They are usually more than happy to explain the situation to you.

Hope that helps!

 

[silverelf]

i took some classes at quinsig community college and tufts vet accepted the credits, no questions asked, so you definitely shouldn't have a problem with the community college credits at vet school....some undergrad institutions can be tricky about transferring credits, but you'd have to contact the undergrad school...its much more about the policies of the receiving school than the one where you took your classes. anyways, it doesn't even matter if you can't transfer the classes, unless they are pre-reqs for other classes...i did most of my undergrad at cornell which is notorious for not taking transfer credits, so a lot of kids took their physics classes elsewhere and didn't transfer the credits to cornell, they just sent them on to grad school, since physics didn't affect their cornell degree.

 

[soxbox]

i took biochem and genetics at Harvard Extension... I applied to five schools, (UC Davis, Tufts, CSU, Wisconsin, and UPenn) and not one of them had any problems accepting those classes... For what its worth, I took Orgo 1&2 at Worcester State and those were accepted as well with no issues...

I was a bit worried because CSU specifies that the biochem class must have orgo as a prereq and this was the first year at Harvard that they removed that requirement... but in the end, no problems, and I just finished day one at CSU 🙂

I do not know, however, how those classes transfer into an undergrad program... I guess I would contact UMass and see what their thoughts are...

good luck 🙂

 

[KittenKiller]

I took almost all my prereqs at harvard extension school and absolutely loved most of them. The teachers were better than most harvard college teachers, IMHO. And it's so cheap! Only class I didnt like too much was topics in microbio which wasnt so great because the prof was boring (read from his lecture notes) and it was topical rather than comprehensive. Also it didnt have a lab component and most schools want microbio with lab.

Other than the microbio without lab, schools seemed fine accepting the classes as prereqs. I would always call schools you're applying to individually to verify though.

 

[rljacks]

Even though this is my first post, I'm an avid reader. And this is my second year applying.

This is slightly off topic, but i am also taking classes at harvard extension this fall (evolution of microbes). KittenKiller and SoxBox, how did you guys specify the classes you took at Harvard on VMCAS. I don't think there is an extension school choice under Harvard, so did you just list it as Harvard?

 

[bostonpet]

Thanks for the input everyone!

On another note, how tough are the classes at Harvard Ext? I've only signed up for chemistry since it's really the first class of many. I'd like to see how well I do with a full-time job and volunteering before getting in over my head with a class work load. But for those of you who have taken classes with a full-time job, what's the average number of classes you've taken in a semester?

 

[KittenKiller]

KittenKiller and SoxBox, how did you guys specify the classes you took at Harvard on VMCAS. I don't think there is an extension school choice under Harvard, so did you just list it as Harvard?

I put it under "Other", which allows you to type in a name.

On another note, how tough are the classes at Harvard Ext?

I worked about 30 hours a week and took 3 classes, which wasn't too bad. I probably would have taken just 2 at a time if I was working full time. I knew a couple people who were working full time and taking 3 courses and they seemed stressed out and seemed to be struggling, but it depends on your ability to discipline yourself in your free time I think. It also depends on the class. Orgo is going to be a lot more time consuming than stats, for instance. As for difficulty, the classes weren't that hard, but some cover a lot of material. I heartily recommend Fixsen's general biology course...he's a great lecturer.

 

[soxbox]

Thanks for the input everyone!

On another note, how tough are the classes at Harvard Ext? I've only signed up for chemistry since it's really the first class of many. I'd like to see how well I do with a full-time job and volunteering before getting in over my head with a class work load. But for those of you who have taken classes with a full-time job, what's the average number of classes you've taken in a semester?

I was taking orgo with lab and biochem in the fall while working fulltime and then 2 part time jobs, so its definitely possible (your life just might suck for awhile 🙂 ) Oh yeah... and harvard ext was about 1.5 hours away from my house... and in the spring I did orgo 2 w/lab and genetics while still working about 60 hours a week... where there is a will there is a way!!

As a side note, I personally did not really like the biochem class there... however the professor that taught it has taken a job at a different school, so it will most likely be very different...

And rljacks.... I believe i did the same thing as Kittenkiller and put it under the "other" category...

 

[horselvr]

... Oh yeah... and harvard ext was about 1.5 hours away from my house... and in the spring I did orgo 2 w/lab and genetics while still working about 60 hours a week... where there is a will there is a way!!

Hi soxbox. Did you take the T to Harvard? I live about an hour away if I drive straight in (no traffic), but will be about 1.5 hours by T. I was told that parking is nearly impossible and that the T would be my best option. Also, did you go to the suggested discussions? I was wondering if they were that helpful because it would mean extra days of the long commute. I was considering going to Northeastern instead because it looks like they have the lecture and lab on the same night. I really wanted to do 2 semesters vs 3 quarters, but the one night for lecture and lab at NE is appealing to me. The higher price at NE is not!

bostonpet,

I am still up in the air regarding Harvard Ext or NE, but I definitely want to register for orgo this fall. I was hoping for something in NH (where I live), but the NH schools don't offer orgo at night (at least not that I have found).

 

[silverelf]

if you're going to be commuting in during rush hour, you should COUNT on at least a 1/2 hour of traffic in addition to your ride...better to take the T, at least you can do stuff on the train like study and eat breakfast (dunkin donuts is so conveniently located in at the train stops...🙂)...plus it will probably be cheaper to pay a 2 dollar T fare than an hour's worth of gas (though I am assuming you mean just the T and not the commuter rail, which is more expensive)

 

[soxbox]

hey horselvr,

well as far as driving, i used to leave work (I worked at Tufts in N Grafton) around 4 and would arrive in the parking garage (I parked in the broadway garage) usually right around 5... Traffic was sort of variable... the earlier you can go the better, However, you cannot park in the garages before 5 with the night parking permit (which was only $50 for the whole year!!) Parking was actually not bad at all... as long as you bought a parking permit... though i guess if you were going to get there much past 6, the garage fills up by then...

Just a warning... Harvard Sq is a bitch to drive through!!!! Between the idiotic drivers, pedestrians, and bikers, it can be downright dangerous 🙂 The drive home wasnt bad (just really long)... I got to the Pike in 10 minutes and it was straight sailing to Sturbridge...

Sometimes I would take the commuter rail from Tufts... it was nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about the drive... I would usually do that on test days so I could study the whole time... but like silverelf mentioned... it gets pricey... I took the commuter rail (the worcester/framingham line) to south station and then took the red line to harvard square... I think it was something like $12 roundtrip for the commuter rail and then the T was another couple bucks...

I cannot speak on behalf of Orgo at Harvard (I took that at Worcester State), but for biochem I only went to the discussion group the week before the test and found that to be quite sufficient... and in genetics we only had a discussion group the week before the test... oh yeah, harvards prices were fantastic... 4 credits for around $600!!

where do you live? If you are close to Worcester, the organic chem class there is pretty decent... and I think for the class and lab it cost around $1200... lecture is one night for 3 hours and lab is another night for 4 hours (though we were usually done in 2-3 hours)

hope this helps a bit 🙂

 

[horselvr]

if you're going to be commuting in during rush hour, you should COUNT on at least a 1/2 hour of traffic in addition to your ride...better to take the T, at least you can do stuff on the train like study and eat breakfast (dunkin donuts is so conveniently located in at the train stops...🙂)...plus it will probably be cheaper to pay a 2 dollar T fare than an hour's worth of gas (though I am assuming you mean just the T and not the commuter rail, which is more expensive)

Thanks silverelf,

I would need to park at Alewife, which I believe has gone up to $5 for parking, plus the T fees. That really adds up going in 2-3 times/week which is why I figured commuting would be better, despite the gas prices. The T would definitely allow me to get some additional studying time in, though.

 

[horselvr]

Thanks for the info soxbox,

I live in Deerfield, NH. Every school I found that offers Orgo, Biochem, and Microbiology at night is in MA (although I believe St. Anslem in Manchester offers Microbiology at night during the summer). They are all a hike for me (Salem State, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard Ext.) Umass Lowell wouldn't be bad, but I can't find Orgo at night there.

The price for classes has gone up some, but is still cheaper than at Northeastern.

I much prefer driving on nice country roads versus through Harvard Sqare, but the $50 parking pass is far cheaper than the T due to the parking costs of $5 plus the T fees.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[horselvr]

bostonpet,

FYI - I found this:
http://dcearc.harvard.edu/extension/1997-98/policy/accred.html
The courses at Harvard Ext are accredited, which is always a requirement for transferring to vet schools, but the last sentence does state that the courses are accepted "...at the discretion of the receiving institution". It sounds like others haven't had a problem, but you should check with the schools you are applying to. I am in the same boat.

Accreditation

Harvard Extension School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Extension School courses are approved each year by Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences to count toward the Harvard degrees of Associate in Arts in Extension Studies, Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, and Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. Students who want to transfer Harvard Extension School credits to another college or university should check with their home institutions before registering. Extension School credits are accepted at the discretion of the receiving institution.

 

[bostonpet]

Thanks, horeslvr!

I saw that and wasn't sure what to make of it. I've read previous posts of the med school forum and it looks like a lot of students haven't had a problem with Harvard Ext. classes. It must be graduate credits transferring to MBA programs for my coworkers.

Does anyone know how vet schools perceive course load with a full-time job? I'm enthusiastic to take 2 classes this semester, but also hesitant since I haven't taken a science class since high school. I'll probably take more than 1 next semester, but start off with 1 for now...

As far as traffic goes in Cambridge, I live only 5 miles down the street near Tufts, and the traffic is horrendous during rush hour. Parking near Harvard is always hard to find, or really expensive to park in a parking lot. I'd definitely suggest trying public transportation if you're coming into the city for classes....