revelated said: Context:I was a student of WGU back in 2013. I withdrew because of issues with many of the courses as well as the mentor at the time. Went back to work, was successful and decided to give it another go around in 2019.6 classes later, I'm told that mentors can block you from taking classes in the order you choose, even though there's not a hard policy allowing them to do so or restricting you as a student; they can individually, on their own discretion, opt to block you as part of their attempt to help new students. It's fine to help new students; I'm not a new student (_debatable_) I don't need a babysitter. The course mentors/instructors are nice to deal with but largely, they refer you back to the online materials. SO they don't add value if that's all they're there for.At the end of the day, students are paying for this. The student should thus have control over the end result. I'm not suggesting they get rid of mentors. But mentors need to lose some of the power they hold. A student should be able to select whatever courses they want to take, when they want to take them, if they're mature enough to own the risk of losing money. That includes accelerating courses.
MrsWilliams said: Long story short, you must prove yourself to the mentor.
NetworkNewb said: MrsWilliams said: Long story short, you must prove yourself to the mentor. Sounds fun! Seriously mentors sound awfully annoying. I've heard some mentors checking up on people ALL the time too... Seems like a babysitter for college NetworkNewb said: MrsWilliams said: Long story short, you must prove yourself to the mentor.
NetworkNewb said: MrsWilliams said: Long story short, you must prove yourself to the mentor.
MrsWilliams said: Sounds fun! Seriously mentors sound awfully annoying. I've (You heard? I am going to assume you've never went to WGU. You know what happens when you assume, you make an a.....n evermind) heard some mentors checking up on people ALL the time too... Seems like a babysitter for college.Mr. Goals in progress: MSc in Computer Science (specializing in Cyber Ops),I've said it before, I only talked to my mentor once a week and it was more than one week where we didn't talk at all.We should stay on the discussion topic. I don't think the discussion @revelated created should be catered towards bashing WGU. I think it should be catered towards helping him understand how he can be successful within WGU and continue to stay enrolled, preferably from someone (not even including myself) who was successful within WGU and can give pointers.Those pointers might include positive and maybe negative. But, I don't think someone from the outside looking in is in the position to give any advice good or bad. Saying WGU is a babysitter college is a waste of space on this topic. Go create a I hate WGU thread somewhere else LOL I will come back when @revelated posts his WGU dashboard, if he/she decides to post it. Until then, adios!
MrsWilliams said: revelated said: Context:I was a student of WGU back in 2013. I withdrew because of issues with many of the courses as well as the mentor at the time. Went back to work, was successful and decided to give it another go around in 2019.6 classes later, I'm told that mentors can block you from taking classes in the order you choose, even though there's not a hard policy allowing them to do so or restricting you as a student; they can individually, on their own discretion, opt to block you as part of their attempt to help new students. It's fine to help new students; I'm not a new student (_debatable_) I don't need a babysitter. The course mentors/instructors are nice to deal with but largely, they refer you back to the online materials. SO they don't add value if that's all they're there for.At the end of the day, students are paying for this. The student should thus have control over the end result. I'm not suggesting they get rid of mentors. But mentors need to lose some of the power they hold. A student should be able to select whatever courses they want to take, when they want to take them, if they're mature enough to own the risk of losing money. That includes accelerating courses. Hello and Welcome,At the time of your previous enrollment, you could have indeed requested another mentor.Negative. I was refused both times. If you are progressing through your work expeditiously (and passing), the mentor will not block you from taking classes! Negative. I passed all six courses in my current term. I haven't failed a one of them. The reason for blocking is "you shouldn't take that yet, it's too hard for students" which is BS.You are not a new student but you are a student who dropped out the first time, which can be classified as a nw student I guess... You think they the university or the mentor doesn't know you dropped out? Neither the Program Mentor nor Student Services can tell I'm a readmit. Everything shows as a new admission on their end. Don't assume - it takes three letters to explain why it's a problem.They are going to refer you back to the course materials because the answers in some shape, fashion, or form exist in them. Except when those answers in the materials are wrong. What value do you think a mentor should have? Depends on the type. A COURSE mentor should work with you on course materials should you need them, because reaching out to a course mentor implies there's deficiencies with the course material and/or Student A needs clarification. A PROGRAM mentor should work with you on the program based on you as an individual and your needs, not generic lockouts based on other students failing. YOU own your risk.
stryder144 said:How difficult was it to get back in after a withdrawal? Did they make you jump through a bunch of hoops or was it relatively easy?
NetworkNewb said: MrsWilliams said: Long story short, you must prove yourself to the mentor. Sounds fun! Seriously mentors sound awfully annoying. I've heard some mentors checking up on people ALL the time too... Seems like a babysitter for college
EANx said: Each mentor is different, some are very rigid, others are more flexible. I've gone more than a month without talking with mine. The first time I asked about rearranging the schedule, I was told "no" but that I could do the courses in the current term in any order I wanted. After I showed I was capable of accelerating, my mentor arranged the courses in the order I asked for.The majority of people are not driven-to-succeed, nor are they effective self-starters but most are very overconfident in their abilities, the combination of which usually does not lead to success. Since WGU is entirely online and doesn't have fixed assignments, there was no way for the institution to know who was making progress until they performed the task in question. Who is stuck vs who is lazy vs who thought this was a great idea and decided to bail at the first sign or effort required but also didn't tell anyone?I see program mentors a lot like HR departments, their role can certainly help the student but their real role is to protect the university. Protect WGU from what? The potential of losing its accreditation due to too many people floundering or leaving without notice.
revelated said: Context:I was a student of WGU back in 2013. I withdrew because of issues with many of the courses as well as the mentor at the time. Went back to work, was successful and decided to give it another go around in 2019.6 classes later, I'm told that mentors can block you from taking classes in the order you choose, even though there's not a hard policy allowing them to do so or restricting you as a student; they can individually, on their own discretion, opt to block you as part of their attempt to help new students. It's fine to help new students; I'm not a new student. I don't need a babysitter. The course mentors/instructors are nice to deal with but largely, they refer you back to the online materials. SO they don't add value if that's all they're there for.At the end of the day, students are paying for this. The student should thus have control over the end result.I'm not suggesting they get rid of mentors. But mentors need to lose some of the power they hold. A student should be able to select whatever courses they want to take, when they want to take them, if they're mature enough to own the risk of losing money. That includes accelerating courses.
NetworkingStudent said: revelated said: Context:I was a student of WGU back in 2013. I withdrew because of issues with many of the courses as well as the mentor at the time. Went back to work, was successful and decided to give it another go around in 2019.6 classes later, I'm told that mentors can block you from taking classes in the order you choose, even though there's not a hard policy allowing them to do so or restricting you as a student; they can individually, on their own discretion, opt to block you as part of their attempt to help new students. It's fine to help new students; I'm not a new student. I don't need a babysitter. The course mentors/instructors are nice to deal with but largely, they refer you back to the online materials. SO they don't add value if that's all they're there for.At the end of the day, students are paying for this. The student should thus have control over the end result.I'm not suggesting they get rid of mentors. But mentors need to lose some of the power they hold. A student should be able to select whatever courses they want to take, when they want to take them, if they're mature enough to own the risk of losing money. That includes accelerating courses. If you are having a problem with your mentor, can’t you just ask for a new one?
JDMurray said: So far I'm happy with my WGU mentor, his advise, and speaking with him only for a few minutes every two weeks. If I had a personal curriculum mentor back when I first started college I would have graduated years sooner than I did.
EANx said: I don't mean any disrespect to you but in general, flying through the first handful of courses doesn't mean much. If I were a course mentor, I'd want to see how you handled challenge before giving you more flexibility. We don't know the context of your leaving in 2013 but it's possible they were taking whatever those events were into account and only had the information they had. There's a lot of students out there whose helicopter parents have never allowed them to experience adversity so when they hit a challenge, they throw up their hands in despair. I met a number of them when I was working on my Bachelors. It astonished me how many non-working students had problems they couldn't overcome but someone working full-time while going to school full-time was able to pull straight-As.The key, in my limited experience, is convincing someone you have resilience and the best way to convince them, is to demonstrate it. When I talk with my mentor, more of the conversation is devoted to the challenges of doing a program while encountering X and Y at work so that when I do slow down, he knows it's not because I'm simply slacking off.
