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Western Governors University Reviews
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This program was much tougher than my other master's degree. The material was highly challenging, the grading had high standards, and my graduate advisor was very engaged with me to ensure I was keeping pace with my own goals. The self-paced flexibility was key to my work-life balance and kept me recharged to tackle each class. I know some people still have hang-ups about whether online programs are as legitimate as "brick-and-mortar' programs, but I can tell you this degree from WGU was truly EARNED, whereas I feel like I cake-walked through my traditional university classes. Here there was no drama, no professor spouting a woke social agenda, and no lazy classmates too apathetic or hung over to truly engage the material...just hard work and straight-talking mentors to guide you along the way. I only wish WGU had a doctorate program in an Information Technology field so I could continue my studies there!
I could not read all these negative reviews about such a great school, without posting something. I graduated with an MBA from WGU, and my experience was amazing. From enrollment, to my first class, to my capstone (last class), WGU showed up for me in every way possible. One thing I will say, is that WGU is for those who are ambitious, hence the term ( University of You). If you are someone that allows life to happen to you, this is not the school for you. WGU is created for those who create their worlds, and don't take no for an answer. No school is perfect, if you are someone with ambition and drive, you will definitely utilize WGU to your advantage and benefit.
Those who had bad experiences with WGU, I am sure there may be some truth to their experiences. Some are just utterly blowing things out of proportion. Before WGU, I attended 2-3 different state schools, and my experiences were far worse than what some commenters are posting, many more things I could complain about, and did not receive half the support that I did at WGU.
Ultimately, my MBA degree is the highest paying degree at WGU (arguable because college of IT is on a different level). Nevertheless, WGU has changed my life for the better, and I have no regrets. If you are a person with a "go getter" mindset and attitude, you will not regret WGU, and some disappointments will not ruin your overall experience. I work in government, and my degree is very respected. Thank you WGU.
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First off, I would like to start by saying that many reviews contain false or dramatized information created by students who could not handle the independent, flexible type of education WGU offers. Most of these people should have considered their own schedule, intelligence, and desires before seeking out an online, flexible university.
Secondly, I would like to say that I highly recommend WGU to anyone who is looking to advance their education and is willing to put the time and effort into doing so. I found the flexible nature of WGU’s curriculum to be a breath of fresh air. I learned a great deal and appreciated the ability to go at my own pace. I highly enjoyed my time at WGU, and had a great relationship with my mentor. I will be returning for my MBA and will continue to tout the graces of WGU everywhere I go!
I had been out of school for 20 years and suddenly found myself in need of a degree in Accounting. WGU is a school for grown ups. No one is going to hold your hand or read the book to you. You will probably have to research outside sources as well, just like you did in high school. I do recommend reading through the course chatter and course resource documents. In the course chatter a lot of students who passed the class would cite what resources helped them the most. I earned a degree in 18 months. It was not an easy 18 months but I did it.
I was apprehensive when I decided to go to WGU for my master's due to unfavorable reviews online. I can understand what others are saying because my husband had a similar experience. However, I think it depends on what you’re hoping to get out of an online school. I also believe I was lucky to get the people I had. My enrollment counselor was amazing from the start. Very informative, I could tell he knew his stuff. By the time I got my Program mentor it was a great transition. My program mentor is phenomenal. Before the term started she had sort of a webinar for those starting on how to navigate, things that needed to be completed before you could start the courses, and answered any questions.
The thing I really admire about my program mentor is how helpful she is on answering my concerns. For instance: I told her how I’m struggling to plan out how I’m going to study for this course I’m currently in. She gave me valuable tips that has helped me in this course. My program mentor also celebrates my wins when I received an award for my first paper. She sent me a text to congratulate me. I really appreciated that. The instructors are amazing.
Whenever I’m starting out in a course, I always contact the instructor by email introducing myself and letting them some of my concerns and asking if there are any tips or suggestions to survive. The recorded cohorts that the professor do are important. They tell you more information than what is in the rubric. One of the instructors shared the rubric is purposely created with minimal details to pass. This is due to test if the students are in those lectures/cohorts - you don’t have to attend, but you can watch in your own time, that’s what I do. That’s my go to before starting the course is listening to recorded cohorts from the professors.
In regards to proctors, yes they are outsourced and the thing is we need to understand that our way of communicating/understanding is very different from others who either can speak very little to no English. While they may seem rude, it’s likely unintentional. I grew up with parents where English is their second language. When someone is speaking or trying to communicate in a second language there’s a lot going on in their mind to ensure they get their words out in hopes the person can understand what they’re saying. With that being said, I think we need to be more reasonable when it comes to people who are proctoring the exams.
I enrolled at WGU with high hopes of bridging over to my Bachelor's degree. I went through 3 program mentors. Two of them were useless babysitters who half the time never showed up to the meeting and when they did, it was nothing more than a babysitter check-in. While taking my Foundations in Healthcare Data Management class in my second semester, I ran into some issues. I failed the final once and used what little the results showed to study in the areas I lacked. Took the exam a second time and it was completely different. Failed again and noticed the weighting of each category had changed. It was not the same as the first in which categories were the percentage of questions.
I met with my Course Instructor and explained that some of the scenarios came off really gray or didn't make sense and it was very hard to determine, even using the process of elimination. She advised she was aware of this issue and went on to explain that final exams are created by an outside firm WGU contracts with. This firm, however, does not use subject matter experts. She stated that this had been brought to "higher management" at WGU by several CIs but nothing was done and the CIs were not given a copy of the exam nor the questions. I did the course feedback survey as my CI advised. She then also stated that some students took up to 6 tries to pass this final and there are other courses she knew that were like this as well in my program. After 3 tries, WGU makes you pay for each additional exam retake.
I brought these concerns to my Program Mentor, Jessica, who advised she was going to investigate as she had no idea how the finals were created and had never heard of this. She acted outraged and understanding and asked me to focus on another course while she looked into it. Weeks after being told this was being reviewed she advised she spoke with her manager who stated the CI must be "bitter" over not being involved in creating the final exam. I explained that was not helpful and encouraged them to find a way to fix this. For multiple weeks she avoided our bi-weekly meetings stating she had internet problems and never rescheduled. Stating we would just meet at the next scheduled bi-weekly.
Finally, I emailed demanding an update as we were not 3 months into the issue and had no resolution. She advised "investigation" was a strong word and started back peddling everything she had voiced to me on our phone call. I was advised that the curriculum was under review as it was due for it. However, they still refused and avoided any review of the final exam. I heard from another student that they had a similar issue but the school offered the student an option to do a paper instead of an exam. I've never even been given the option. This school is a rip-off. This is how they make back the money you think you are saving. They take no accountability and refuse to address issues. When you review a paper with the CI they tell you what the school is looking for. The CIs are just figureheads and have no say in material or tasks either. Don't waste your money!
I have almost completed my MBA with WGU and would absolutely not recommend this school to anyone. There were multiple classes where the study materials provided did not align with the final test. The practice assessments and chapter quizzes cover the information provided in the e-text and once you are on the final exam it is often times information you have never heard or covered before.
When I asked professors about this they didn't really have an answer for me as to why the materials provided are so different. Especially in an online learning environment, this didn't make sense to me. All of the tests are also proctored through examity and I never had a great experience with that platform either. The proctors often would not be available to answer questions or would take 20-30 minutes to respond to me when I would tell them I have finished my exam.
The only positive things I have to say about my WGU experience would be the program mentors and the math/writing centers. My program mentor was GREAT and very encouraging when things were tough. I just never found the course instructors to be helpful, they really just reiterated what was already provided in the coursework and beyond that never added any value. Overall I just would not recommend this institution. As someone with text anxiety, getting to an exam after studying all the material and not having a clue what questions are being asked and having to take exams multiple times was a horrible experience.
I started back in 2013 and I stopped for at least 6 years, when I started back I chose the Network Operations Bachelor degree, in the middle I got blocked by a network lab that uses a cloud lab. The lab gets deleted or becomes unresponsive after certain days and you have to start from the beginning, I got frustrated with the class and change the Major to Cyber security. I got through all the classes and in the final class I got stuck with the SSCP certification, the most stupid certification ever. You don't exactly what response they would like to see, they can help me get away with one class replacement.
Then I changed my Major to Network and they added 11 more classes, wonder if I see the Network Lab again and Phyton and guess what you have to take 4 hours of the Phyton exam live while somebody watching you coding and solving the problem. Then I changed the Major to Information Technology and they added 3 more classes, one of the classes is really a joke, C850 when you write an essay about emerging technology that only has 4 years old. the criteria in the essay is just going nowhere. Online I couldn't even find the resources for these new technologies, there are only paid articles. Please save yourself time and money and choose another University. I'm trying to save you here to get graduated early and get to your goal. This school is a total Joke.
The only, and I mean, ONLY good thing that I can say about WGU is that it’s cheaper compared to other online schools, But like the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Between the quizzes that never tell you why you got an answer wrong, the so-called “instructors” that take weeks to respond to any questions students have, and the exams facilitated by overseas proctors who barely speak English, any degree WGU claims you can finish in 18 months will end up taking you three times as long to complete. If you plan on using financial aid or taking out loans, beware! You will be stuck dealing with the disaster that is the financial aid department threatening to unenroll you for nonpayment, meanwhile they are the ones taking their sweet time.
Their inability to process my aid in a timely manner is one of many reasons why I and many others left. Because they dragged their feet, it took three months after being accepted before I could even start taking classes. I spent half the term twiddling my thumbs waiting, and the other half jumping through hoops, trying to get assistance with learning modules, only to get an automated reply back from “instructors” who don’t even teach. Rather than actually teaching, they just redirect you to some broken or outdated website that fails to actually address the material covered in class. The whole experience was a complete joke. It’s a good thing I left after only one term, instead of wasting more time. Save yourself the headache, and fork up the money to go to a real school.
Let me start by saying this school is not easy. It is designed for self-motivated individuals who are looking for an alternative to the standard brick-and-mortar college. If you enjoy learning online without having your hand held this is the college for you. I'm so grateful for WGU because it allowed me to work full-time and pursue my education without the standard structure of a normal in-person college. I have learned so much, it was challenging, and I'm better for it. Thank you WGU!
Western Governors University author review by ConsumerAffairs Research Team
As a nonprofit online university, WGU offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at lower costs than many other online universities. Students pay the same flat-rate tuition each six-month term, no matter how many courses they complete during that time. WGU offers courses in all 50 states and overseas for those in the United States military.
Nursing programs: WGU has multiple degree options in their Online College of Health Professionals. Students can work towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) and multiple Masters of Science degrees in Nursing, including Education, Leadership and Management and Nursing Informatics. Students can pursue an RN to MSN option for each master’s degree.
Accreditation: WGU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). It also holds accreditation with the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIM).
Admissions: WGU’s admission process is designed to determine each potential student’s ability to complete the WGU nursing program. In addition to a high school diploma or GED, WGU looks at each student's interview with an enrollment counselor, prior college and work experience, results from the WGU Collegiate Readiness Assessment and the time commitment each student can make towards their studies.
Tuition and financial aid: WGU charges a flat rate every term, so students who take more classes per term will have a more affordable degree. The flat-rate, six-month term for a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing is $3,250. Students seeking financial aid can go through the five-step application process online.
Online library: WGU provides current students with access to their online library. The library contains access to thousands of scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers and an extensive collection of e-books. Students can get help with their research 24/7 by using the Ask a Librarian chat service.
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Western Governors University Company Information
- Company Name:
- Western Governors University
- Website:
- www.wgu.edu
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