Western Governors University Questions and Answers / Threads related to WGU

advanex1

I'm currently having alot of issues with this counselor and I haven't even enrolled yet. He seems unable to answer my questions that I'm asking without trying to copy and paste some generic answer back. I just want a genuine yes or no or let me check. Should I be going about this a different way? Also, is there any way to keep the 6 month terms from auto repeating?

I'm currently in the military so TA would pay for everything, I just don't want to get sucked into another crappy place like I did with New Horizons and now I'm out money for it. I was young when I signed up for NH. Just want to be sure that starting here would be the place to go as opposed to just going to other normal route. I've ready tht the credits at WGU are non-transferrable because they aren't traditional. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

nhpr

advanex1 wrote: »

I'm currently having alot of issues with this counselor and I haven't even enrolled yet. He seems unable to answer my questions that I'm asking without trying to copy and paste some generic answer back. I just want a genuine yes or no or let me check. Should I be going about this a different way?

The enrollment councilors aren't great. They're overworked and under-informed. You'd probably do better asking us here if you want a good answer in a reasonable amount of time.

I've ready tht the credits at WGU are non-transferrable because they aren't traditional. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

I don't know about the transferabilty of WGU credits, but I could see that potentially being an issue. Everything is pass/fail -- based entirely on the final assessment -- and they have a completely different system, such as not having graded homework, midterms, etc.

advanex1

nhpr, I appreciate your reply.

I'll paste my questions into this post and any help would be appreciated. Overall, how would you rate your experience as well? I see alot of others talking about making your assignments towards the rubric... are they bad with grading and what type of system do they use?

" Currently I have 34 College Credits through Fayetteville Technical Community College. I'd like to know how many of those would transfer and how if any way you offer associates en route to the bachelors in your program. I need to know if books and materials are covered in those costs as well. Thank you for your help."

There were more questions but it was in regards to military TA.

The last question I have is, are they able to not do consecutive terms automatically? I'd rather not subject myself to an automatic re-up so to speak. I'm always very cautious about these things.

Thanks for the help guys!

jdchilders

advanex1 wrote: »

" Currently I have 34 College Credits through Fayetteville Technical Community College. I'd like to know how many of those would transfer and how if any way you offer associates en route to the bachelors in your program. I need to know if books and materials are covered in those costs as well. Thank you for your help."

You would have to contact WGU and see if they'll transfer, then they will do a transfer eval and you can see what transfered.

advanex1 wrote: »

The last question I have is, are they able to not do consecutive terms automatically? I'd rather not subject myself to an automatic re-up so to speak. I'm always very cautious about these things.

Thanks for the help guys!

WGU is a continuous enrollment program. Once you enroll you continuously and automatically get re-enrolled for the next semester. There is a form you can fill out for a "break" but that is only 1-3 months.

I'm sure others can chime in with more, in-depth, answers.

Crucio666

Hello Everyone,

Is there a honors society or recognition you can achieve by getting high grades at WGU?

sheckler

There aren't any grades, so no.

Nobylspoon

sheckler wrote: »

There aren't any grades, so no.

Actually, the Teacher's college has one. They base it off of CUs and SAP %

Nobylspoon

Does anyone else get frequent timeouts with the MyLabPlus stuff?

JoshD779

I had my call with my mentor yesterday and I mentioned the sluggishness of uCertify. She said she had many, many students tell her the same thing, so she looked into it. She said that they were aware of the issue and had a fix prepared for it that was to be deployed last night. I just popped over to uCertify and I can confirm that it is now running much faster than it had been. Still not ultra-snappy, but vastly improved and much more usable.

Crucio666

sheckler wrote: »

There aren't any grades, so no.

is there a GPA after you graduate? I know some employers ask for GPA info

Lemonade727

Crucio666 wrote: »

is there a GPA after you graduate? I know some employers ask for GPA info

If the information is required, WGU say that you can contact them and they can assist with that and provide documentation with a GPA. I think I remember reading somewhere that the value they assign to it is a 3.0.

higherho

So I am starting the application processes! I stated to the individual that I will not be planning on starting until may of next year but I wanted to get the admission stuff out of the way!

It also seems that my company will help me pay for it since they are on the board! And wave the admission fee. I will find out about that later this week.


I do have a question about the entrance exam, how is it on the difficulty level? Specifically math. I do not mind math, as long as I know the formula's its just been two years since I really got into it.

Raidersfan81

higherho wrote: »

So I am starting the application processes! I stated to the individual that I will not be planning on starting until may of next year but I wanted to get the admission stuff out of the way!

It also seems that my company will help me pay for it since they are on the board! And wave the admission fee. I will find out about that later this week.


I do have a question about the entrance exam, how is it on the difficulty level? Specifically math. I do not mind math, as long as I know the formula's its just been two years since I really got into it.

I just took the entrance exam about 1.5 months ago. I would say it's like 9th grade level math, Pre-Algebra type stuff. Some stuff is even easier than that.

higherho

briandy81 wrote: »

I just took the entrance exam about 1.5 months ago. I would say it's like 9th grade level math, Pre-Algebra type stuff. Some stuff is even easier than that.

O, thats not bad at all. Did you have a set time to complete the exam?

Thanks for your response!

RockinRobin

NickDog wrote: »

I bought a 1st generation Ipad when the 2nd one came out. Best money I have spent. Very convientent when reading books and not drag a laptop around.

So an iPad or any of the other upper end droid tablets would be TOTALLY sufficient to do all the classes? I was trying to decide on a tablet or laptop. I would much prefer the tablet.

astrogeek

I have a few questions:

What sort of teaching tools does WGU offer? For example, I'm still relatively new to IT and there is a lot I don't know. I'd like to become MCSE or MCITP certified but what does WGU offer that I couldn't find in just a series of books on my own?

Also, it seems a lot of people that go to WGU already have a lot of IT experience. Would it be fair to say this isn't so much of a school you go to to be taught new things, but instead confirm what you already know in the form of a degree?

I need to learn a lot so I'm not sure this school would be for me. Their website even said somewhere, (I can't find it right now but I remember reading it), that a student should have at least 3 ylears of IT experience before enrolling to WGU.

Is it possible to take a "test class" just to see if this is right for me?

Also, I've read a lot about financial aid not being finished by the school until after starting classes. If I were to go to WGU it wouldn't be until summer of next year. Would starting early on the financial aid make a difference or do they not start the process until you're closer to starting classes?

nhpr

astrogeek wrote: »

I have a few questions:

What sort of teaching tools does WGU offer? For example, I'm still relatively new to IT and there is a lot I don't know. I'd like to become MCSE certified but what does WGU offer that I couldn't find in just a series of books on my own?

They give you access to a bunch of practice exams as well as books. Theoretically there are also "course mentors" (teachers, basically) who can help you if you have issues, go over particulars, etc. I've never used them, but from what I hear they're kind of hit-or-miss as to how helpful they are.

Also, it seems a lot of people that go to WGU already have a lot of IT experience. Would it be fair to say this isn't so much of a school you go to to be taught new things, but instead confirm what you already know in the form of a degree?

It seems like most of the people use it that way, but that's not to say that you can't learn from the courses. They set up a very systematic "course of study" that you can follow to make sure you have learned all you need to know for that class.

I need to learn a lot so I'm not sure this school would be for me. Their website even said somewhere, (I can't find it right now but I remember reading it), that a student should have at least 3 years of IT experience before enrolling to WGU.

You can't be in IT and *not* need to learn a lot. That's part of the job! The 3 years experience is just one way to qualify for admission. To get into the IT program you need active certifications or the experience. They needed to implement this in order to weed out the weak, so to speak; supposedly the graduation rate was around 25% before they implemented this. You have a CCNA, so they'd let you start the admissions process based on that.

Is it possible to take a "test class" just to see if this is right for me?

I doubt it. You can try asking someone though.

astrogeek

Thanks for answering my questions so quickly, I have plenty of time to think about it. I'm about to enroll in a CCNP Academy course so right now that takes priority. I really just want to increase my value to employers as much as I can before the contract I'm on is over in a few years.

I thought I had read in a post here something about taking just one course to see if this school is for you, but I could have read that wrong. From most of what I've read it sounds like you are either enrolled or you aren't and the price is based on time enrolled, not amount of classes taken, is that correct?

nhpr

astrogeek wrote: »

From most of what I've read it sounds like you are either enrolled or you aren't and the price is based on time enrolled, not amount of classes taken, is that correct?

Yep! Someone on TechExams finished all his classes in one term (six month period), so he got a college degree for less than $3k.

Raidersfan81

higherho wrote: »

O, thats not bad at all. Did you have a set time to complete the exam?

Thanks for your response!

Honestly, I can't remember if it was timed or not. If it was timed it was well more than enough time to complete it with ease. I don't remember stressing on time or anything with any of the entrance exams.

hiddenknight821

briandy81 wrote: »

Honestly, I can't remember if it was timed or not. If it was timed it was well more than enough time to complete it with ease. I don't remember stressing on time or anything with any of the entrance exams.

There is time limit on the entrance exam, but it's not bad though. You should know the time limit before you even begin the test so you can determine whether to take it or defer it to another time.

Nobylspoon

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

There is time limit on the entrance exam, but it's not bad though. You should know the time limit before you even begin the test so you can determine whether to take it or defer it to another time.

I remember having more than enough time (even after multiple searches on Google ;P)

Raidersfan81

Well my first Assessment is scheduled for next week and it is BBC1.

My question is this, if you fail it will that go on your transcript as a fail every time you don't pass?? I'm curious as how that works.

MikeinPA

No, only courses that are not passed/finished by the end of your term will show on your transcript as a fail.

erpadmin

CompuTron99 wrote: »

Has anyone from New York (state) used WGU? I'm having trouble trying to see if it's accredited with the SUNY ssytem.

NY is a Middle States state, just like NJ. WGU is regionally accredited with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (another regional body, like Middle States).

SUNY, CUNY, or any other NY college or system should have no problem accepting credits and/or degrees from WGU. Regional accreditation is the biggest draw to WGU, as well as it's price. You'll be fine.

erpadmin

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

You guys got to be kidding me. EWB took me longer than I thought to complete it. Maybe I was being too cautious. I did 90% of the activities. I don't mean to encourage competition here, but I felt rather slow. I mean... I know some of you guys have been out of school longer than me, and some of you are definitely older than I am. Yet, you were able to finish EWB within 4-5 hours, which I couldn't do. I guess I overestimate my ability . Anyway, I'm glad I'm done with EWB, and that should be good enough. Now, I'm gonna go out and grab a nice cold smoothie! I know I'm a downer when it involves no alcohol

EWB took me about 5-7 hours to complete (and that was with distractions). It can definitely be done within one day though. That much is clear.

Raidersfan81

Question for anybody who has took a proctored at home webcam assessment test.

Tomorrow I take my first assessment online via webcam and was wondering is there an exact spot I should place my camera before I start or will they instruct me where to place it?

Also do I log in to take the assessment in that WebSentinel program or to the actual website?

Thanks.

erpadmin

briandy81 wrote: »

Question for anybody who has took a proctored at home webcam assessment test.

Tomorrow I take my first assessment online via webcam and was wondering is there an exact spot I should place my camera before I start or will they instruct me where to place it?

Also do I log in to take the assessment in that WebSentinel program or to the actual website?

Thanks.

You should have instructions on how to log in to the WebSentinel program. That's what's going to connect to your asssessment for you to take. When you log in, you will see instructions on where to place your camera (45° angle on either side of your monitor...your face and hands have to be visible at all times.)


You just want to have a clear desk with only a pen and paper (and an approved calculator if it's math). The online assessments are, IMHO, the most convenient assessments to take. I'd wake up about an hour before, have coffee and breakfast, have my stuff ready, and that's that. Make sure you do the biometric typing beforehand. Also, should there be an technical difficulties, the support people that you call are very helpful. Only had to use them twice. My WGU webcam is officially retired; it's a souvenir piece now.

Raidersfan81

erpadmin wrote: »

You should have instructions on how to log in to the WebSentinel program. That's what's going to connect to your asssessment for you to take. When you log in, you will see instructions on where to place your camera (45° angle on either side of your monitor...your face and hands have to be visible at all times.)


You just want to have a clear desk with only a pen and paper (and an approved calculator if it's math). The online assessments are, IMHO, the most convenient assessments to take. I'd wake up about an hour before, have coffee and breakfast, have my stuff ready, and that's that. Make sure you do the biometric typing beforehand. Also, should there be an technical difficulties, the support people that you call are very helpful. Only had to use them twice. My WGU webcam is officially retired; it's a souvenir piece now.

Alright, sounds good to me and thanks for the help and advice

Hypntick

briandy81 wrote: »

Alright, sounds good to me and thanks for the help and advice

Bright lighting is one thing you need as well. My apartment is fairly softly lit and i've had my tests stopped a time or two due to that. If that might be a concern a clip on desk lamp will help considerably.