ALM biology concentrator comments & building a Web community

Linda Barlow, another ALM candidate, has left a comment concerning the quality of the Harvard Extension School, after reading about the positive review of the Extension School from a Harvard alum. It's very interesting to me, as it's coming from a science concentrator. Not only do I seldom hear from or run into ALM science concentrators, they also have a different perspective on the Extension School, because of their career paths (many go into medicine or biotech) and different faculty base (many professors are from the Harvard Medical School). Here's what Linda had to say:

I've have nothing but praise for Harvard Extension since I took a German course there for fun several years ago. I was a lazy student during my college years, so I decided to try to redeem myself by actually learning the language now. I found the classes challenging, the instructor inspirational, and after a couple of years of hard work, I was delighted with my progress.

I'm not entirely sure how this led to my current pursuit -- a master's in biology -- but I can report that the ALM program in biology (or biotechnology, which is also offered) is extremely rigorous. The extension school also offers a pre-med program for students who wish to apply to medical school (but did not complete their pre-reqs in college). Many of these students turn up in the various biology classes, presumably to impress medical school admissions boards with their work in physiology, comparative anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, pathophysiology, etc. Many of these courses, which are all offered by the Extension school, are taught by Harvard med school profs. The result is that all biology classes are extremely competitive. Fortunately I enjoy competition, and it's rather fun to attend classes with a bunch of intense and earnest future physicians who are half my age!

Delighted to find your blog (which Curt directed me to). After taking 7 courses in my field, I'm about to begin focusing on my thesis. So far I haven't found many opportunities to connect with other grad students in the Extension School.

That last sentence got me to thinking ... Is the Web the logical place for the Extension School student body to bond? We're such a diverse group in terms of age, backgrounds, and interests, and also very spread out -- many of us are pursuing degrees from other states or countries!

I hope this blog can serve as a forum of sorts for the scattered Harvard Extension School student body, but what would be really great would be some sort of online discussion forum, either run by the Harvard Extension Student Association or the Extension School itself. There really is a need for such a service, as many of us don't live anywhere near Cambridge, or have other family and career duties that keep us from hanging out on campus.

Thoughts, anyone?