Career & Academic Resource Center
Assists Students in Transition

Getting There from Here

While many Harvard Extension School students are taking courses for the pure love of learning, others are taking courses in order to make big changes in their lives.

Extension School classrooms are filled with students in transition. It is not unusual to find in the same classroom a stay-at-home mom who earned her BA in English ten years ago and now wants to go to medical school, a paralegal who wants to earn his undergraduate degree in order to apply to law school, or a computer software engineer who now wants to earn his master's degree in history to teach high school students. The Extension School attracts students in transition because it is the perfect place for those who require courses, degrees, or certificates in order to advance professionally.

The Extension School is also attractive to students in transition because of the free services it provides through its Career and Academic Resource Center (CARC), such as Academic Skills Enhancement, Study Abroad, Graduate School Preparation and Selection, and Career Decision Making. CARC provides academic, graduate school, and career workshops, as well as group and individual career counseling. CARC maintains a library of reference books and handouts about study skills, study abroad, graduate school, and career change. Students are encouraged to use the Center's computer to work on their resumes and graduate school applications, to search the Internet for job listings, and to take advantage of the study skills, graduate school, and career software programs available.

All Extension students can benefit from services provided through CARC. Academic workshops, such as Taking Effective Notes, Preparing for and Taking Exams, and Using the Internet for Academic Research, are designed for students whose study skills are a little rusty or need updating. CARC's handouts--Graduate School Investigation, Letters of Recommendation, and Personal Statements--are useful for students whose transition requires an additional degree. CARC's career guidance and planning software--SIGI Plus--helps students who are not sure what their next career step should be by identifying their work-related values and skills and by offering current information about occupations. The reference library aids exploration in all of these areas.

Whether you're a stay-at-home mom who wants to be a doctor, a paralegal who wants to be a lawyer, or forging your own unique transition, the Extension School and CARC can help you get there from here.

The Center, which is located on the fifth floor, 51 Brattle Street, is open to all registered Extension School students, 9 am-5 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, see the Extension School website or call (617) 496-8750.

Extension School students use CARC's library and computer resources to investigate academic, graduate school, and career options.