One math requirement stopped me from entering bachelors program....Venting

Armymanis

Hey guys,

So one math requirement is stopping me from entering my bacehlors program that I want to get into. Yet I can't seem to pass this class. I've already wasted $1500 in order to try and get into this program. I just really hate it. Should i sit through another quarter of this or should I just go to a different college? I hate that WGU is non-transferable classes, plus I am not really sure if I would be getting my money's worth and if they are even reputable.

Currently I am working at a awesome IT Help desk job and loving every moment of it. I just feel like my college life kind of sucks. What should i do?

cruffin

I think that you will find a very good view of WGU on here, and most every other place. WGU IS reputable.


As for the math class needed to start your program and what you should do about passing it...

You should definitely take it until you pass it, if college is something that you wan to accomplish. If you think that a math course needed to START college is too difficult, I fear you may have increasing difficulty with advanced courses as well (even if they aren't "math courses").

Then again, if you can find a college that doesn't require basic knowledge and just want to "earn" a diploma that's good enough for some people too.


College is definitely difficult, especially when you have a full time job, but I think it would greatly benefit you to try and compete all required courses. It will ONLY BENEFIT you in the long run!

Armymanis

Thanks. I got my AA in Technical support just this past year and landed my first IT job 10 months ago and have been working help desk here for awhile. I am just having trouble passing this one class. I hear WGU's website is down a lot and some applications don't work properly. Is that true?

TLeTourneau

I have never had an issue with WGU being down and you'd have to be more specific about "some applications don't work properly", I've never had a problem. It's regionally accredited and reputable, I don't understand why you think it's not.

Armymanis

just because none of their classes are transferable.

veritas_libertas

I've never heard those things about WGU. Yes, they have had problems here and there because they were growing rapidly.

University/College studies is pushed very heavily by some individuals on this forum, but you can be successful in IT without a Bachelor degree. I know many individuals without a Bachelor degree that are Network Engineers, Server Admins, IT Techs, etc.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go for a Bachelor degree if it's something you want, but if it is not something you want than don't pursue it. It will only make you hate yourself. This can be said for doing anything you really dislike, for example asking me work on graduate degree in Computer Science that is heavily bent towards programming.

None of the above should be construed in such a way to suggest that I don't believe a Bachelor degree is important or that I'm biased one way or the other.

TLeTourneau

Armymanis wrote: »

just because none of their classes are transferable.

How do you know this? I have heard that other schools will accept WGU courses as pass\fail and the degree is a accepted by just about any other accredited school.

That being said pretty much the only time credits will transfer as-is is between schools in a State University System. Most, if not all, have agreements to accept work at their sister schools. WGU is a state school in several states including Washington.

This is from the WGU website:

Transferring from WGU
WGU students who may be interested in transferring to another institution—either before or after completing their studies at WGU—should keep in mind the following points:

• All institutions reserve the right to determine their own transfer policies, and not all academic work completed at one institution may transfer to another.
• Students should check the transfer policies at the institution or institutions they are considering by consulting with the admissions or registrar office at those institution(s).
• Students who transfer should request that the WGU registrar send an official transcript of their WGU academic work to the institution(s) where they are applying for admission.
• The WGU transcript will note subject areas (domains) that were successfully completed. Credit equivalencies for the completed domains will be listed

jmasterj206

Talk about making judgement about WGU without the facts. It by no means is perfect, but nowhere near where you are putting it. I would just keep on working on your math class. Work with your instructor and see if he/she can give you some extra help or suggest a tutor.

ptilsen

Most graduate programs, even at regionally accredited B&Ms, will take WGU degrees. Several TE members have started MS and MBA programs fairly recently. The credits won't transfer well if you don't finish your undergraduate at WGU, but they will transfer to most schools. WGU is regionally and nationally accredited, which more or less makes the credits transfer pretty well. That said, the degree credits are also highly specialized, so most traditional programs won't take them as anything but generic elective credits. The generals should transfer well.

All that said, you should think about why you've been failing this math class. Do you truly just not have the aptitude for math to such an extent that it's impossible? I don't think you should waste your money, but don't give up unless you really, truly can't do it.

erpadmin

Armymanis wrote: »

just because none of their classes are transferable.

I have read anecdotal evidence that WGU's classes are a bit difficult to transfer to another institution for undergraduate courses. That is a valid beef about WGU. I, going into WGU, took that into account, which is why I was going to make WGU my last stand for an undergraduate degree I began seventeen years ago. Heck, the 45 credits that I earned ended being halved, because I took courses that were more in line with a history degree.

However, I have also read other anecdotal reviews that once the degree was earned, it would, in fact be a legitimate undergraduate degree. I could go get a second bachelor's, if I wanted to, and just take major courses...simply for the fact that my general education courses have been satisfied through WGU, and my other schools that are based on my conferred bachelor's from Western Governors University. That's why WGU, being a regionally accredited school, was important to me, because other institutions have to recognize WGU as valid. Otherwise, regional accreditation would be considered worthless (and just so that I'm clear...regional accredition is NOT worthless.)

Now, you have issues with math...so do a lot of us (myself included.) I spent many sleepless nights working through algebra problems that I hadn't had to do since high school (over 16 years ago.) But I did it. You're gonna find that hard work is not easy (otherwise, it wouldn't be considered "hard work.")

As ptilsen said, a lot of us are already in MS and MBA programs, either with WGU or B&M with a WGU BSc. I'm one of them, and I even have a thread devoted to that endeavor. So far, I'm doing well, and I'm hoping to finish very strong this semester. It's not easy...in fact, I'm currently working on a paper about the whole Netflix/Qwikster debacle. Plus I have to write about Ikea....that's just for one class. In another, I have to do a case study with four other people and write comments for two people's initial comments on a businessweek article. Not to mention required readings....and also I'm in the middle of an application upgrade for work and I have a task that's due before Monday morning. It's ALL getting done my friend. I bought COD MW3 several weeks ago and all I was able to do was do the campaign...haven't even played multiplayer on it, and from all accounts (online and real-life friends) it's supposed to be the best multiplayer experience ever...but between school and work, I couldn't even mess with that. I have to decompress in other ways (but I do decompress.... )

Bottom line though...I finished my WGU degree in a year and half...I'm in grad schools, the degree counts, and I have had no major issues with WGU, nor used bullcrap reviews to try to bash WGU. If I were to bash WGU, it would be based on personal experience, but fortunately, I have nothing to bash WGU about. I've referred many, many students to WGU (all from this board and from all over the country) and if I would NEVER refer people to WGU if I didn't think it was a great place for a busy professional to earn a legitimate degree.

EZ21

Armymanis wrote: »

Hey guys,

So one math requirement is stopping me from entering my bacehlors program that I want to get into. Yet I can't seem to pass this class. I've already wasted $1500 in order to try and get into this program. I just really hate it. Should i sit through another quarter of this or should I just go to a different college? I hate that WGU is non-transferable classes, plus I am not really sure if I would be getting my money's worth and if they are even reputable.

Currently I am working at a awesome IT Help desk job and loving every moment of it. I just feel like my college life kind of sucks. What should i do?

Have you tried taking just that math class at a community college? Since what your doing is not working, try something different. It won't cost as much, and you would have the opportunity to visit the teacher for one on one help if you needed to. That's what I did when I was in high school.

techdudehere

I would not allow one class to stand in the way. I wouldn't even allow difficulty with 10 classes to stand in the way. I would purchase several books on the subject. An explanation that works for one person may not work for another. Study the books intensely so that you can keep up with the class. Hire a tutor to work with you one on one. Go to the math lab and hang out. I ended up in IT because I feared something like Med School would be too hard. Now I can barely pay my bills as a result. I would not recommend backing down from an academic challenge. There is no coursework that a determined person will not eventually pass. The trick is to know what your goal is before you even get started. I would urge you to consider the working conditions over the course of your career and the pay at each step. Choose wisely and do not give up, but never choose a path simply because it offers easier coursework.

veritas_libertas

EZ21 wrote: »

Have you tried taking just that math class at a community college? Since what your doing is not working, try something different. It won't cost as much, and you would have the opportunity to visit the teacher for one on one help if you needed to. That's what I did when I was in high school.

I was going to suggest this as well. I know for me, in class is a must for math. If this will work than go for it. Community Colleges and Tech colleges are also cheap.

zrockstar

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but sounds like you are in the wrong math class. You should consider goin down a class and relearn the fundamentals.

powerfool

Instead of taking it until you pass, why not take a break from traditional education and study the subject on your own via one of the Opencourseware schools? This way you can develop a better understanding. I also found that saving my math courses for the summer was my best option. They are little more fast paced, but I only ever took that one class at a time. I made the mistake of taking Calculus along with 12 other credit hours, one semester, and did poorly, but passed.

Slowhand

powerfool makes a good point, using some additional resources to study up for your math-requirement isn't a bad idea. OpenCourseWare is an excellent tool, as is the Khan Academy. Regardless of what path you end up taking, it couldn't hurt to brush up so that you do pass the math course(s) you need.