Student Experiences at Western Governors University (WGU)

This thread is intended for students to write about their experiences at Western Governors University.

Please keep it civil, and do not spend your time bashing the school, and its policies. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you have a problem you need to take it up with your professor or mentor. Please no Flaming on this thread.

You can ask for help with a referral (used to avoid paying the application fee) on the following thread: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/55634-wgu-refer-friend-thread-those-seeking-referral.html

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Comments

uhtrinity

I believe the cover sheet only applies to active students submitting results for an exam.

erpadmin

Thxlbx wrote: »

I sent the transcripts to my mentor as well, and when I talked to her last night, she had forwarded them to scores@wgu.edu as well. She did not mention a cover sheet or faxing anything, only that if the scores department was irritated if they got the results twice, she would take the blame since she did not realize I had sent my transcript to both places. She did foresee any issues, and went ahead and added more courses for me. I was just curious, like to see the site updated to know it is official.
Thanks for the tip on the CIW exam though, I should be taking that one this term as well, and will keep in mind that I will need to send in the score sheet.

Keep in mind that whatever your email states in how you should forward your scores, should be how it is. I was just too anxious and didn't want to wait very long for my AAP to go back to 100% after passing TPV1...that's why I asked to deviate from their script. (The transcript could have been the whole 5-10 days before it got updated). I have since gotten my cert and wallet card for Project+.

The last cert that I have to take is CIW Javascript, but after that it's all MS. (As far as certs go). I have since slowly started getting back in the grind for my EA certs. I will most likely take AKV1 around April/May...but who knows....it is going to depend on how quickly I get rid of my Math and Science....then AKV1 will be the last course I take before Tech Writing, Capstone & the MCITP:EA....once those are done, I'm a WGU grad...

It should take my a year...but who knows....

mbarra

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?

299 is available as an acedemic exam from Microsoft and you can take the 72-299 for $60 with a student ID. The 293,294, and 298 are not requiring the $125 fee for the 70 version. I also asked about taking the upgrade exams from my MCSA. WGU does not provide for the update exams so you will have to do the whole track.

sheckler

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.

Really? That's good to hear. I have the AKV1 test scheduled for Monday and have been sort of dreading it.

sthompson86

*Question* - What can I somewhat expect to be paying in student loans on a monthly basis?

The reason I ask is because I will already be paying my CC 2 year degree loan, and I am just wondering if I will start getting 2 student loan bills?

My wife said that that a school counselor told her that one would pay off 1 student loan before another would start.

- Thanks in adv.

jmasterj206

Well I have officially moved over to the new networks administration track with the CCENT and the MCITP:SA. I will also have to take the new math classes. With the way my classes are flowing it was strongly suggested moving to the new track instead of the old. The CCENT will probably add some time on to my degree, which I hope to get done by the end of this year, but oh well. It will help me in the long run.

lenell86

mbarra wrote: »

299 is available as an acedemic exam from Microsoft and you can take the 72-299 for $60 with a student ID. The 293,294, and 298 are not requiring the $125 fee for the 70 version. I also asked about taking the upgrade exams from my MCSA. WGU does not provide for the update exams so you will have to do the whole track.

I just emailed my EC about this, and he said that I could do the MCSE on my own while Im at WGU and once I obtain it on my own, they could provide the vouchers for the 3 upgrade exams...

petedude

Finally wrapped up LET1. That task 4 is a bear.

Just five courses left now. . .

eansdad

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Well I have officially moved over to the new networks administration track with the CCENT and the MCITP:SA. I will also have to take the new math classes. With the way my classes are flowing it was strongly suggested moving to the new track instead of the old. The CCENT will probably add some time on to my degree, which I hope to get done by the end of this year, but oh well. It will help me in the long run.

Did you already have QMC1 and QLC1 done and they won't transfer the credits?

RoadwarriorsLive

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?

Just in case you missed it. I believe since your a student your MS exams are only $70 if you decided to do them on your own. Not sure how it works but I know MS does the discount if you have a student ID.

I was plannning to do one or two certs after my BS while waiting to start my Masters. After studying for the Win7 exam I am really curious about some the the features I dont know about in Server 2008 R2. Would also like to see if there will be an exam on Small Business server 2011.

jmasterj206

eansdad wrote: »

Did you already have QMC1 and QLC1 done and they won't transfer the credits?

I have not done those yet. Most people would stay in the program as it was and take the old math, but since I have not taken those I was pushed to take the new classes.

eansdad

jmasterj206 wrote: »

I have not done those yet. Most people would stay in the program as it was and take the old math, but since I have not taken those I was pushed to take the new classes.

Oh well, quess I'll wait on my mentor then. I was wondering about transfering tracks but I didn't want to have to retake the math courses.

veritas_libertas

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Well I have officially moved over to the new networks administration track with the CCENT and the MCITP:SA. I will also have to take the new math classes. With the way my classes are flowing it was strongly suggested moving to the new track instead of the old. The CCENT will probably add some time on to my degree, which I hope to get done by the end of this year, but oh well. It will help me in the long run.

What is the difference between the old and new math classes?

jmasterj206

QLT1 remains the same. The other 2 math classes are finite mathematics and finite mathematics applications. So, now there are 2 Taskstream based classes and one test based. I haven't been able to look at the new COS and materials yet. I won't be able to until Feb 1st when my change takes place and my AAP changes.

jmasterj206

eansdad wrote: »

Oh well, quess I'll wait on my mentor then. I was wondering about transfering tracks but I didn't want to have to retake the math courses.

You should be fine eansdad. I was given the opportunity to finish one of the old math classes before my term ends (even though it is technically over) and keep working on the old, but I didn't have time. I don't see any reason why you won't transfer them over.

mbarra

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

Just in case you missed it. I believe since your a student your MS exams are only $70 if you decided to do them on your own. Not sure how it works but I know MS does the discount if you have a student ID.

I was plannning to do one or two certs after my BS while waiting to start my Masters. After studying for the Win7 exam I am really curious about some the the features I dont know about in Server 2008 R2. Would also like to see if there will be an exam on Small Business server 2011.

SBS 2011 exam is in Beta. (MONDAY UPDATE) Beta Exam 71-169 --- Registration open, code is working - Born to Learn - Born To Learn - Born to Learn

Excellent1

Just took and passed QLC1. I spent about 18 hours total in the mathlab doing practice work, etc. One thing I emailed the course mentors about on Friday showed up on the exam, and that was how to calculate the minimum and maximum points of functions. That may very well be an easy calculation, but I couldn't find the info in the textbook or the media presentation(s). It's probably there, I just couldn't locate it--and the course mentors didn't reply yet, so it's a moot point for me for now.

I will say that the pre-assessment is a valuable tool to not only see where you're weak, but also to show you how the exam is weighted. If you'll notice, fully 50% of your score (23 of 46 points) is made up of Real Numbers and Geometric Figures and Measures. That said, make sure you know in your head that the volume of a cube is 1/3 pi r2 h. I'm sure some of you have calculators with the formulas built in, but I used a 2 dollar pocket calculator (lol).

The reason I mention how the test is weighted is that I spent around 5 hours on graphing and various topic relating to it (had been over 20 years since I'd messed with y intercepts, etc), and it's only 1 point out of the 46 possible on the exam. In hindsight, I should have spent more time on functions, but I still passed with an 88%, so I'm fine with it for now.

On to QMC1...

erpadmin

Excellent1 wrote: »

Just took and passed QLC1. I spent about 18 hours total in the mathlab doing practice work, etc. One thing I emailed the course mentors about on Friday showed up on the exam, and that was how to calculate the minimum and maximum points of functions. That may very well be an easy calculation, but I couldn't find the info in the textbook or the media presentation(s). It's probably there, I just couldn't locate it--and the course mentors didn't reply yet, so it's a moot point for me for now.

I will say that the pre-assessment is a valuable tool to not only see where you're weak, but also to show you how the exam is weighted. If you'll notice, fully 50% of your score (23 of 46 points) is made up of Real Numbers and Geometric Figures and Measures. That said, make sure you know in your head that the volume of a cube is 1/3 pi r2 h. I'm sure some of you have calculators with the formulas built in, but I used a 2 dollar pocket calculator (lol).

The reason I mention how the test is weighted is that I spent around 5 hours on graphing and various topic relating to it (had been over 20 years since I'd messed with y intercepts, etc), and it's only 1 point out of the 46 possible on the exam. In hindsight, I should have spent more time on functions, but I still passed with an 88%, so I'm fine with it for now.

On to QMC1...

I was given the Mathlabs for both QLC1 and QLT1...I was supposed to have access to the Taskstream for LET1 but it has yet to show up yet...my mentor assured me I could work on the stuff now and by the time 2/1 (the beginning of my next term) I could hand in all that stuff. Since the only thing I can really prepare for is QLC1 (and QLT1), that's what I'm working on now...

It's funny...they give you a problem like 5496 x 3529 and then you round to the nearest thousandth. I thought they meant the answer...I didn't realize that you had to round the multiples...(5000 x 4000) and give that answer...lmao. I felt like such a tool...I've been rounding stuff since like the 2nd grade. I did the pretest for Real Numbers and got 67% (supposed to get 80%)...so I'm doing all the homework for it and then doing the post test. I got my $20 TI-86 off of eBay...so I should be good to go...

I can't wait for 2/1 to start though. I'm terribly anxious to knock some CUs out!

Excellent1

Yeah, at first I was taken aback at how easy some of the questions were in the homework/quizzes. Then I noticed the pattern, each section starts out with some gimme's (probably to ease people into it), then progressively gets harder.

One thing is for sure, any thoughts you might have about it being overly easy will be erased when you take the pre-assessment. It's not calculus, but it's not easy either. I had some trig questions on the final, as well. 12 foot ladders at 46 degrees, how high up the wall is the ladder, etc. Easy if you know the formula, not so much if you don't.

To be honest, the hardest part for me after all these years, was coming back to algebra and keeping positives and negatives straight, haha. As an example, here is one from the homework: 5[7-5(6-b)]-7=7[5(7b-6)+4]-50

Just a pita keeping signs straight until you get back into the habit. For me it was, at least.

I wish I had scheduled the QMC1 exam for today, but I thought the material would take as long to cover as QLC1. As it is, I'm pretty good with statistics and I'm ready for the test now, but gotta wait a few days until I can get the OLP done. I'll have my mentor go ahead and drop QLT1 in so I can have something to do in the meantime. After I get these done, my goal is to knock out the AKV1 and TPV1 by the end of the month, then I guess I'll study the labsim for the 70-680 as something to do during the last month of the term. I don't like the deadtime they have built in, but I guess it can't be helped.

erpadmin

Excellent1 wrote: »

I don't like the deadtime they have built in, but I guess it can't be helped.

Yeah that deadtime does suck....especially when you know you want to kill off at least something. If it weren't for the fact that a 6 month term is really 5 months, I too would have had at the least LET1 done...or possibly all three management courses. In hindsight, LAT1 and my house fire slowed me down some, but it is what it is. I'm still on track to get this done in 1.5 years (from 8/1/2010). So until I can contact my mentor tomorrow, I'll work on that math...

BTW, that formula you posted is currently kicking my butt in the homework. I'm going to tackle that as soon as I hit send. Haha. It's not hard...but I was feeling rushed because I had to drop wifey off to do late night grocery shopping. It will click when I look at it again.

jmasterj206

I hear you on the dead period though it is nice to take a break and recharge. I am taking 2 weeks off here and then jumping into the CCENT. I had started looking at the math stuff, but with my emphasis change I have to take the new math classes so I can't get the new materials until Feb 5th.

demonfurbie

im gonna have to ask my mentor what exactly the changes are before i start any more classes because i only really have math and 2 management classes left before i start my microsoft classes

i hope to be done with both of the management the end of the january then if i do switch to the line with ccnet the math will chante

im thinking i want to switch to the ndm degree for the mcitp:ea it looks better than the mcitp:sa. then after i get my degree take the ccna

RoadwarriorsLive

Well my lightspeed progress just came to a screeching halt. Just as I thought the Win 7 exam kicked my butt. This ids the first Cert I ever failed. Some of my scores were close but this one was way out there.

I have never second guessed myself so much on questions. Lots of could be one of these 2 answers. The Lab-Sim on this is just not enough. There are things on there I never saw in the lab sim.

Now that the whining and poor poor me is over I need to hit the bookstore and pick up something that will help. Be careful with this one.

erpadmin

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

Well my lightspeed progress just came to a screeching halt. Just as I thought the Win 7 exam kicked my butt. This ids the first Cert I ever failed. Some of my scores were close but this one was way out there.

I have never second guessed myself so much on questions. Lots of could be one of these 2 answers. The Lab-Sim on this is just not enough. There are things on there I never saw in the lab sim.

Now that the whining and poor poor me is over I need to hit the bookstore and pick up something that will help. Be careful with this one.

This is definitely a lot different from the Windows NT 4.0 Workstation...(I'm not even being facetious on that one).

Spend some time in the Windows 7 forums here...while many here have also hit a snag, they do offer great ideas for resources. No need to reinvent the wheel on this one...

I'm sure with proper study, you will knock the next exam out of the park.

eansdad

Well, got off the phone with my mentor and was told that both QLC1 and QMC1 WILL transfer in for the new maths, GAC1 and HHT1. Now I have to decide if I want to go the easy route and switch to the NA track or tough it out with Security.

snokerpoker

I'm glad I recently finished my math courses. The new changes don't impact me unless I change my program.

RoadwarriorsLive

erpadmin wrote: »

This is definitely a lot different from the Windows NT 4.0 Pro...(I'm not even being facetious on that one).

Spend some time in the Windows 7 forums here...while many here have also hit a snag, they do offer great ideas for resources. No need to reinvent the wheel on this one...

I'm sure with proper study, you will knock the next exam out of the park.

I know I will next time. Was just frustraing to see things that were not in what I studied but it happens. Was mad driving home but I just got back from Barnes and Noble with the book that everyone seems to be reading. I already see where I made a couple mistakes. Wecutil was one and a few of the others.

Going to spend the today and tonight going over the stuff I missed and try a retake in the morning. Didnt miss by much I just new when I hit the button there were way too many could be this one or that one.

Excellent1

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

I know I will next time. Was just frustraing to see things that were not in what I studied but it happens. Was mad driving home but I just got back from Barnes and Noble with the book that everyone seems to be reading. I already see where I made a couple mistakes. Wecutil was one and a few of the others.

Going to spend the today and tonight going over the stuff I missed and try a retake in the morning. Didnt miss by much I just new when I hit the button there were way too many could be this one or that one.

Good luck, man. I'm sure you'll nail it next time.

RoadwarriorsLive

RoadwarriorsLive wrote: »

Going to spend the today and tonight going over the stuff I missed and try a retake in the morning. Didnt miss by much I just new when I hit the button there were way too many could be this one or that one.

Resat this moring and passed easy. Must have had brainlock or something yesterday. Maybe it's just me and Microsoft. I always hated their tests and still do. On to Databases.

jmasterj206

How long did you end up studying for it Road? I only ask because I am trying to schedule my next semester. Congrats as well.