Western Governors University

Run, do not walk, to the nearest exit. My journey began with my sending in my transcripts. They showed 3 when I had 2. My "counselor" stated I needed to write the institution asking that they send a letter that I never attended their university. I explained to David Kadleck that this was not my doing but theirs. On FOUR different occasions he asked if the Illinois institute of art and the Illinois institute of art-Schaumburg were the same school. I explained on three occasions, no, they were not. The fourth time he was rude and spoke over me. I waited to a count of three once he became quiet, and once more explained that, no, they were two different schools. I completed the FASFA, testing, etc., etc... I then received an email stating that my admission was denied. Now, I will tell you that I place a piece of paper over my camera on my laptop as it is standard practice at the school I work in as a teacher's assistant - more for the safety of privacy for the children - following the fourth conversation I had with David Kadleck, I was then denied. I o have to say that I was relieved, confused yes, but ultimately relieved. They took the decision out of my hands. I was having severe doubts concerning "attending" this school, and their denial closed that door, to which I will be forever grateful. Check into your nearest instate brick and mortar schools, not only will you be able to converse with a live body, but you might get one that is much more intelligent than is found in this online school. Many brick and mortar schools have online courses. Whatever you do, avoid WGU, it is a waste of your valuable time.

Overall its been an OK start but I will admit as a full time Legal Secretary and mom of a rowdy three year old boy and 1 year old diva daughter I picked WGU for the price of online convenient education. That being said; I am 24 years old so I am hoping that I will obtain some serious headway once classes get started May 1- the final goal is get my JD by age 30!!! WGU is by every means of calculation the best possible value for the money. I love that a Pell Grant covered all but $300 of my first 6 mo term. For someone who has work experience I love that the competency-based model! I transferred in 36CUs out of 49 total credit hours so that is not bad!!! I am not impressed with the fact that it has take two weeks for Admissions to "Clear" me for Education without Boundarie s Orientation; I know there are many students but lets get real; no excuses there.. Overall so far okay but if I don't get cleared for that 9 hour orientation before May 1 I may re-review WGU. Best of luck to all but if money is a issue I think even with that delay its the only option!

This program can be good, my rating is only so low because of the categories they are evaluating. They tell you there system works with Apple, but after they have your money they let you know you can take your tests on your apple. The graders for the papers are not top quality but most schools have TA's doing the grading so it's probably a wash. The biggest thing is the 'mentor' program they use is broken. The mentors are very detached from the school and really don't know what they are doing or what it takes to get through your class. If you want to succeed at WGU you need to have time to invest both in the studies and as your own advocate on the phone with them making sure your treated fair.

I'm floored by all the severely negative reviews. WGU isn't perfect, and it definitely isn't for everyone. I'm in my second term and couldn't be happier. Rather than spend time reviewing material I've already learned in other classes or that I've gained from a decade+ of management experience, I can spend time on what I DON'T know. Yes, it's a novel concept. ^_^ True, the student mentors aren't founts of all knowledge, but that's not their role in the school anyway. They are primarily charged with being motivators, and mine is very good at it, despite my tendency to procrastinate. Course mentors, while not as readily available as in a brick/mortar school, offer webinars and other activities in support of the text and projects. I've never had a problem with Taskstream graders, or the Turnitin process, other than impatience about getting the scores back. I really like the way that the texts can be annotated and highlighted for review purposes, and some of the e-publishers have their titles available for reading on Android or iOS platform apps. It's very handy to just carry around an iPad and ready wherever instead of being tied to the desk. WGU is best for working adults or full-time parents who need to schedule school around jobs or feeding/nap schedules. I'm glad I took a chance and enrolled at WGU (now at WGU-Texas)!

The first thing I want to point out is that WGU is not for everyone. You have to be a self-starter, and you have to want to push yourself. Competency based units is an amazing concept. I take a pre-assessment and once I pass that I get to take my final for the objective exams. If you treat this school as a full-time job which some students do, you have the opportunity to go from no credits to your BA is around a year and a half. The other awesome thing about WGU is that you pay per semester, if I can pass 15 classes in one term, there is no additional cost. For people who don't understand the mentor program, I have one mentor who calls me every Thursday to check on my progress and help push me to reach my goals. You also have a course mentor for every class, if you get stuck you let the course mentor know, and they respond very quickly to your request. I can tell you that in my first three months at WGU, I have racked up 35 credits, and that is working 8-10 hours a day studying. I find it nice that you can test from your home for most finals, obviously through webcam proxy. The classes that have performance-based testing, you hand in the assignment, and a grader will not only grade your paper, they will tell you what is missing if anything is missing from the assignment. This is nice because most of my papers if they get sent back needing revisions, I know what I need to fix and quickly make the adjustments and send the assignment right back into be graded again. The cost of your education will be far less than other universities, and you will be able to accelerate if you have the time and are willing to put in the effort. This school was the best decision that I have ever made, and I encourage anyone who is looking at colleges to give WGU a shot.

During the application process I told my enrollment counselor/interviewer that I had my PHR. I was then told that I would not be allowed to enroll in the HR degree program. They stated that someone with a PHR was over-qualified to take the course, even though I have no college degree! This was really bad moment for me. Make sure to watch out during the application process.

I began at WGU in January 2010 and will have completed 55 credits in my first 12 months (while working fulltime and training for 3 half-marathons) which pencils out to around $109 per credit. WGU is an incredible value. I have a story that will demonstrate how rigorous the program is: I'm a poor math student and naturally math adverse. My poor math skills were evidenced in my entrance exams and I was offered a remedial math course (non-credit)to prepare me for the math domain. I spent about a month working through the remedial course which includes a few one-on-one tutor sessions. Through the remedial course I gained competency Algebra, geometry and trigonometry and actually enjoyed the classes and did well on the final exams. I've never worked harder at anything than math but it has been so worth it. Other benefits of WGU: 1. If you need to get in touch with a mentor, administration, financial aid, etc., you can email or call and get a response in a reasonable time frame. (I used to wait 3 weeks to get a counseling appointment at the community college). 2. You won't spend time on concepts you already know. In fact, I passed a number of my pre-assessments and went directly to the competency exam which allowed me to save time and money. This is similar to taking CLEP exams or DANTE exams -- credit for proven competence which are accepted everywhere. 3. My student mentors have been wonderful. They have masters level credentials in adult learning and have been instrumental in my success so far. They also are people who've had notable success in business and education prior to joining WGU faculty. I expect to graduate in one more year and am seriously contemplating the MBA program as my next step. I recommend WGU to everyone.

I began my first semester at WGU only four months ago, I have already completed nine classe4s and have three to go before graduating. WGU was the most affordable online university that I could find, the cost is about $3,000 for a 6 month semester. The classes are competency based and you work at your own pace. When I first started I was determined to finish my Bachelors degree in 6 months ( I already have an Associates.) My first "mentor" told me it was impossible and cannot be done. I was discouraged and disappointed with the tactics of the mentor so I dropped out. Threee months later I went back and was given a new mentor, he is great! He told me with hard work anything is possible and did not tell me that something was "impossible". The course mentors (professors) are great. I had n umerous phone calls with one professor and he was very helpful. If you are determined and motivated, you can definitely succeed at WGU. There are no deadline ar attendance checks so you have to manage you time and set up you own schedule. I would reccommmend WGU.

I enrolled at WGU in December 2008, and I have nothing but positive experiences. My mentor is wonderful, and truly seems to care about my progress at WGU. I find the course work challenging and relevant to my course of study. I love the competency based platform. I have many years of work experience in HR, and find some courses much easier to complete than others due to that experience. I do not think that a degree from WGU is a joke. I feel like the negative comments are made by those few who couldn't cut it, didn't have what it takes to make it work. I would recommend WGU to anyone. When I finally earn my degree, I will not hesitate to tell anyone that I received it from WGU.

An online education and experience isn't for everyone. Consider this when you read these reviews. For me, WGU has worked well. My employer respects the University enough to offer me educational assistance. Independent, online learning works great for someone like me who like to work alone and is very motivated. I have been fortunate to have a great mentor, so far. I won't complete my degree for almost a year though. I am thrilled, of course, with the cost of the University. For of the work is easy. Some is more difficult. In a situation like this, I think, you get what you put in to it. I study hard and over learn. That's what I am pursuing a degree for. I put a lot of effort into my papers. I find the assessments to be very similar to the pre-assessments. So far, so good for me.

I am mid way through my degree with WGU and I have had nothing but good experiences. My mentor is extremely helpful, responds quickly and answers all questions. I have done very well on the proctored exams and scored high on each one. I am a good student, but even for those who are not the best at studying, everyone works with you and helps you along. I could have never gotten this degree for this price and with this flexibility anywhere else. I highly recommend.

At the age of 35 I decided it was time to pursue a degree. Unfortunately, my job and location limited my ability to go to a brick and mortar school. I also was not interested in slogging through basic math, business & English courses in a classroom with a bunch of 18-20 year olds. WGU is not for everybody; if you need a teacher to tell you what to do, and when to do it, then do not enroll. If you cannot research on your own, then do not enroll. If you cannot read a grading matrix and ascertain what you should do, then do not enroll. If you are not capable of putting several paragraphs together to form a well written essay, then you should not enroll. If you want to work hard, and at your own speed, then WGU might be for you. I will have gone from no college credit to a B.S. in Marketing Management in 3 years. I could've have done it faster, but I had a cross country move and a couple of job changes mixed while in the middle of school and it slowed my progress. I understand some students have had troublesome mentors, or unresponsive mentors. Really, I have only needed mine on occasion and she has been nothing but great, and has been promoted up the ranks. She kept me as a student because I am a month from graduation. There are steps to take if you are having trouble getting answers from your mentor, but really if you need too much hand holding, you might consider a traditional classroom environment.

I have to say you get out of this school what you put into it. I'm fairly happy with the entire process and people who put a lot into it get a lot out of it. Well worth the money and I went to a state university in California. There is busy work but that exists everywhere I have been.