1 Jan WGU Start.

MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
edited December 2018 in Colleges & Schools
Is it anybody starting the Master of Science, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program on 1 January?

Either way. I am just honestly doing this to check a box and for fun. The other more prestigious university I applied to must have sent me an acceptance letter that got lost in the mail.

So, I will track my progress here and also give advice....starting now......

Several things have to be done prior to you being cleared to start:
1. Talk to enrollment counselor.
2. Submit transcripts  and have them reviewed and updated as received on your student portal.
3. Meet Eligibility Requirements. -
4. Intake Interview.
5. Financial Aid/Payment Plan set up.
6. Orientation

Most of the requirements have to be done in some sort of order. Without the first few being done a lot of the other options were grayed out. The university updating my profile to reflect my transcripts was the longest part of the entire process. I had all of my transcripts sent overnight, so believe me I know when they were delivered. I think I sent an email or two and the next day my profile was updated with the transcripts I know they received. 

You'll be given a course mentor, which is basically someone who is giving you mental/educational support and pep talks. My mentor seems cool, kind. But, I still think it's pointless to have one. I wrote him an email asking for more classes to be approved my first semester. He avoided that question and asked me a question. So, I emailed him again today. He has about 72hrs before I request a mentor change. 

Now to the meat and potatoes.

Once you have completed steps 1-6, which took me about 2 weeks you'll be cleared to start. Once cleared to start you can access the classes that are required. You can also see what assignments must be completed. What's so good about that you ask? You can also start writing those assignments.  You can't turn the assignment in now, but you can go ahead and get the writing of said assignments out of the way. I literally have completed 3 classes so far and school hasn't even started yet. I will go over each assignment once more, modifying it to cater to the rubric before final submission.

So, my first piece of advice is to complete all of the requirements prior to the 1st of the month (which is mandatory already) and start working on the writing assignments. It's a lot of writing, but I am also positive that I wrote more in my undergrad than is requested for this WGU graduate level degree. I think I wrote more in one class at another university than a few classes at WGU. Keep in mind *hint hint* they are asking for papers on X, Y, Z. They don't say it has to be 20 pages. If you can get your point across in 5 pages write it in 5 pages. If you want to explain yourself in 45 pages do that. This isn't high school where you are given extra credit points. Nor does WGU have a GPA scale. Either you passed the class or you didn't (another topic). In traditional school you can be a .5 away from a B or an A. With WGU, either you passed the class or your didn't. So, traditional school tactics don't apply to WGU whatsoeverrrrrrrrr.


I did the pre assessment for Secure Network Design C700 and passed. I had not read one page of anything, nor am I going to after I realized how easy it was. 

What I will say is experience, "Security" certifications  and my recent graduate level cyber security courses have helped. A lot of this stuff is just refreshers. 

The course only requires two certifications: CEH and CHFI. No graduate level courses are transferred in. I repeat, no graduate level courses are transferred in. The only thing that'll help you eliminate a course is either of the above certifications. 

 I've done three courses and school hasn't even started yet. I am sure I'll be at least MORE than half way done with my classes before 1 January. I am saving the CHFI training course for second to last before the Capstone. People say going so quick you don't learn anything. You are right IF the majority of this isn't new to you. A lot of this stuff is refresher and I was just in an graduate level course not long ago, that didn't transfer. Just remember I said this is a check the box degree. Keep that in mind. This wasn't exactly my first pick. It's just the cheapest /easiest alternative. 

I am sure I can be done in 30 days (If I take the CHFI serious, which I don't). It might take 60-90 days because I have no desire to obtain the CHFI certification and I might fail the exam the first time and have to wait for a retake. 

Either way, I'll keep you posted. 


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Comments

  • joshuamurphy75joshuamurphy75 Member Posts: 162 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I'm starting Jan 1st. I still can't see my courses to get a head start though. I was told I won't be able to until the 1st.
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I have spent a large portion of time on reddit and other personal WGU prior student pages. I am confident I have seen someone who used the same technique I am using with the pre-start.

    I took a snip of my dashboard.

    Don't believe everything they tell you Rule #1.
     
    I attempted unsuccessfully to send you a snip of my dashboard. I also attempted unsuccessfully to message you. I received this:

    • You have to be around for a little while longer before you can post links.

     :/ 

  • joshuamurphy75joshuamurphy75 Member Posts: 162 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Thanks for trying. I couldn't figure out how to send you a message through my phone. Was able to with a desktop computer though.
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I emailed my mentor on the 28th of December asking for a change in my courses. He hasn't responded. His first name is John, I'll say that. I will also say that his calendar had openings yesterday. So, I am quite sure he checked his email. I was going to give him the holiday pass, but his calendar had openings. So, he can't get a pass for not responding. He had some availability for appointments. He thought I was going to accept my enrollment today, the start of the semester and he was wrong. This is not a traditional university. WGU isn't a state university. The mentor is here to recommend and mentor.  This isn't a state university where you have to take a course in a particular order. He should NEVER compare WGU to a state university. Not even for a second. 

    I figured I'll play his game. He has an appointment for openings for tomorrow. I jumped on over and set up an appointment with him tomorrow since he wants to avoid emails. It's still highly likely I am still going to request a change in advisors tomorrow evening. He'll get an email stating I have an appointment with him tomorrow. I hope he responds to my email before then. 

    Tomorrow evening I am emailing requesting a change in mentor if the conversation doesn't go well . 

    The past emails to him, he responded same day. When I ask him to change my first course layout, no response. 

    I called the WGU number (two days ago?) and asked did WGU have mandatory course order. She said yes. But, it's not written anywhere that you have to take courses in a particular order. Goes back to my previous post, don't trust anything they say. Matter of fact the WGU student handbook says:

    Students register prior to a term by working with their program mentor to set a scenario of courses to be completed

    Nothing in the WGU handbook says anything about having to take a course in any particular order. The two times I have called WGU I was just given some BS answer that I know wasn't correct. They'll tell you anything. More to follow soon...
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited January 2019
    Update. I said the heck with it and just emailed student services @ wgu. 

    If I am paying for a service of any kind I have an expectation. If that expectation isn't met, we have a problem. 

    I thought to myself, no point in waiting until tomorrow >:)

    I have completed like 5 courses already. I can spare some time. This might prolong me finishing in a month but I'll be ok. I told student services I need someone more responsive. 

    If they give him an excuse, like I anticipate them doing I am going to show them the screen shot I took of his appointment openings yesterday. This is Chess not checkers my friend! I
  • thaiguy314thaiguy314 Member Posts: 59 ■■■□□□□□□□
    This is a great thread. I've seen plenty of WGU threads but I love how in-depth on the process is. I'm looking to start the MSCIA in the near future so all of this information on navigating the ins and outs really help. Thanks!
    Certs: CISSP, CEH, CCNA Cyber Ops, Security+
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    My Program Mentor contacted me asking me why I wanted a change of mentor. I explained to him the word mentor and why I needed a change. 
    Two pieces of advice:
    1. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources.  With that being said, TurnitIn is the  website I used at previous institution. WGU doesn't use that website. They use Unicheck. A student can't access TurnitIn without an access code. You can sign up for UniCheck. 
    1A. I hate both. You can write this:
    Based on the lack of hardware based encryption... 

    Then it'll say that sentence is listed on 8 websites  :|. I literally just made that sentence up while typing. It's like you can't win with typing a sentence. You know why? Because somewhere on the internet that sentence has been used. So, I don't like plagiarism checkers. 

    2. Write to the Rubric. All they care about is the rubric. Writing to competencies or what's listed as a requirement may or may not mirror word for word the rubric. Write to the rubric. Anything else is setting you up for failure. You can write 19 pages. All they are looking for is the informaiton listed in the rubric. Being an overachiever gets you no extra credit points. 
  • ilikebikeilikebike Member Posts: 9 ■■■□□□□□□□
    My Program Mentor contacted me asking me why I wanted a change of mentor. I explained to him the word mentor and why I needed a change. 
    Two pieces of advice:
    1. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources.  With that being said, TurnitIn is the  website I used at previous institution. WGU doesn't use that website. They use Unicheck. A student can't access TurnitIn without an access code. You can sign up for UniCheck. 
    1A. I hate both. You can write this:
    Based on the lack of hardware based encryption... 

    Then it'll say that sentence is listed on 8 websites  :|. I literally just made that sentence up while typing. It's like you can't win with typing a sentence. You know why? Because somewhere on the internet that sentence has been used. So, I don't like plagiarism checkers. 

    2. Write to the Rubric. All they care about is the rubric. Writing to competencies or what's listed as a requirement may or may not mirror word for word the rubric. Write to the rubric. Anything else is setting you up for failure. You can write 19 pages. All they are looking for is the informaiton listed in the rubric. Being an overachiever gets you no extra credit points. 
    Congrats, you've come across 2 things that are standard at most universities that use online classes.

    You seem very combative about the process so far.
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited January 2019
    ilikebike said:
    My Program Mentor contacted me asking me why I wanted a change of mentor. I explained to him the word mentor and why I needed a change. 
    Two pieces of advice: <--------
    1. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources.  With that being said, TurnitIn is the  website I used at previous institution. WGU doesn't use that website. They use Unicheck. A student can't access TurnitIn without an access code. You can sign up for UniCheck. 
    1A. I hate both. You can write this:
    Based on the lack of hardware based encryption... 

    Then it'll say that sentence is listed on 8 websites  :|. I literally just made that sentence up while typing. It's like you can't win with typing a sentence. You know why? Because somewhere on the internet that sentence has been used. So, I don't like plagiarism checkers. 

    2. Write to the Rubric. All they care about is the rubric. Writing to competencies or what's listed as a requirement may or may not mirror word for word the rubric. Write to the rubric. Anything else is setting you up for failure. You can write 19 pages. All they are looking for is the informaiton listed in the rubric. Being an overachiever gets you no extra credit points. 
    Congrats, you've come across 2 things that are standard at most universities that use online classes.

    You seem very combative about the process so far.

    I said, "Two pieces of advice" Key word in that sentence was advice. 

    What part of advice didn't you understand. Reading in fundamental in postsecondary institutions of learning throughout the world.
    1. I copied what WGU states, which is 100% advice and what someone should expect and also my personsal opinion.
    2. I gave people advice on what they need to be successful and being an overachiever is pointless. 


    You are ruining my thread.

    How do you block people further running my progress thread MODS??? I am going to see if I can find the block button. 

    Edit: No way to block someone. Welp, let me head on over to the Tech Exams complaint page...
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited January 2019


    Good Day,

    I have knocked out four classes in 13 days. I don't count the Orientation Course. That required nothing besides for the left mouse click about 50 times. 

    Five more courses and I am done! I anticipate being done with this degree in February 2019. If I fail the CHFI, March 2019.

    I will give my honest opinion on the entire process when my degree is in the mail.

    I will say this..this degree is just way to easy...

    I have seen people talking about taking more than one semester to do this degree excuse this excuse that..Be patient..I will talk more about that when my degree is in the mail. 

    If you have any questions leave it here... Just stay on topic and leave the negativity on one of the other 2,100 WGU posts throughout the internet! ;)

  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I received another course mentor. 

    On our first call he stated that it's not the norm for people to finish classes this fast. In my head I was thinking I don't care about the norm. But, I think after our first conversation he understands I want to complete the degree in the first semester. I really want to complete the degree in 1 month, 2 MAX but I didn't tell him that. 

    I am going to ask him to let me take two courses now. I have proved myself. If he doesn't let me take two courses after all the typing I've been doing the past 2 weeks I'll be on my third mentor  B)
  • shochanshochan Member Posts: 1,004 ■■■■■■■■□□
    I almost started WGU on Nov 1st to pursue my bachelors, though I have 89hrs - 61hrs only transferred...I am sure transfer policies at other schools are similar but still, I paid money for those credits, I should get them, IMO...I decided not to pursue it.  I will just work on more certs to further my skill sets and for personal goals.  That's wild how you busted out all those classes so fast!  Is it that easy?
    CompTIA A+, Network+, i-Net+, MCP 70-210, CNA v5, Server+, Security+, Cloud+, CySA+, ISC² CC, ISC² SSCP
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited January 2019
    @shocan.

    I will answer that question and more when I complete the degree. I will give out all the good and bad based on my experience. You'll just have to wait for the answers my friend.

    I attempted unsuccessfully to transfer a graduate degree at another university into WGU. If I would have done a little reading it's found on the internet that they only accept certifications. I was 12 credit hours into that particular degree. 6 credit hours per course. So, 2 classes. Each class was over 4k a piece. So, I took a loss. BUT, I have considered going back to that particular university after WGU. I still login to the website to use the university library when I am looking for information on topics and citations. 

    Most universities in the world have a max credit hour transfer policy. The majority do. Universities want your money and if you are going to say you graduated from them, you have to prove it by way of your course work. Some universities are easier than others (no pun intended :D). 
    A bachelor degree is about 120 credit hours. I don't see any university letting your transfer in 89 credit hours and taking 6 months worth of classes then getting a degree with the school name on it. I have done some research during undergrad time. My degree stash would look a lot better if Howard, Harvard, George Mason, MIT, Yale, Virginia Tech let me transfer 89 credit hours in and get a degree from them. My undergrad is no WGU but it's a school people in the US have heard of no matter the state. 


    Remember I said this is to check a box. This isn't business strictly personal  B). I never finished high school and said I want to go to WGU mom and dad. 

    Good Luck
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited January 2019
    Another class bites the dust. Secure Network Design is probably the easiest course I have taken thus far. I went through most of the flash cards over the past few weeks. I skipped a few days of studying here and there.

    If you have taken and remember Security+, you can probably pass Secure Network Design with minimal study if any. I passed first attempt while only going through flash cards and absolutely nothing else. Most of the questions are process of elimination. With any exam, look for key words. I was done with 66 questions in 32 minutes. 

    I am reading this long CHFI material. I think the book is over 2000 pages. Not including labs, etc. So, it'll probably be February before I finish reading and sit for that. I am working on CHFI and Security Policies and standards at the same time. I'll be back in a week or two with an update. 

    Side Note: I am not sure who does the grading. But, I try to make sure that if you are a pigeon, you can tell I wrote to the rubric. So, sometimes you get work back and are like,...,..did you read my paper.  I wish I could look at the LinkedIN of everyone grading papers for this CyBeR SeCuRiTy DeGreE . I want to see some job history. If you got a degree in Health Care, Business, etc you shouldn't be grading my paper.  You have no idea what I am talking about.  You have to google the words in my paper. Some universities require a higher level degree than the one being taught by the professor. BUT, it brings the differences between institutions that are for profit and not for profit. Do I think it matters when it comes to a PhD? Yes I do. Most definitely. More about that when this degree is over....

  • mizterkewlmizterkewl Member Posts: 122 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I am currently going through WGU's admissions process. I'm impressed by your progress.
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Still mowing along....
  • Penta3Penta3 Member Posts: 2 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Thanks for letting us know.  Fantastic work
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Welp.. Two classes left. First and foremost, god is good. 

    Secondly, I am saving the CHFI exam for last. I am just casually studying the material for a bit. 

    Thirdly, I will be done with this degree this month. Stay tuned!

    Lastly, don't make excuses!
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited February 2019
    Capstone- 
    Submitted Abstract. Approved same day.  Now on into Task 1. Which is basically a timeline and release waiver  :p:) Then on to Task 2. 

    Once I do the Capstone I will look more into that certification. The material is all over the place honestly. It's like they googled forensics.. then decided to throw in any material having anything to do with any type of forensics whatsoever. You have all aspects of forensics stuffed into the CHFI training material. I think it should be separated personally. Phone, Computer, Cloud, etc. 

    I have been on other sites and I don't think I seen 1 review where someone says they used the WGU/EC-Council material only ..and passed. I am willing to invest in outside training material for the CHFI. I am about 41 days into the degree with two classes left and only about $4,000 out of pocket. I have about 4 months left out of the semester. We should be honest with ourselves, I'll be done way before then. So, if I pay $1,000 - $2,000 for another training provider I still got a graduate degree for under 10k. It's still win-win for me no matter how I look at it. I probably just need another instructional method instead of reading 2,000 pages. Being this close to finishing the degree paying for another training provider is an option. I could care less about the money. I need this easy piece of paper for this small amount of money they are charging for it.  

    I also think that the Ec-Council CHFI training material is a lot of (Dry) reading. A lot of (put me to sleep) reading for a certification that gets 176 hits in the entire United States of America. You get more hits with CEH in the mighty state of Texas than CHFI in the USA. Something to think about...

    It's on the DOD 8570 List mess that's on another discussion I posted means nothing. DC is the Department of Defense Capital of the world. It's more DoD employees in DC than any other state. So, if anybody is going by the DoD 8570, it's in DC/Northern Virginia.

    CHFI, is on the DoD 8570 List and still doesn't get hits. Guess what? If you have CEH, you don't need the CHFI. Last I looked, CHFI and CEH was in the same column. Plus, last I glanced CHFI was in one column and CEH was in four or five. So, the CHFI is completely worthless inside or out of the DoD space if you have CEH.

    The EC-Council CCISO Certification is on the DoD 8570 List. You don't see people talking about getting that do you...>Exactly....<

    I think March is my new timeline. So, I'll be back in March with an update unless I get bored and want to type. 
  • mizterkewlmizterkewl Member Posts: 122 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Could you list in which order you would suggest someone take each class?
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited February 2019
    Personally, I think we have two routes:
    Route 1: Those who have (some) experience already in the cyber field. Well, not even the cyber field. I told a LiE. The person on Route 1 must have a foundational level of knowledge of the course load. You can be a Cyber Security Engineer, that has never built a Disaster Recovery Plan from the ground up. On that note, I don't think the DRP class is on this new term. So, take a look at my other post. This new term of classes is new as of 1 February. So, Route 1 is the guy/gal who has some experience in the course and they think they can go through it at a high rate of speed. That individual, should get with the course mentor and tell them the class they want to take first. If the course mentor gives you any resistance, contact student services and request another course mentor. It is not listed anywhere in the student handbook that any class must be taken in any particular order. In theory, you can request to take the Capstone first. I gave them so much crap surrounding what's not in the student handbook that they probably put it in the student handbook. So, look at the student handbook. So, the person down Route 1 will take classes that are easiest based on experience and save the harder courses for last.

    Route 2:
    The person that had a degree non-IT related. The person who was/is in a field non-IT related. This person, who has no foundational level of IT whatsoever is at a disadvantage. Whatever class that WGU has is new to them. So, none of the classes will be easy and it really doesn't matter which class they take first.

    Like I mentioned in another post, this new term has new classes. Only the online proctored courses stayed the same. Objective Assessment x2 and Certification Exam x2. So, from not having the new class list in front of me, you still have either Route 1 or 2.
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited February 2019


    Welp....

    One more class to go and I am DONE! The class that I have never looked forward to taking. The class I dislike the most, it's the class that is between me and this degree.

    Considering how much I dislike the course and my motivation being on -23 this might take a while. Might be March or even April. Not sure. Might be next week. Who knows. Just know, the CHFI is the only thing in my way.
  • shochanshochan Member Posts: 1,004 ■■■■■■■■□□
    CompTIA A+, Network+, i-Net+, MCP 70-210, CNA v5, Server+, Security+, Cloud+, CySA+, ISC² CC, ISC² SSCP
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited March 2019
    Welp. 

    The graduate course officially started 1 January 2019. It officially ended 1 March 2019. I am done!

    Under 4k for a graduate degree..

    I'll post my review within the next 72hrs.
  • JDMurrayJDMurray Admin Posts: 13,023 Admin
    Congratulations and very much looking forward to your review!
  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
    edited March 2019

    Western Governors University Review:

     First and foremost, I am happy to have accomplished what I have accomplished thus far. Not long ago, I told myself that I would never attend WGU. This is/was the only school in the United States that I am/was aware of that had a unique approach to learning. That approach was, a work at your own pace approach. I must be honest, for every good review online it’s probably 3 bad ones. I have probably looked at over 50 bad reviews. Maybe 100. But what we must understand is that what one person likes another person will dislike.  

    Objective Assessments:

    To minimize offending people. I will say that foreigners were the ones proctoring the objective assessment. I am not going to say it was a language barrier because they spoke English. I will just say that sometimes I had to have them repeat a word or two. If you have completed a proctored Microsoft exam, these are probably the same people. I had no issues, only issue I had was with my patience.  

    Grading:

    I had an issue with two assignments that were graded. On both occasions, I contacted student services and it escalated from that point. Student Services are like calling 911. They are the dispatchers who will forward your request, to those that’ll be most beneficial at assisting you. Either way, both times my paper was re-graded and the unsatisfactory score that I received was overturned. 

    If you adequately mirror your paper, references, and rubric more times than not your grade will be overturned. The grading was a little suspect. After the first few papers, I realized that assignments had to be spelled out elementary style. I started highlighting and bolding key words, so it’s no argument as to if the requested information was is in my paper. I suggest if it’s a rubric requirement, paraphrase it, bold the key words, and make it a title of a paragraph. People think because they have a graduate or higher degree that they are the subject matter experts. No Sir/Ma’am. You could have had a degree in Criminal Justice then switched to a graduate degree in CyBeR SeCuRiTy, that doesn’t make you an expert in the field. I’ve looked at numerous WGU graders on LinkedIn. I can’t say all of them impressed me. Long story short, if you are sure your paper aligns to a part of the rubric, debate it. But, don’t make yourself look bad if you are incorrect.

    Experience

    At my previous university, as part of the introduction I noticed a lot of people moving over to the CyBeR SeCuRiTy FiEld. Truth be told, it’s the next big thing..as they say. So, not everyone attempting a cyber degree has a cyber background. With that being said, experience comes into play. What also helps are certifications and knowing how to read. Write to the rubric. Write to the rubric. Doing anything other than that will have your paper sent back to you. If all of the information presented in the course is new to you, read it. For the OA’s, all I did was use the flashcards. For the CHFI, I probably looked at 150 pages of the e-book. That’s it. But it all goes back to experience and comprehension. If your experience and undergrad isn’t in cyber security, you might want to do some reading. On one paper that I debated, it was based on what I called threats and what the grader said were vulnerabilities. Long story short, they were on the losing end of the grading stick.

    Why the degree changed?

    I am not going to answer that. I will say that WGU degrees are like certifications. Someone on reddit said they loaned a WGU assignment out to another student and the student submitted it, without making any corrections. WGU contacted both students. I said that to say, don’t ****. It’s almost like they take your paper and put it into a database and when someone else submits a paper, the database checks it for similarities. So, don’t ****. 

    Degree Difficulty

    This degree wasn’t difficult whatsoever. Yes, I have to admit I didn’t have every assignment pass the first time. But overall it still wasn’t hard. People say it’s a lot of writing. Well, I don’t agree, and I don’t disagree. It’s a lot of writing for someone to complete in a month or two. We have to be honest. In traditional schooling, the work is spread out over several weeks per class. Here, I knocked out several classes in several weeks. So, that has to be taken into consideration. Also, in a traditional school, you are maxed out on how many classes you can take per semester. 

    Transfer

    The only two certifications that could have transferred into the degree was CEH and CHFI. Absolutely no prior education can be transferred into the WGU graduate degree. The 4k you’ll spend for a graduate degree in 1 semester has to be considered. WGU is doing us a favor and giving us an opportunity. 

    Timeframe/History

    I think everyone on Reddit is racing to complete a degree. Some people impressed me. Not all but some. I am not the fastest to complete the graduate degree. I think I am top 10 from the people I have seen.  I started 1 January and finished 1 March. So, 60 days isn’t bad if I can say so myself. People say that it’s not a race. Yes, that is true. But, would you rather get a 4k graduate degree or a 20k graduate degree? If I had to pay 20k+ for a graduate degree, believe me it wouldn’t have Western Governors University written on it. It’s been people who prolonged getting a degree over time. If you are willing to get into dept and incur student loans, do yourself a favor. Either finish the degree in two semesters max or go to a state university. A state college would be a tad bit more prestigious than WGU. My advice is to finish the degree as fast as possible. I just received a 4k graduate degree. If you want to get a 20k graduate degree from WGU help yourself. My company bought my degree.  I will also say that Reddit is probably the hub for WGU posts and knowledge. Although this site is useful, Reddit has posts on WGU several times a day probably. So, I suggest giving them a look. 

    Weekly Calls

    On my second mentor, we had a call every other week. It should be every week, but since I was progressing so fast through the coursework, he said every other week was fine. I wish it was once a month, but we settled on every other week. If you are failing assignments, a mentor will not agree to such a thing. I don’t blame them. You will have to take those calls. If you are progressing, you could probably attempt to convince your mentor to have every other week calls.  I am not talking about after taking the first 2 classes either. I was probably more than half way done before we moved to every other week. I noticed something in the student handbook about missing X number of mentor calls. I have missed one or two (on purpose) but he never made a big deal out of it. 

    What is next?

    Like I said, I never planned on getting a WGU degree. I have it and that’s cool. I will not be obtaining another WGU degree. WGU has a list of universities that students allegedly transferred into after obtaining a WGU degree. So, allegedly you can transfer to bigger universities with a WGU degree. Allegedly. I want to obtain a graduate degree from a state university. I always want the option to move on to higher and higher educational levels. I highly doubt I could get into a prestigious PhD program with a graduate degree that is competency (pass or fail) based. So, in a few months I’ll either go back and finish my graduate degree at a state university or find another. Georgia Tech has caught my eye. Any questions, comments, or concerns please let me know. 


    ......I had to delete some of my review because my post was to long....:/

    Forgive any typos.  

  • MrsWilliamsMrsWilliams Member Posts: 192 ■■■■□□□□□□
  • JDMurrayJDMurray Admin Posts: 13,023 Admin
    Congratulations on your accomplishment, @MrsWilliams

    You are on the opposite end of the WGU approach from me. I am intending on taking a full two years to get my degree because I need the knowledge more than I need the paper. If I could only take specific classes from WGU and skip the degree, I would. It's interesting what you said about getting a degree from a state school, but WGU is far more convenient and efficient than a brick-n-mortar, even going the long-haul route like me.

    You gave excellent advice on using the course rubric. I'm writing my very first paper for WGU now. The guidelines given for writing the paper are based entirely on the structure and requirements of the rubric. I hadn't considered emphasizing the information that satisfies the rubric to help the paper's reviewer, but I'll use that technique. It will make the content look odd, but papers written for WGU are for a PASS and not for publication.

    Oh--you can post your review as multiple posts to avoid any single-post content limits.
  • mizterkewlmizterkewl Member Posts: 122 ■■■■□□□□□□

    Congrats @MrsWilliams!!!

    I definitely have been waiting for your review. I plan on starting the program in May, I don't know if I could finish the program in two months lol but I am definitely hoping to progress quickly. I don't have a ton of experience in Cybersecurity, but I do have a lot of time on my hands where I can put in the work. I appreciate all your helpful tips, it's definitely motivation to be able to finish in one semester.

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