Anybody else super annoyed when people on LinkedIn…

[Anonymous]

…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

[Anonymous]

I went to Georgetown on a tour once.

[Anonymous]

Or brag about their MBA, but find out they went to online Strayer school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

Meh, not really. Once you dig into the stats of who gets into Harvard based on legacy status or parents making donations to the school it isn't automatically impressive that someone went there. Someone taking classes after graduation probably has more grit than someone like Jared Kushner who has ridden his parents coattails everywhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or brag about their MBA, but find out they went to online Strayer school?

Yesssss!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

I don’t find it annoying, I find it desperate and pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

Meh, not really. Once you dig into the stats of who gets into Harvard based on legacy status or parents making donations to the school it isn't automatically impressive that someone went there. Someone taking classes after graduation probably has more grit than someone like Jared Kushner who has ridden his parents coattails everywhere

I mean I got into Yale because I came from the rural hinterland. I was a fish out of water and way underprepared. There were some truly exceptional people there though, dont doubt it.

[Anonymous]

Had a guy at our work brag how he went to Cambridge. It was Cambridge College, a for profit school located above a Payless shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

You really need to get a life. seriously

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

You really need to get a life. seriously

No, OP has a point. If this was Facebook, sure. But the entire point of LinkedIn is to share your professional history. This is incredibly misleading, and people who do it are intending to mislead others.

[Anonymous]

I raise an eyebrow when I see fancy schools listed and the person attended an "executive" program that anyone can pay to attend.

While I agree with the poster that those attending HYSP are mainly legacy, full pay/rich, athlete, child of donor or staff, I still think people are misconstruing the truth. My past colleague used to brag constantly about her PHD, and I took that to mean she felt insecure. Eventually, she started to feel happier in life and more secure and stopped doing that.

Overall, I prefer to have compassion for at least some of these folks. I don't know their background or why they feel they need to puff themselves up this way. In my colleague's case, she was a tricky and difficult person when I first met her and eventually did some inner work and became kinder and more friendly later in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or brag about their MBA, but find out they went to online Strayer school?

Or phoenix university lol

[Anonymous]

I went to school in Boston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

LinkedIn is a bragging platform. I don't believe anything or anyone there. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…list Harvard or Wharton as their alma mater and when you scroll down, you realize they’ve just taken one of those online classes but claim to have gone to that school.

It has happened more often than not. Recently, we had a new hire who is telling people he went to Wharton when he only did a Coursera course!

It really irritates me because it is simply misleading and not reality!! I can’t even imagine how people who have gone to one of those schools and gotten an actual degree feel when they see that.

I don't feel annoyed, but when I see this sh!t on a resume, it goes straight into trash.
Harvard Extension School is my favorite.