Student Experiences at Western Governors University (WGU)

I'm with you, RoadwarriorsLive. My comment about cherry picking was made because to me, that is simply the most efficient way to take the courses. It has the initial effect of looking like someone is flying through the courses, but it's nothing more than getting the stuff you know out of the way.

I'm also with you on INT1. I knocked the course out in 5 days, but I hated the experiment. I have the test for INC1 in a few hours, and I'm not sure at all if I'm going to pass it. Everything from biology to chemistry to physics and everything in between, this thing is 10 miles wide and, unfortunately, a little deeper than I was hoping.

I don't personally recall any posts about failing INC1, so maybe I can be the first later on today. In the meantime, let the study of helium vs hydrogen fusion, Mohorovicic discontinuity, and wave propogation continue...

Psoasman

Excellent1 wrote: »

I work out for an hour per day, 6 days per week (down to 199 pounds now from 347 pounds 16 months ago), and I still fit school into the mix.

Good for you, that's very impressive!!

Psoasman wrote: »

Good for you, that's very impressive!!

Thank you for the kind words. I hope that didn't come across as bragging, because that wasn't my intent. Hopefully someone can read that and be inspired to make their own changes. One of the things that I've come to realize over the last couple of years is that I haven't been very wise. A lot of us, maybe even most of us, are smart. There is a huge different between intelligence and wisdom, though. To me, wisdom is intelligence in action. With the weight loss analogy, I knew what to do to lose weight. We all do. You take in less than you burn off, meaning diet and exercise. That knowledge did me no good at all until I put it into practice. I didn't start out with the intent of losing as much weight as I have. I just wanted to do the best I could to put into practice what I had known all along and the progress I've made just sort of happened.

My progress at WGU is the same way. I didn't start out to hit a certain number of CU's. I just wanted to do the best I could and be comfortable with whatever that turned out to be. So far it's going better than I anticipated (much like the weight loss), but I'm sure there will be struggles along the way to finishing.

For me, the key is in your signature. Without some underlying foundation, whether it's faith or something else that one uses to motivate them, it's easy to get discouraged and give up. I may flunk out of WGU when MS certs hit. I may die of a massive coronary in 15 minutes due to the abuse I put my body through all those years of being hugely overweight, I don't know. But I do know this--whether I fail or die, I'm going to do so in the direction of my goal, not sitting in neutral and waiting for the inevitable.

Excellent1 wrote: »

I don't personally recall any posts about failing INC1, so maybe I can be the first later on today. In the meantime, let the study of helium vs hydrogen fusion, Mohorovicic discontinuity, and wave propogation continue...

Just passed this test. This has been the hardest test for me to date, including the lower tier cert exams. Such a huge amount of material is covered...it's a little amazing. Of course, it may just be that I haven't dealt with some of these subjects in over 18 years, but this was tough. Good luck to anyone with this thing in their future. Glad it's over.

Excellent1 wrote: »

Just passed this test. This has been the hardest test for me to date, including the lower tier cert exams. Such a huge amount of material is covered...it's a little amazing. Of course, it may just be that I haven't dealt with some of these subjects in over 18 years, but this was tough. Good luck to anyone with this thing in their future. Glad it's over.

CONGRATS!!! I just got back my final Task for INT1 and passed it too. So glad thats behind me.

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

CONGRATS!!! I just got back my final Task for INT1 and passed it too. So glad thats behind me.

Congrats to you too, my friend!

I now have an empty AAV, so I need to decide what's next. I'm thinking about knocking out the math next to get it out of the way. Anyone have any thoughts on which order to take the courses in or does it matter? I guess I'm just going to go with the order it's listed by default and see how that goes. Also, I've read that several people have picked up the book for this, but does anyone have any thoughts on skipping the book and just going with the math labs? Just curious what other folks have been doing.

Excellent1 wrote: »

Also, I've read that several people have picked up the book for this, but does anyone have any thoughts on skipping the book and just going with the math labs? Just curious what other folks have been doing.

I can only tell you that, personally, I need all the help I can get. I would rather that a physical book be in front of me (for math) than the electronic version. I haven't been inside a math class since 1998...which was for a course that transferred in for QMC1. Before that though, it was 1995...lol. (High school Algebra III/Trig.)

If you are good at math, it's pretty dependent on you whether you need the book or not. If you are strong at math, then it should be a walk in the park. If you aren't, you may want to consider the textbook.

Excellent1 wrote: »

Congrats to you too, my friend!

I now have an empty AAV, so I need to decide what's next. I'm thinking about knocking out the math next to get it out of the way. Anyone have any thoughts on which order to take the courses in or does it matter? I guess I'm just going to go with the order it's listed by default and see how that goes. Also, I've read that several people have picked up the book for this, but does anyone have any thoughts on skipping the book and just going with the math labs? Just curious what other folks have been doing.

For me I did QLT1 and then QMC1 I had credit for the algebra if I didn't I would have done that one first. They seemed like they built on each other and I definitely wanted to do statistics last.

I did not get the books for this one. When I had a problem with one of the theories I did a few google searches to find an explanation that made sense to me there are some good videos to explain things. I like SEEING a problem done. I have a hard time reading how to do math from a book.

After I got it down I worked the problems in the quizzes and tests. If your fuzzy on the answer go back through and do it again. Some of the questions will let you retake them with different varibles. Proving the triangle was the hardest part for me since the info in the course is a little thin on it.

jmasterj206

Excellent1 wrote: »

Just passed this test. This has been the hardest test for me to date, including the lower tier cert exams. Such a huge amount of material is covered...it's a little amazing. Of course, it may just be that I haven't dealt with some of these subjects in over 18 years, but this was tough. Good luck to anyone with this thing in their future. Glad it's over.

Congrats, that was definately my hardest exam so far as well.

snokerpoker

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Congrats, that was definately my hardest exam so far as well.

Same here. I did not pass this exam the first time around. I found it to be more challenging than the math courses.

I am currently working on the social science courses. I don't understand why the objective + performance assessments are only worth 3 CU's total. I took the pre assessment for SSC1 and missed the cut score by 2%. This was before I looked at the learning resources but I found the pre assessment to be fairly difficult for only 1 CU.

cbisfunk

Hey all,

Longtime lurker and first time poster here...this is a great forum and I really like the maturity of its members...I passed Network+ this past Fri thanks in part due to TE...so THANKS!!

I've been reading threads on here all weekend about your WGU experiences and you have all been an inspiration to me! I have decided to apply at WGU. I spoke to an enrollment counselor today...

This could be a dream come true for me- a second chance at finishing my Bachelor's degree! At my age- 42, one of my regrets is not finishing my degree...this school sounds like the opportunity I've been waiting for! I'm very excited about it...

Anyone willing to hook me up with a referral? Not sure what that entails, but I could use the help...thanks! PM me I guess?

Thanks to you all- this is a life-changer for me...

demonfurbie

Sure go to wgu raf page and msg me all the info in the top half

Haven't been on for awhile, been studying, and the holidays were very hectic, and I was not able to complete as many CU's as I wanted....but I passed both of my A+ exams today, so I am on the board. Still studying Sec+, hope to knock that out in a week, maybe two. Feels good to get my first certs and to get my WGU career fully off the ground!

never2late

Scheduled for my CIW JavaScript test in the morning. After doing CCNA for the past few weeks this one seems to be a walk in the park. Only caveat is that I have never attempted any type of programming in my life. (except for batch files and some BASIC a long, long time ago)

The CIW practice tests were mind numbing searching for discrepancies in code but the ExamForce seemed intuitive. A definite change from other courses where the ExamForce was totally off-base (e.g. A+, CCNA).

I spent 3 weeks on the INC\INT courses. The test was so broad it was easy to get lost with information overload. The test itself wasn't as difficult as I anticipated, it was just the massive amount of material you had to study in order not to miss any details.

Thxlbx wrote: »

Haven't been on for awhile, been studying, and the holidays were very hectic, and I was not able to complete as many CU's as I wanted....but I passed both of my A+ exams today, so I am on the board. Still studying Sec+, hope to knock that out in a week, maybe two. Feels good to get my first certs and to get my WGU career fully off the ground!

Congrats...don't forget to update your A+ cert in your "User CP".

"CompTIA A+ CE"

Congrats!!

Thxlbx wrote: »

Haven't been on for awhile, been studying, and the holidays were very hectic, and I was not able to complete as many CU's as I wanted....but I passed both of my A+ exams today, so I am on the board. Still studying Sec+, hope to knock that out in a week, maybe two. Feels good to get my first certs and to get my WGU career fully off the ground!

Congrats on the A+ and taking both at once. Its nice to get that one out of the way.

Did everyone see WGU changed the requirements for admission to the IT programs?

Submit verification of any IT certifications received through prior academic and work experience.
Demonstrate IT experience either through:
- An associate’s degree in IT (A.S. or A.A.S. acceptable).
- Transferable IT certifications earned within the last 5 years.
- A resume showing three-plus years of IT work experience.

We require these prerequisites because our research has determined that students entering these programs need to have demonstrated strong IT abilities in order to handle the rigors of a difficult IT curriculum.

eansdad

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

Did everyone see WGU changed the requirements for admission to the IT programs?
Submit verification of any IT certifications received through prior academic and work experience.

Demonstrate IT experience either through:
An associate’s degree in IT (A.S. or A.A.S. acceptable).

Transferable IT certifications earned within the last 5 years.

A resume showing three-plus years of IT work experience.

We require these prerequisites because our research has determined that students entering these programs need to have demonstrated strong IT abilities in order to handle the rigors of a difficult IT curriculum.

Not surprising since the graduation rate for IT at WGU is something around 22%. I think the allure of certs and a B.S. in IT wrapped up in a very low cost gets people that aren't ready for this type of learning in trouble. They really aren't that bad a simple current A+ would do the trick. If you’re not able to get an A+ on your own then you’re definitely not ready for WGU.

erpadmin wrote: »

Congrats...don't forget to update your A+ cert in your "User CP".

"CompTIA A+ CE"

Congrats!!

Thanks for the reminder! I also added an avatar while I was at it. I added 2 more courses...WFV1 and the CLC1, Reasoning and Problem Solving. Hopefully I can get them done along with the Sec+ by the end of the month or by mid Feb. at the latest.

Hypntick

eansdad wrote: »

Not surprising since the graduation rate for IT at WGU is something around 22%. I think the allure of certs and a B.S. in IT wrapped up in a very low cost gets people that aren't ready for this type of learning in trouble. They really aren't that bad a simple current A+ would do the trick. If you’re not able to get an A+ on your own then you’re definitely not ready for WGU.

22% wow. I would think that it would be a lot higher than that. Guess i'll see how rough things are soonish. Not really worried though, i've done my certs on my own at a fairly rapid pace so i'm sure I can keep up.

Thxlbx wrote: »

Thanks for the reminder! I also added an avatar while I was at it. I added 2 more courses...WFV1 and the CLC1, Reasoning and Problem Solving. Hopefully I can get them done along with the Sec+ by the end of the month or by mid Feb. at the latest.

On a related note, how does it take for WGU to update your class status after you send your cert transcript to scores@wgu.edu? My mentor went ahead and added a couple of more classes for me to get the ball rolling, but I was curious as to how long it takes for the courses to show up as completed. Thanks!

Thxlbx wrote: »

On a related note, how does it take for WGU to update your class status after you send your cert transcript to scores@wgu.edu? My mentor went ahead and added a couple of more classes for me to get the ball rolling, but I was curious as to how long it takes for the courses to show up as completed. Thanks!

Couple days usually. Just make sure you sent the cover sheet.

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

Couple days usually. Just make sure you sent the cover sheet.

Cover sheet? I followed the instructions of the email and Comptia sent a transcript via email. I put my student info and the course names in the comments like the instructions said. Comptia did not have a coversheet option.

Thxlbx wrote: »

Cover sheet? I followed the instructions of the email and Comptia sent a transcript via email. I put my student info and the course names in the comments like the instructions said. Comptia did not have a coversheet option.

I believe this is their new way of validating scores. I almost had to do the same for TPV1 but did not want to wait that long.

Prior to this, you needed to scan or fax your score report, and print out a cover sheet and fill it out which would have been emailed to you. You probably never received such an email, because WGU wants you to send a transcript straight from the certification vendor now to their scores email.

If not today, most likely tomorrow your will have you AAP updated.

never2late

erpadmin wrote: »

I believe this is their new way of validating scores. I almost had to do the same for TPV1 but did not want to wait that long.

Prior to this, you needed to scan or fax your score report, and print out a cover sheet and fill it out which would have been emailed to you. You probably never received such an email, because WGU wants you to send a transcript straight from the certification vendor now to their scores email.

If not today, most likely tomorrow your will have you AAP updated.

I passed AKV1 JavaScript yesterday and sent in my score via the cover sheet and scanned cert letter. Have not been advised to any other method as of yet.

The AKV1 was probably the easiest cert to date for me and this from someone who has never used JavaScript. Took about 25 minutes to complete the test. The CIW practice tests are much more difficult than the actual exam.

Now I'm starting CLC1 - critical thinking, and this will be the last class for my semester. Should be able to knock it out pretty quickly but have to schedule the exam before the deadline of the 9th.

never2late wrote: »

I passed AKV1 JavaScript yesterday and sent in my score via the cover sheet and scanned cert letter. Have not been advised to any other method as of yet.

The AKV1 was probably the easiest cert to date for me and this from someone who has never used JavaScript. Took about 25 minutes to complete the test. The CIW practice tests are much more difficult than the actual exam.

Now I'm starting CLC1 - critical thinking, and this will be the last class for my semester. Should be able to knock it out pretty quickly but have to schedule the exam before the deadline of the 9th.

I just enrolled in CLC1 myself, will start on it after Sec+, or might work on them both at the same time for a change of pace.

never2late wrote: »

I passed AKV1 JavaScript yesterday and sent in my score via the cover sheet and scanned cert letter. Have not been advised to any other method as of yet.

I did the same with TPV1, but only after talking with my mentor. See below:

After you have received your score report for this assessment, you will need to request CompTIA to send a transcript email to Western Governors University. Please go to Your Certifications and click on "Login Now." Please follow the onscreen instructions to log in. You will then need to "create a new transcript" on the "Transcript" tab. Please enter your name, student ID and the WGU course code into the "Remarks" section and specify scores@wgu.edu as the email address.

My mentor stated that starting either this month or next, this is going to be the preferred way they want CompTIA certs (possibly all others as well). I'm not sure if CIW has this mechanism (didn't pay attention, tbh...just faxed them score report and cover sheet for CIW Web Associates), but for CompTIA it does. However, I went to a different testing center and they took awhile to get stuff to Prometric, which in turn took a while to get back to CompTIA. So I asked if I could just send the score report and cover sheet. He said go ahead and I did.

lenell86

Hey guys, I'm about to start with WGU 1st of Feb, and so far, I'm in the NDM course. So far, I still have the following MS certs to complete to obtain my MCSE status (70-293,294,298,299). I know if I start next month, my curriculum will require me to get the MCITP:EA. My question is, will WGU provide me with vouchers to obtain the remaining MCSE certs? If not, if I do general classes for now and say I finish the remaining MCSE certs on my own, can I just do the MCITP: EA upgrade certs or will WGU make me do the whole cert track as if starting from scratch on the MCITP: EA?

uhtrinity

lenell86 wrote: »

Hey guys, I'm about to start with WGU 1st of Feb, and so far, I'm in the NDM course. So far, I still have the following MS certs to complete to obtain my MCSE status (70-293,294,298,299). I know if I start next month, my curriculum will require me to get the MCITP:EA. My question is, will WGU provide me with vouchers to obtain the remaining MCSE certs? If not, if I do general classes for now and say I finish the remaining MCSE certs on my own, can I just do the MCITP: EA upgrade certs or will WGU make me do the whole cert track as if starting from scratch on the MCITP: EA?

I believe the MCSE route for the NDM track is being phased out, so you might want to check and see if there is a completion deadline. People with the MCSE already completed will most likely be grandfathered up to 5 years from the certification date.

If WGU requires a cert it means that they provide the educational materials and testing vouchers.