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.

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jmasterj206

demonfurbie wrote: »

Do you find that labsim is some what lacking on 70-642

Labsim hasn't been updated with R2 content for the 70-642. I didn't really care for the 3 in one book from Sybex either. I've been spending most of my time on the MS book myself.

erpadmin

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Labsim hasn't been updated with R2 content for the 70-642. I didn't really care for the 3 in one book from Sybex either. I've been spending most of my time on the MS book myself.

What's been helping me with the 70-642 are the links in the 70-642 Resources thread in the MCITP section. I'll admit though this a lot of this stuff is not sexy at all....especially the advanced Network+ stuff. I hate reading through stuff I'm already familiar with though. However, if I had such a doozy with 70-640, I gotta get through 642 if I too wish to take this exam in August. I'm already through a good chunk of the 2nd Edition of MS Press now and have been labbing. Work has gotten manageable and the 642 is pretty much what is on my plate.

veritas_libertas

erpadmin wrote: »

What's been helping me with the 70-642 are the links in the 70-642 Resources thread in the MCITP section. I'll admit though this a lot of this stuff is not sexy at all....especially the advanced Network+ stuff. I hate reading through stuff I'm already familiar with though. However, if I had such a doozy with 70-640, I gotta get through 642 if I too wish to take this exam in August. I'm already through a good chunk of the 2nd Edition of MS Press now and have been labbing. Work has gotten manageable and the 642 is pretty much what is on my plate.

I'm feeling that way as well. I have scheduled the 70-642 for September just to force myself to work on it. I had been studying for the CCENT before this semester so a lot of this stuff is fresh in my mind.

demonfurbie

i went into labsim today and copied all the notes sections into a word doc and im goin gto print it at work (yay dulpesing printer and free paper) and put it in a binder and read it that way

and as far as the videos on lab sim go im going to listen to them at work instead of internet radio.

i may goto the technotes and copy/paste them into the correct spots with in the labsim notes before i print them.

it seams alot of the ipv4 stuff has been covered in better detailin net+/ccnet so that shouldnt be an issue, the rest its got me going wtf.

i picked the 70-642 because i thought it would be eaiser with the carry over from net+

Hypntick

veritas_libertas wrote: »

I'm feeling that way as well. I have scheduled the 70-642 for September just to force myself to work on it. I had been studying for the CCENT before this semester so a lot of this stuff is fresh in my mind.

That is exactly why i'm going into 70-642 first. All of the CCENT stuff is still fresh for me as well. Most of the stuff i've seen so far is business as usual for me but that IPv6 stuff is confusing the crap out of me.

themagicone

I need to open my own testing center. All the Pearson Vue centers near me closed. The 2 that are left are always full and a long drive. Ugg... Have one more test to do and I'm done for now.

Rappeller

These are the classes I need to complete for my BS in IT - Software. How long on average would you say each class could take. I took a 40 hour class (military) on Security+ and 3 weeks later w/ no studying in between passed the Comptia test with an 870. I know WGU's full time policy is 12 CU's but the GI Bill is 18 CU's I would like to complete this as quickly as possible, but want to make sure I can sit down and do the job and not just the certifications after I am done. I bolded my first term schedule.

EWB2 CLC1 AXV1 TTV1 INC1 LAT1 WSV1 INT1 GAC1 HHT1 QLT1 BOV1 LET1 ORC1 KET1 IWT1 MGC1 WDV1 TPV1 KFT1 TWA1 ABV1 ANV1 WPV1 CPW5

demonfurbie

Rappeller wrote: »

These are the classes I need to complete for my BS in IT - Software. How long on average would you say each class could take. I took a 40 hour class (military) on Security+ and 3 weeks later w/ no studying in between passed the Comptia test with an 870. I know WGU's full time policy is 12 CU's but the GI Bill is 18 CU's I would like to complete this as quickly as possible, but want to make sure I can sit down and do the job and not just the certifications after I am done. I bolded my first term schedule.

EWB2 CLC1 AXV1 TTV1 INC1 LAT1 WSV1 INT1 GAC1 HHT1 QLT1 BOV1 LET1 ORC1 KET1 IWT1 MGC1 WDV1 TPV1 KFT1 TWA1 ABV1 ANV1 WPV1 CPW5

your gonna want to do int1 as well if you plan to do inc1 they kinda go hand in hand, also orc1 is fairly quick as well

Rappeller

The order I posted the classes in are the order that they have in my degree plan. I am hoping to be able to get through at least 25 CU's in the first term but am trying to figure out how realistic that is. I have approximately 30 non work hours to study, but since I am at a helpdesk and I usually have about 3-4 hours free at work (roughly between calls and while I am remoted in waiting on installs and repairs) that gives me about 45 hours a week not counting weekends. In order not to tick off the wife (more than necessary) I plan on no more than 10 hours a weekend. I have done online classes before and for me this is very doable.

demonfurbie

Rappeller wrote: »

The order I posted the classes in are the order that they have in my degree plan. I am hoping to be able to get through at least 25 CU's in the first term but am trying to figure out how realistic that is. I have approximately 30 non work hours to study, but since I am at a helpdesk and I usually have about 3-4 hours free at work (roughly between calls and while I am remoted in waiting on installs and repairs) that gives me about 45 hours a week not counting weekends. In order not to tick off the wife (more than necessary) I plan on no more than 10 hours a weekend. I have done online classes before and for me this is very doable.

ive found the order they put it in isnt the best order to do the classes in ... at least for me

i work full time 2 kids and a 3 hour commute and normally pull in 28+cu per term however it all depends on your experience

Hypntick

Rappeller wrote: »

These are the classes I need to complete for my BS in IT - Software. How long on average would you say each class could take. I took a 40 hour class (military) on Security+ and 3 weeks later w/ no studying in between passed the Comptia test with an 870. I know WGU's full time policy is 12 CU's but the GI Bill is 18 CU's I would like to complete this as quickly as possible, but want to make sure I can sit down and do the job and not just the certifications after I am done. I bolded my first term schedule.

EWB2 CLC1 AXV1 TTV1 INC1 LAT1 WSV1 INT1 GAC1 HHT1 QLT1 BOV1 LET1 ORC1 KET1 IWT1 MGC1 WDV1 TPV1 KFT1 TWA1 ABV1 ANV1 WPV1 CPW5

ORC1, MGC1, LET1, and TPV1 can be done back to back fairly rapidly. I finished out all 4 of them in about 3 weeks or so. They use a lot of similar concepts and terminology so it's nice to keep them together. Although your mileage may vary depending on how many corporate jobs you've had, which is a bit of a help on some of those courses.

Rappeller

the he reason I have so much time in the evenings is because I work 100 miles away from my family and with gas prices the way they are it is cheaper for me to rent an apt w/ a roommate than to drive back and forth daily. I do have 2 applications at a military base but it can take up to 6 months for anything to happen there. I'm going to go as fast as my understanding will let me not necessarily as fast as I can pass a test. The 2 are not necessarily the same thing.

Pishof

Rappeller wrote: »

These are the classes I need to complete for my BS in IT - Software. How long on average would you say each class could take. I took a 40 hour class (military) on Security+ and 3 weeks later w/ no studying in between passed the Comptia test with an 870. I know WGU's full time policy is 12 CU's but the GI Bill is 18 CU's I would like to complete this as quickly as possible, but want to make sure I can sit down and do the job and not just the certifications after I am done. I bolded my first term schedule.

EWB2 CLC1 AXV1 TTV1 INC1 LAT1 WSV1 INT1 GAC1 HHT1 QLT1 BOV1 LET1 ORC1 KET1 IWT1 MGC1 WDV1 TPV1 KFT1 TWA1 ABV1 ANV1 WPV1 CPW5

Some classes are much easier/quicker than others and CU isn't a very good metric on class difficulty. Just some experience from classes I can relate to.

With both ORC1 and MGC1 you can take the preassessment, schedule the final exam, and pass with only a few hours spent on the each class including test time. Free CUs

LET1 is a few hours per the first three papers and maybe five-six hours for the final = ~15 hours total

TPV1 is a more difficult exam and quite boring to boot so I burned a month on that exam but I didn't study consistently either.

BOV1 is moderate to easy depending on experience with programming/scripting languages. The syntax isn't difficult and now that WGU has new study materials out the practice tests are very similar to the real certification exam.

jmasterj206

themagicone wrote: »

I need to open my own testing center. All the Pearson Vue centers near me closed. The 2 that are left are always full and a long drive. Ugg... Have one more test to do and I'm done for now.

Ha, I have the opposite. Pearson Vue all over the place, but the closest Prometric is in Minneapolis which is a 80 mile drive for me.

Jourdsh

Anyone have any insight on INT1, taking INC1 this week and wondering how much effort needs to go into it. Mainly I wonder if I can do LUT1 and INT both in the same week?

erpadmin

Jourdsh wrote: »

Anyone have any insight on INT1, taking INC1 this week and wondering how much effort needs to go into it. Mainly I wonder if I can do LUT1 and INT both in the same week?

You should do some backreading on this thread...I know no one likes doing it because it got all big and what not, but you will find answers to this question and much, much more.

themagicone

Jourdsh wrote: »

Anyone have any insight on INT1, taking INC1 this week and wondering how much effort needs to go into it. Mainly I wonder if I can do LUT1 and INT both in the same week?

LUT1 isn't bad if you have LAT1 done. It's basically copy and paste! Few small tasks then record yourself. INT1 is a bit of work but nothing that can't be done in week. Longest part is the experiment.

Jack2

Finally received Let1 Task 3 back! no revisions! 3.88/4.0 Just need to finish the last paper and this pig will be off to the butcher...

sheckler

Hey themagicone, earlier in the thread you posted this

Can anyone verify something about GUT1 for me? To me it seems that Task 1-3 are just turning in a checklist. I could just fill those out and send them in. The only task that asks you turn anything in is the final. For who has finished GUT1, did they call the person you listed on the checklist at all? Just trying to figure out how much time I need to devote to it.

but no one answered. I see you've finished the class, so how did it end up? Did you need to use a partner? How much time did it all take? I'm doing the class soon so I'm just curious.

themagicone

sheckler wrote: »

Hey themagicone, earlier in the thread you posted this

but no one answered. I see you've finished the class, so how did it end up? Did you need to use a partner? How much time did it all take? I'm doing the class soon so I'm just curious.

I'll admit that I didn't use a partner. Nor did I do much work on task 1-3. They didn't check who the partner was or verify anything. Task 4 is tough cookie though.

Excellent1

Just sat the 1D0-541, passed it without issue. I dropped a couple of questions on normalization, as I am still not automatic when it comes to correctly recognizing the various dependencies at a glance, but I aced all of the questions for relational algebra and SQL, which is what I was focused on the most going into the exam.

WGU provides Ucertify for this exam, but beyond doing one of their practice exams, I didn't use it. The one exam I took from ucertify had multiple topics that are not part of the exam, so I wanted to keep my focus on those items from the certification partner website that are geared strictly toward the exam. I may go back and make use of some of the information from ucertify later on (I'm hooked on sql now, sadly), but if you're preparing for this exam, my suggestion is to focus on the CIW practice exams. If you can pass the practice exams, you will pass the actual test, just as with the Javascript course.

Just my $.02.

Just noticed that this puts me over the 100 CU mark. The end is in sight...

drew726

Taking my CCENT exam tomorrow. It's going to be my last exam in this term as it ends Aug 29th. I guess if I fail I'll have 1-2 weeks to prepare for a retake. Wish me luck

veritas_libertas

drew726 wrote: »

Taking my CCENT exam tomorrow. It's going to be my last exam in this term as it ends Aug 29th. I guess if I fail I'll have 1-2 weeks to prepare for a retake. Wish me luck

Wishing you the best!

Rappeller

drew726 wrote: »

Taking my CCENT exam tomorrow. It's going to be my last exam in this term as it ends Aug 29th. I guess if I fail I'll have 1-2 weeks to prepare for a retake. Wish me luck

Good Luck!

demonfurbie

a little tip for anyone at wgu taking the microsoft exams, the ms press books are on books 24x7 for free and they are updated to r2

and if you have a kindle 3 (maybe nook dont have one so cant be sure) you can read them on that

erpadmin

demonfurbie wrote: »

a little tip for anyone at wgu taking the microsoft exams, the ms press books are on books 24x7 for free and they are updated to r2

and if you have a kindle 3 (maybe nook dont have one so cant be sure) you can read them on that

GOOD DEAL!!

I'll save that for the 643 and 647!

Hypntick

demonfurbie wrote: »

a little tip for anyone at wgu taking the microsoft exams, the ms press books are on books 24x7 for free and they are updated to r2

and if you have a kindle 3 (maybe nook dont have one so cant be sure) you can read them on that

Another piece of news. I got an email from Labsim earlier mentioning at least 70-642 content is going to be updated for r2. Looking forward to seeing what they change.

erpadmin

Hypntick wrote: »

Another piece of news. I got an email from Labsim earlier mentioning at least 70-642 content is going to be updated for r2. Looking forward to seeing what they change.

I got that too...I look forward to that as well.

I don't think I can wait for them to get 643/647 up to speed though. By the time they got 640 ready, I was pretty much done with Labsim.

Hypntick

erpadmin wrote: »

I got that too...I look forward to that as well.

I don't think I can wait for them to get 643/647 up to speed though. By the time they got 640 ready, I was pretty much done with Labsim.

Yeah i'm taking at least a week to rest up before I delve in seriously. Been pushing pretty hard the last few weeks to hit my goal. Been short handed at work as well, lot of projects going on, have had pretty much no lunch time to do any studies at all. Although when I have gotten the chance I have been reading my time management book, which is pretty good stuff.

jmasterj206

erpadmin wrote: »

I got that too...I look forward to that as well.

I don't think I can wait for them to get 643/647 up to speed though. By the time they got 640 ready, I was pretty much done with Labsim.

Good to hear that the 70-642 has been updated. Maybe I can get motivated to get going on the test.

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