Comments on: Commuting and Harvard Extension

By: Ken Vedaa

Ken Vedaa — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:07:32 +0000

I wanted to take a moment to update this thread. Last month I finished my third semester of traveling to HES from the Northern Virginia area for classes (Fall ’09, January ’11, & Spring ’11, although I simply stayed in Cambridge for the duration of the J term).

I have been fortunate that travel expenses have stayed quite reasonable (I suspect that the average airfare cost per week the most recent term was ~$170). I split my overnight stays between the Hilton @ Logan, or the metal park bench in the walkway connecting the airport, Hilton, and the parking garage.

The advice that Richard provided is solid. Key elements, give yourself more time than you think you will need. Be prepared to call an audible when the need arises.

By: Larisa

Larisa — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:25:50 +0000

Hillary,

I’m also going to be on January session. You do can take January courses toward the requirement. Last year I found a room here: http://hres.roommateclick.com/

By: richard

richard — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:02:34 +0000

Hillary,

I think you can only take the required 16 CREDITS during the regular semester. You should probably check with the administration though.

By: Hillary

Hillary — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:23:22 +0000

I live in Utah and will be starting the program in January. I am hoping to take the required 16 on-campus courses during the January sessions offered. If you have any advice on places to stay during the 3 weeks I would appreciate it.

By: Sen

Sen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:49:16 +0000

This is great! I am planning to do ALM and have taken a few courses so far, and my plan has always been to commute for the residency course. However, as I see now they are changing the requirements. Nowadays you need to fill up a form and meet Henry Leitner and Stephen Blinn during the residency semester and I am not sure how they will look at commuting : whether that is sufficient, in their standard, as residency!

By: Jacob Mack

Jacob Mack — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:22:06 +0000

Wow! I can relate with the sacrifice and I did not realize someone else out there (outside my immediate circle) endured so much to obtain an education.
I truly respect you Richard. My wife and I moved from NY to CA and now are traveling around 90 miles to San Francisco and soon I will be attending the Extension and my other school simultaneously while working. On the bright side my wife will be the major earner while I take on an enormouse course load to complete a double major and a minor and get as qucikly as possible to a masters program myself so I may teach and take on research. (Clinical Psychology, Neuroscience/Philosophy.) I used to travel 3-5 hours each way by bus to get to my first school, Nassau Community College taking between 14 and 19 credits a semester while struggling to keep a roof over my head and sustenance.
Being 29 and not 18 as we previously discussed my priorities have changed, especially now that I am married, however, I know that long distance travel, expenses of all sorts and tight schedules will all permeate my Extension experience. The fact that financial aid supports my current school studies and the combination of my income and my wife’s will support the Extension studies, also fosters an environment of great financial sacrifice in the light of hopefully, ephemeral circumstances and a brighter future. Again you have made great sacrifices for your education.

By: Vishal

Vishal — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:10:46 +0000

I appreciate the effort you have put so far .Given the emotional ,physical and mental hardships you must be going through, do u expect the programme to yield the desired results in terms of recruitment and salary rise in top companies ?Actually this is what holding me from taking the plunge even thogh i am from boston ..hehe

By: e-Learning Pundit | More on the Harvard Extension School

e-Learning Pundit | More on the Harvard Extension School — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:51:42 +0000

[...] residency requirements faced by various HES distance students, this highly informative post provides a detailed glance into this gentleman’s ingenuity and [...]

By: Ken Vedaa

Ken Vedaa — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:51:15 +0000

I would love to perform my residency period over a summer term. I would be able to take an extended period off from work and focus just on the academic experience. Unfortunately the course offerings for summer have not played into this option over the last few years. Perhaps things will change.

By: richard

richard — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:30:38 +0000

I’ve been hit by rising fuel costs too. So far, it doesn’t seem like the additional cost would make commuting for school a prohibitive option (since it’s only one day a week if you do it right) but if it went much higher, a lot of people who live far from Harvard would be unable to repeat our example.

By: Ian Lamont

Ian Lamont — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:07:43 +0000

I was thinking about that too, when Richard was talking about costs. The price of fuel is up more than 25% since this time last year, I believe. I’ve already noticed international tickets are getting very pricey. Maybe the Summer School option isn’t such a bad idea, for those who live outside of New England and New York …

By: Ken Vedaa

Ken Vedaa — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:08:38 +0000

Thanks for the informative post. We have had some discussions on this matter and I am looking forward to a tackling my residency period (for a ALM) in about one year from now. Unfortunately I am anticipating travel cost being higher in the future.