Anything like the Harvard Extension School in the DC area?

May 2, 2015 12:29 PM

I’m likely relocating to Washington DC this summer and I'm looking for somewhere where I can take Linear Algebra and a few other undergraduate math and statistics classes in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 as a non-degree student.

I currently live in Cambridge, and I've been taking courses through the (excellent) Harvard Extension school, which essentially offers open-enrolment versions of many of Harvard’s undergraduate courses. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have online versions of many of their advanced math courses, so I’m looking for an institution in DC where I can keep taking courses as a non-degree student as I apply for masters programs in Stats and CS.

Obviously there are many schools in DC, but from my limited googling it’s not clear to me which one is likely to offer the best options for someone in my shoes. If the instruction is good, I have nothing against night schools or community colleges, but I don't know which ones I should be looking at. I will have a very flexible work schedule, so taking courses during the day would also not be a problem.

Thanks in advance!

posted by dyslexictraveler to Education (8 answers total)

I suggest living in Maryland or Virginia, and eventually being eligible for in-state tuition. This was one of the things that I found frustrating about living in DC, that you don't get in-state tuition anywhere (I think there is a program where first-time undergrads from DC can get in-state tuition in other states, but not for one-off preparatory courses). There is a university of DC which could possibly be okay for lower-level courses, but I haven't heard great things about it, to be honest. All the large private universities are very expensive (think $3-4,000 for a single undergrad course). Maybe others will have suggestions, but this was my experience after looking into this.
posted by knownfossils at 12:46 PM on May 2, 2015

Best answer: I can't say enough about how great Graduate School USA is for this type of thing. It used to be run out of the USDA but got spun off a few years back. It's relatively inexpensive, is set up for working professionals, the classes are typically pretty small, and the instructors in my experience have been great*. I've taken statistics and economics catch up classes there over the past few years.

*And I went to an elite New England liberal arts college.
posted by General Malaise at 12:54 PM on May 2, 2015 [3 favorites]

Seconding General Malaise's rec. I've known lots of people who did classes their when it was run by the USDA and have only heard good things.
posted by lunasol at 1:25 PM on May 2, 2015

Thirding Graduate School. I took a course there, and the teachers are generally very good, and class sizes small. It was perfect for my needs to refresh my poor Chinese.
posted by troytroy at 3:33 PM on May 2, 2015

There is a university of DC which could possibly be okay for lower-level courses

No, it is not. Years ago, I took freshman American history with the intent to transfer it to where I was planning on getting my degree. The adjunct, notable at his school (Bowie State), missed one third of the classes, spoke derisively of the school (not without reason), and did not show up on the day the final exam was scheduled.

I have a friend going to Graduate School USA who is refreshing her statistics in case she applies to grad school. It's just the ticket for you.
posted by jgirl at 3:45 PM on May 2, 2015

Also, you can't count on UDC to send transcripts where you need them. My eventual grad school alma mater never received my UDC transcript, and some others I applied to didn't either. DC area schools probably figure they won't bother and proceed thusly, but schools out of the area wouldn't know that.
posted by jgirl at 3:47 PM on May 2, 2015

It sounds like you're looking for an in-person school with courses that can be listed on your transcript, and I don't have any suggestions in that regard. But have you considered Coursera, even just to build up general knowledge, or as a supplement to any other courses you take? This course is specifically geared towards CS students interested in linear algebra, and it's very good. There are no current sessions available but I believe you can still access the class archive, to watch lecture videos and try the homework.
posted by toska at 9:12 PM on May 2, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I will definitely take a look at Graduate School USA. That sounds like a good option for me.
posted by dyslexictraveler at 6:52 AM on May 3, 2015