A lot of you might have guessed that I’m working on a CS degree but that I have a particular interest in cryptography.

Crypto people are an odd bunch but I’m one of them so…

How about a song?

I bet that a lot of you think I chose it because it’s Harvard.

You’re only partly right.  The name did have an effect on my choice but only tangentially so.

I was intrigued by the idea that a school like Harvard would offer distance education courses for credit and even more suprised that they offered degrees.

But it was much more important for me to find a good fit between what I was trying to achieve and what the school offered.  To be successful, I needed to join a school that was targeting students who were like me: working adults with full schedules.  For me, Harvard Extension was that school.

I’m often asked why I didn’t choose to attend a local school instead.  The best answer that I can give is that they didn’t have a functioning and robust program for distance education combined with a rigorous academic level.  Distance education is such a huge factor for me that I’m now biased against any school that hasn’t embraced this method of learning.  It saves so much time and solve so many problems for people that I can’t imagine why more schools aren’t taking advantage or expanding their programs.

It isn’t hard to find distance-ed programs.  There are plenty of them that are out there.  The real challenge is finding a school that doesn’t treat them like an afterthought.  That’s why it’s important to focus on the program itself rather than the name on the diploma.  In the end, nobody will care where you went to school.  They are much more interested in who you turned out to be.

I saw this article in the paper.  The choice quote:

When I was 20 an older friend predicted, “Ten years from now, no one will care where you went to school. In fact, no one will ask.” Ridiculous, I thought. She turned out to be right. Where you live between the ages of 18 and 22 won’t define who you are. One day soon, the proud new college decal on your family car’s rear window will start looking a little uncool.

The author is correct.  It’s not really that important where you went to school.  It’s more important that the school is the right one for you.  For me, that happened to be Harvard.  Your ideal school match might be different.  Don’t get too worked up about it.

Of course, when you’re on campus and looking at all those historic buildings, it’s hard not to allow yourself to believe the fantasy of it all.  Just don’t let yourself be fooled.  A degree from Harvard won’t change who you are.  I have to keep reminding myself of that too.

Now that I’m looking for a graduate program to continue my studies, I’m faced with the same sorts of questions: What place is going to be the best fit for me?  Where will I feel most comfortable?  Where do I think I’ll be able to learn the most?

I’m torn between continuing on at Harvard Extension and their ALM in IT program and pursuing the Columbia MS in Computer Science option.  On paper, the Columbia program is very impressive.  I just couldn’t help feeling like the place was just a little bit too cold for me.

I might just be nervous about changing schools at some point.  I just felt like I should put it out there so that people don’t think that the choice of where to go to school is always so automatic (i.e. pick the best name).  Choosing where you will spend the next several years in intense study isn’t a decision to be taken lightly.  Spend some time on it and try to choose wisely.  Don’t let anyone else’s opinion drive yours.  Make your own choice.

After all, it’s your life.