Western Governors University Questions and Answers / Threads related to WGU

ltgenspecific

Good afternoon everyone,

I recently completed my application to WGU for the MS:ISA program. I am curious as to my scores on the entrance assessment. It was indicated that they would be posted to my AAP (I am assuming this means Academic Action Plan??). So, anyone know where to find the AAP on the student portal? I've looked for a bit to no avail. Thanks in advance, I am looking forward to joining you all as students!

- C

snokerpoker

I am considering changing my degree program from BS:IT to the Network Admin emphasis. I have done all the GE courses and am wondering if I would have to re-take the math courses as I noticed the math courses have changed/are new. I just left a voice-mail with my mentor but was wondering if you guys knew the answer to that. Thanks!

sheckler

I'm changing tracks on the 1st and I was told the math doesn't have to be retaken.

snokerpoker

sheckler wrote: »

I'm changing tracks on the 1st and I was told the math doesn't have to be retaken.

Awesome! Thanks. I really hope this is the case cuz I do not want to re-take any courses.

erpadmin

snokerpoker wrote: »

Awesome! Thanks. I really hope this is the case cuz I do not want to re-take any courses.

If you took QMC1/QLC1 BEFORE you switched, then the new math does NOT have to be taken. If you did not take QMC1/QLC1 before you want to switch, then you'd have to take the new math.

QLT1 still has to be done though in either case. I know you said you took all your math, but that was to clarify for someone else.

darkerz

I'm about to solidify plans for a degree in Network Design and Management, as I am going down the MCITP:EA route anyways (SA first, than EA for maximum fun).

Would you say it's worth to go after it straight out of school with a tech degree? I'm already studying intensely for my CCNA and 70-640 exam, I was thinking to complete all the certs involved (Even CIW) in the next 8-10 months then apply and finish the degree in a term, since I am working full time.

I'd rather have the degree and learn practical skills then take 2 years at 20,000$ at a B&M school learning general material not related to Networking, Security or even Server Engineering for the same credential.

The more I explain, the more I realize how awesome WGU is.

I just need to convince someone for a 3,000 dollar loan.

erpadmin

darkerz wrote: »

I just need to convince someone for a 3,000 dollar loan.

Unless you are in default with any US government loan, or have a drug conviction, regardless of credit, you can get a Federal Direct Loan. The only loan I know of where credit is irrelevant.

However, it is also the only loan where you must pay every cent you owe back...that is the only debt that is very, very collectable.

drew726

How hard is the javascript CIW exam? I've taken C++ and Java in college but never any HTML whatsoever

sheckler

It's not that bad, with your programming experience you'll be fine. Read the book for a week and then take the test.

snokerpoker

I'm so stoked about switching to the Network Admin emphasis. More Microsoft certs instead of Java performance assessments. WIN!

astrogeek

I have 2 questions about WGU for all those who are currently attending:

1. How much time do you dedicate to school work per week? I work odd hours and I'm worried this would make it difficult/impossible to take on a rigorous class schedule unless I could decide exactly what days I do my work on.
2. I don't have my A.S. degree, would it be worth it to finish that in community college before going to WGU to save money? I have to keep costs down as much as possible, but I have read from other reviewers that many of their past classes did not transfer so I wouldn't want to waste my time either. Similarly, how much would it help to get Cisco certs such as CCNP before enrolling?

And as a bonus question....any graduates wanna state their yearly income?

eansdad

astrogeek wrote: »

I have 2 questions about WGU for all those who are currently attending:

1. How much time do you dedicate to school work per week? I work odd hours and I'm worried this would make it difficult/impossible to take on a rigorous class schedule unless I could decide exactly what days I do my work on.
2. I don't have my A.S. degree, would it be worth it to finish that in community college before going to WGU to save money? I have to keep costs down as much as possible, but I have read from other reviewers that many of their past classes did not transfer so I wouldn't want to waste my time either. Similarly, how much would it help to get Cisco certs such as CCNP before enrolling?

And as a bonus question....any graduates wanna state their yearly income?

Well, I'm a slacker and only do about 10 hours of studying a week so far. Then again I have a decade of experience so some of this stuff is more refresher. Just like any other school concentrate on the class your taking and you'll do fine. Don't expect to do 60 CUs in 6 months just hit your 12 and do 1 at a time after that, works a lot better.

With the costs of CC rising and the time it takes to finish I'd say just go to WGU. CC here would cost about the same and I wouldn't be able to add more classes without it costing me more. Also I don't think getting a CCNP would transfer in anything special that the CCNA wouldn't cover. If you are able to get a CCNP then WGU shouldn't be that bad for you.

In respect to jobs, just like any school, your schooling isn't going to get you a magic dollar amount. Any B.S. degree will get you roughly the same amount. A lot of people on here have a lot of experience to go along with the certs and degree and are already in the tech field. I don't expect more money from my current employer when I graduate but it will help push me ahead for any promotions that come along. It will also help in finding a new job if/when I decide to leave.

WGU is great because you get to earn certs while getting a degree for a low cost. The training you get (while not instructor led) is good for anyone that is able to learn on their own (as most good IT people do anyway). Earning a degree and certs doesn't mean you'll get a great job in IT but it will help you along your way.

mikej412

astrogeek wrote: »

1. I don't have my A.S. degree, would it be worth it to finish that in community college before going to WGU to save money? I have to keep costs down as much as possible, but I have read from other reviewers that many of their past classes did not transfer so I wouldn't want to waste my time either. Similarly, how much would it help to get Cisco certs such as CCNP before enrolling?

I'll have to let someone else answer question #1.

For #2, there is the Straighterline option to get some General Ed courses out of the way with out the pressure of a full course load at WGU. Plus it give you a taste of self-learning -- so it's a cheaper option to see if you have what it takes to commit to an online self-study degree.
Online College Courses - Distance Learning Courses - StraighterLine

There may a few people around who can give you an idea how Straighterline works compared to WGU.

There may also be a CLEP option for knocking out General Education courses.

You'd want to check out the track information on the WGU website to find out which certifications are included in the track. WGU has a track that uses the CCNA and CCNA:Security. If you earned the CCNP, that would take a BUNCH of time -- but you'd also have to do the CCNA since it's a prerequisite for the CCNP. If you're thinking of WGU (and the track that includes the Cisco certs) and already have some networking skills and Cisco experience, it may be worth doing the CCNA (and CCNA:Security) but probably not the CCNP.

erpadmin

astrogeek wrote: »

I have 2 questions about WGU for all those who are currently attending:

1. How much time do you dedicate to school work per week? I work odd hours and I'm worried this would make it difficult/impossible to take on a rigorous class schedule unless I could decide exactly what days I do my work on.
2. I don't have my A.S. degree, would it be worth it to finish that in community college before going to WGU to save money? I have to keep costs down as much as possible, but I have read from other reviewers that many of their past classes did not transfer so I wouldn't want to waste my time either. Similarly, how much would it help to get Cisco certs such as CCNP before enrolling?

And as a bonus question....any graduates wanna state their yearly income?

1. I do a few hours a week plus a lot of time on the weekends. In the 7 months I've been involved, it pays off. I still socialize, spend time with family friends and get work done. Much of my school work gets done after work. I knew I wasn't going to be that 100+ CU guy in one term, nor was I trying to be. It's not a race...it's what you feel comfortable doing.

2. I agree with mikej's suggestion of doing straighterline (the hyperlink takes you to straighterline's WGU partner page) first. I myself would have done this, but I had no desire to do A+/Network+ over again. If I had waited, I would have been over WGU's 5 year cert policy. I barely made it...lol. Had that not been an issue, I would have found straighterline to be a better deal for me, both in money and time. It's a moot point for me though, since as of this weekend, all of my gen eds are done! Took me 7 months for me to do that though.

My current salary will remain the same (close to 90k now). With my degree and experience of "watching blinking lights..." I'm hoping to get a position at a later date that is more senior in status and a $20k-$30k raise. But I want to work on my Masters first before I make that jump.

NickDog

Hello all!
So I start WGU this coming Friday. I am pretty excited to get back into school and get some more "learnings". Right now Im waiting to see what credits will transfer from my Associates from ITT. I wonder which of you out there are in the Security emphasis program and how do you like it? Anything I should know before starting? I am hoping to commit around 20 hours a week, possibly more if I get more free time. Any info would be great.

Thanks all!

NickDog

One other question to add to my previous post, how much do you spend on books? Is the 24/7 subscription enough?

astrogeek

eansdad wrote: »

With the costs of CC rising and the time it takes to finish I'd say just go to WGU. CC here would cost about the same and I wouldn't be able to add more classes without it costing me more.

Speaking of costs, I know this may differ greatly from person to person, but about how much does WGU cost after federal grants, (assuming I can get some), and what do the loan payments look like?

eansdad wrote: »

In respect to jobs, just like any school, your schooling isn't going to get you a magic dollar amount. Any B.S. degree will get you roughly the same amount. A lot of people on here have a lot of experience to go along with the certs and degree and are already in the tech field. I don't expect more money from my current employer when I graduate but it will help push me ahead for any promotions that come along. It will also help in finding a new job if/when I decide to leave.

My problem is that I don't have much experience at all. I changed career fields so I'm playing catch up. Thankfully I have a good job right now, but I want to do everything I can to increase my value for current as well as future employers. I'll be 30 this year and don't even have an AA or AS degree so I'm trying to look 10 years in the future and picture where I want to be. I definitely don't want to be 40 without a degree trying to convince an employer my experience is worth a raise while they argue against one because I don't have a BS. A lot of employers won't even consider your resume without a BS degree. These are scenarios that I'm trying to avoid.

This might be the best time for me to start school, but obviously it's a big commitment I have to think about. I don't have a wife/girlfriend or any kids so if anytime is good to hunker down and do the work now would be it. I can be a procrastinator though so I'm worried I might not do well with this type of school environment, but realistically I just don't have the time to go through 4 years of traditional school.

eansdad

astrogeek wrote: »

Speaking of costs, I know this may differ greatly from person to person, but about how much does WGU cost after federal grants, (assuming I can get some), and what do the loan payments look like?

WGU is less then $3000 for 6 months so it would be whatever you got minus that. I don't qualify for Pell so I have to pay for all of it. Still it would cost me $2000 (currently $100/credit plus fees and books) a semester at my local CC, which I tried and found a great dislike for, and that would be for only 12 credits. Student loans are 10 or 15 years so the faster you finish the lower your loan will be.

My problem is that I don't have much experience at all. I changed career fields so I'm playing catch up. Thankfully I have a good job right now, but I want to do everything I can to increase my value for current as well as future employers. I'll be 30 this year and don't even have an AA or AS degree so I'm trying to look 10 years in the future and picture where I want to be. I definitely don't want to be 40 without a degree trying to convince an employer my experience is worth a raise while they argue against one because I don't have a BS. A lot of employers won't even consider your resume without a BS degree. These are scenarios that I'm trying to avoid.

This might be the best time for me to start school, but obviously it's a big commitment I have to think about. I don't have a wife/girlfriend or any kids so if anytime is good to hunker down and do the work now would be it. I can be a procrastinator though so I'm worried I might not do well with this type of school environment, but realistically I just don't have the time to go through 4 years of traditional school.

I'll procrastinate ... alot ... and I also have a wife and 2 kids but I don't like to waste money. I was always taught that even if you don't like to do something sometimes you just have to do it. I might drag my feet but it gets done and I still finished 47 CUs this term. Less then I wanted but still not bad and keeps me on track for my 3 term grad date that I've set for myself. Set a goal and try to hit it. Don't lie to yourself and think you'll finish 80 CUs but set a goal you know you can hit. If you really want a taste of online learning do 1 of the starline courses. If you can't finish it then atleast your not out the $3k for the 1st term.

petedude

NickDog wrote: »

One other question to add to my previous post, how much do you spend on books? Is the 24/7 subscription enough?

Supposedly, the 24/7 subscription is enough, but there are mixed reports on being able to print the books you see online.

For a long while I preferred having physical texts alongside the 24/7 materials. Lately, I've gravitated more towards having eBooks. In all, though, I'd be surprised if I've spent more than $100 on books so far for this last year. Tests are another matter-- I think I've spent a couple hundred on uCertify, but not everyone needs those.

Pishof

NickDog wrote: »

Hello all!
So I start WGU this coming Friday. I am pretty excited to get back into school and get some more "learnings". Right now Im waiting to see what credits will transfer from my Associates from ITT. I wonder which of you out there are in the Security emphasis program and how do you like it? Anything I should know before starting? I am hoping to commit around 20 hours a week, possibly more if I get more free time. Any info would be great.

Thanks all!

Regarding your credits transferring I will say you may be surprised. I only needed 68 CU and 14 classes after my transcript evaluation. The only general ED classes I need to take are the two humanities courses and I had several technology classes transfer.

This removed the need for sitting the A+, Network +, 70-680(Win7), and Cisco CCENT exams as well. This was for the network emphasis courses.

CodeBlox

How much is it per credit hour at WGU?

jahsoul

@Codeblox

You don't pay per credit. You pay a flat rate for each 6 month term.

kriscamaro68

Quick question. I just took the readiness assessment tests and completed all of them. How soon after do I find out if I passed them? How am I notified if I passed them?

Thanks.

CodeBlox

jahsoul wrote: »

@Codeblox

You don't pay per credit. You pay a flat rate for each 6 month term.

And how much is a 6 month term? if this varies depending on the number of classes, could you give me a ball park for say, 4 or 5 classes? If this isn't the case, how many classes are in a 6 month term?'

EDIT: Nevermind: http://www.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/tuition

But does this mean you could attend as many classes you wanted in a single term?

Lemonade727

CodeBlox wrote: »

And how much is a 6 month term? if this varies depending on the number of classes, could you give me a ball park for say, 4 or 5 classes? If this isn't the case, how many classes are in a 6 month term?'

EDIT: Nevermind: Affordable Accredited Online University | WGU Tuition and Fees | Western Governors University

But does this mean you could attend as many classes you wanted in a single term?

Yes it does, so long as you complete your initial 12CU per term then your mentor can continue to enroll you in other classes at the flat rate fee. That's why so many here end up with 30-40+CU terms. Might as well get in as much as you can and get your money's worth.

astrogeek

Lemonade727 wrote: »

Yes it does, so long as you complete your initial 12CU per term then your mentor can continue to enroll you in other classes at the flat rate fee. That's why so many here end up with 30-40+CU terms. Might as well get in as much as you can and get your money's worth.

So one could finish a 4 year bachelors degree in say Network Design & Management in under 2 years?

So then, assuming you are also juggling a full time job at the same time, how hard would it be to do 30-40CU's per term? Is that pretty challenging to do or is it about average what most could probably do?

Are there any examples of what the work actually looks like? I'm a little confused from reading some other reviews who give the impression that there isn't really much of a curriculum the school follows but rather you have to go out and learn anything and everything in order to pass whatever is on their tests, (which you have to pay for and they don't tell you what you get wrong).

From what I've read regarding the work it doesn't sound like the school really provides much direction at all other than a few sample resources from their online "library", with the expectation you do your own research mostly with other material found elsewhere. There are a lot of complaints that the tests don't match up with what the school gives you to study.

Any truth to this assessment?

CodeBlox

Do you think courses from A.S. in computer science from local community college would transfer over?

mikej412

CodeBlox wrote: »

Do you think courses from A.S. in computer science from local community college would transfer over?

I think originally an AAS didn't have the same clout as an AS, but.....

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/51715-western-governors-university-questions-answers-threads-related-wgu-27.html#post507832

Easy to find because I remembered my response to it:

mikej412 wrote: »

We shall call this the WGU IT Nerd/Geek AAS Exception.

WGU really does love self-motivated and dedicated IT Nerds and/or Geeks.

erpadmin

"So one could finish a 4 year bachelors degree in say Network Design & Management in under 2 years?"

Based on my experience, I am finding that to be the case and with that degree. WGU is similar to the "Big 3" in college distance learning in that regard. The thing with the "Big 3" colleges (like Thomas Edison State College) though is that you have to still go to a regular college and take those courses and then report back that you took the course and/or CLEP or (like WGU) take an assessment and pass it. One of my colleagues is actually a TESC graduate and it took him close to a decade to complete his degree. Where WGU differs is that everything that you need to pass is provided to you (more or less) via a Course of Study [syllabus] that acts as a guideline on what you need. Believe me, WGU is NOT a scam. In order for WGU's model to work, it needed a regionally accredited body to sign off on their model. If WGU did not have that sign off, there was no way I could bother with it.

"So then, assuming you are also juggling a full time job at the same time, how hard would it be to do 30-40CU's per term? Is that pretty challenging to do or is it about average what most could probably do?"

I'm doing around that and that's working over 40 hours a week. As one gets older, time management becomes easier to do. You wake up, go to work, leave work, come home, spend time with family, and then go to work on whatever you have to do for WGU. Right now, I'm working on Javascript. Read up on my posts from 08/01/2010 til now in the Student Experiences thread and you'll see when I have passed my classes. Every class in my "win column" in my signature has been posted as a pass and a little blurb got written on what I found about that class. Some classes took me a little longer to do than others (LAT1 and INT1) but that's because of my schedule/issues with graders. Some students are doing less than what I'm doing, and some have and are doing much more. I'm just going at my own pace and what I feel comfortable doing.


"Are there any examples of what the work actually looks like? I'm a little confused from reading some other reviews who give the impression that there isn't really much of a curriculum the school follows but rather you have to go out and learn anything and everything in order to pass whatever is on their tests, (which you have to pay for and they don't tell you what you get wrong)."

See the Student Experiences thread....not only me, but others have posted a variety of examples of how the curriculum looks like.

"From what I've read regarding the work it doesn't sound like the school really provides much direction at all other than a few sample resources from their online "library", with the expectation you do your own research mostly with other material found elsewhere. There are a lot of complaints that the tests don't match up with what the school gives you to study."

Western Governors University is a competency-based school. You're showing that you are competent in the classes you take. If you do not have competency, then there are a multitude of materials that will help build competency. In my case, I utilized heavily on the math. I thought I would flunk out of WGU because of the math...because I was not the best at it in high school. However, by just eating, sleeping and living math for a few weeks, I boned up on what I needed and passed my math assessments. I then worked on the science component. All of my general education courses that were required for me took me seven months from my start at WGU to do, but it got done. I'm happy!


Believe me, like anything else, WGU is work. You will not be able to flash a smile and pass a class. That much I can tell you. LOL.

erpadmin

kriscamaro68 wrote: »

Quick question. I just took the readiness assessment tests and completed all of them. How soon after do I find out if I passed them? How am I notified if I passed them?

Thanks.

I found out within 24-48 hours, if my memory serves me correctly. I know it didn't take that long to find out.