Bad Bad Vibes from WGU (and an Intro of sorts)

[sanantone]

At several Ivy Plus schools, only wealthy students pay sticker price. Ivy League schools aren't the best example of student loan debt since their average debt is less than that of public and for-profit schools.

[cookderosa]

"Though I think we need to start calling this industry for what it is: a scam, a predatory human rights violation."

Uhhhh, I would disagree, but let me preface my disagreement by saying that I am firmly in AGREEMENT that higher education is a mess in many ways.

In short, however, I believe that the reason you're so upset is BECAUSE you entered education through the Ivy League door. Your experience k-12 likely led you to believe that education was something more than it was (is) and provided an inflated sense of importance. In high school, to me, college felt like a very very important passage. As a middle-aged adult, I know better.

I'm not saying education isn't important, however, I think it is over-sold and marketed as if we were all still living in the industrial age as opposed to the technology age.

In short, education is a credential. One of many available - and one that can be earned without too much fuss and expense if you're in the least bit resourceful. People here are resourceful.

The Wizard of Oz is actually a man behind a curtain. Just a dude with a megaphone...

1) 80ish% of high school kids go to college after high school. *that's too many. They are afraid and being told to pursue a degree.
2) 50ish% graduate in 6 years or less. *the truth comes out. See, college isn't for everyone. Too bad most ALSO have a loan.
3) fewer than 1/3 of those who graduate do so in 4 years. *which is part of the reason people overpay.
4) community college graduation rates are single digits. *yet the CC doesn't see this as a problem, or as an opportunity.
5) 1/3ish of people walking around in America hold a bachelor's degree. *we think it's more. It's not.
6) 1 in 10 hold a master's or higher. *I'm in that club. Check.

So, at the end of the day, ignore the hype, check the box, and get on with the real business of making life happen. My world changed when I found this forum, I hope yours does too! Welcome!

[mysonx3]

Judging an online school based on the "attitude" of people you talk to rather than actual policies and results is an... interesting approach

Also, human rights violation? That is the most first world problem thing I've heard in a while. What human right is being violated?

[Life Long Learning]

At several Ivy Plus schools, only wealthy students pay sticker price. Ivy League schools aren't the best example of student loan debt since their average debt is less than that of public and for-profit schools.

Hard to compare these colleges with such different end results? 
 
WGU's graduation rate is only 14 percent after SIX years.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/04/18/senators-want-money-online-school-low-grad-rate/100561456/
 
Four-year graduation rate of students attending Ivy League schools in the U.S. as of 2018 is 84-89% in only FOUR years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941954/ivy-league-four-year-graduation-rate/

[sanantone]

At several Ivy Plus schools, only wealthy students pay sticker price. Ivy League schools aren't the best example of student loan debt since their average debt is less than that of public and for-profit schools.

Hard to compare these colleges with such different end results? 
 
WGU's graduation rate is only 14 percent after SIX years.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/04/18/senators-want-money-online-school-low-grad-rate/100561456/
 
Four-year graduation rate of students attending Ivy League schools in the U.S. as of 2018 is 84-89% in only FOUR years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941954/ivy-league-four-year-graduation-rate/

I didn't know that WGU's graduation rate was that low, but WGU is dealing with a more challenging group of students. However, I think their model is mainly the cause of the extremely low graduation rate because TESU's is around 40%.

Some of the Ivy Plus schools might have questionable admissions practices, but it would be hard to prove that they are ripping students off. Their students, for the most part, have low debt and good job prospects.

[Life Long Learning]

At several Ivy Plus schools, only wealthy students pay sticker price. Ivy League schools aren't the best example of student loan debt since their average debt is less than that of public and for-profit schools.

Hard to compare these colleges with such different end results? 
 
WGU's graduation rate is only 14 percent after SIX years.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/04/18/senators-want-money-online-school-low-grad-rate/100561456/
 
Four-year graduation rate of students attending Ivy League schools in the U.S. as of 2018 is 84-89% in only FOUR years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941954/ivy-league-four-year-graduation-rate/

I didn't know that WGU's graduation rate was that low, but WGU is dealing with a more challenging group of students. However, I think their model is mainly the cause of the extremely low graduation rate because TESU's is around 40%.

Some of the Ivy Plus schools might have questionable admissions practices, but it would be hard to prove that they are ripping students off. Their students, for the most part, have low debt and good job prospects.

WGU should be compared to the Big 3 not Ivy.  Even in that case, WGU is lame?


COSC graduation rate 62%
Excelsior College graduation rate 46%
TESU graduation rate 42%
WGU's graduation rate 14%

[quigongene]

Hard to compare these colleges with such different end results? 
 
WGU's graduation rate is only 14 percent after SIX years.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/04/18/senators-want-money-online-school-low-grad-rate/100561456/
 
Four-year graduation rate of students attending Ivy League schools in the U.S. as of 2018 is 84-89% in only FOUR years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941954/ivy-league-four-year-graduation-rate/

"You may have seen graduation rates reported for WGU, including a rate on the College Scorecard of under 20%. That’s because the College Scorecard uses Department of Education data that only counts first-time, full-time students."

https://www.wgu.edu/about/students-gradu...rates.html

Side note: To the OP, I came into WGU with 67 CUs and finished the other 55 in less than 4 months. They're not obliged to take any of your credits (I easily "lost" 70+ credits due to their age). I used the transfer guidelines and bashed out what I could (the 67), then enrolled. It was fairly painless, and I didn't come in with tens of thousands of debt, nor did I leave with it.

https://partners.wgu.edu/transferguidelines

[Merlin]

Hard to compare these colleges with such different end results? 
 
WGU's graduation rate is only 14 percent after SIX years.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/04/18/senators-want-money-online-school-low-grad-rate/100561456/
 
Four-year graduation rate of students attending Ivy League schools in the U.S. as of 2018 is 84-89% in only FOUR years.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941954/ivy-league-four-year-graduation-rate/

"You may have seen graduation rates reported for WGU, including a rate on the College Scorecard of under 20%. That’s because the College Scorecard uses Department of Education data that only counts first-time, full-time students."

https://www.wgu.edu/about/students-gradu...rates.html

Side note:  To the OP, I came into WGU with 67 CUs and finished the other 55 in less than 4 months.  They're not obliged to take any of your credits (I easily "lost" 70+ credits due to their age).  I used the transfer guidelines and bashed out what I could (the 67), then enrolled.  It was fairly painless, and I didn't come in with tens of thousands of debt, nor did I leave with it.

https://partners.wgu.edu/transferguidelines

I was about to post the same thing.

To be clear, WGU's 6 year undergrad program graduation rates were 50% in 2018 and 65% for graduate programs in 2018.

Additionally, to go back to the OP's initial point...

The main benefit from taking courses from a place like Saylor is to save money, not time. Saylor's courses are fairly terrible, IMO. Straighterline and Study.com courses are better designed, though a bit more expensive. They can also be completed more quickly, in general. However, a person can complete courses via WGU at about the same pace as they can with SL or SDC, so unless you know you're going to need more than one or two terms to complete the balance of courses you need to graduate, then it doesn't matter whether you take courses via third-party providers like Saylor before enrolling at WGU or not. The time and money will roughly balance out, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a less expensive option for a degree at either the undergrad or graduate level.

As for the enrollment person pressuring you to sign up, that is their job. They all do that, if they didn't they'd be fired. I believe that they are not legally allowed to earn a commission, but they do probably have a quota. I don't see WGU as being any more or less predatory than any other college.

[LevelUP]

ivythrowaway made a lot of valid points.

WGU is better than traditional brick and mortar schools but does have its flaws compared to the big 3.
1. WGU picks pretty much every single course you have to take.
2. The grading system will be harder.
3. Once you start WGU, you can't import any credits.

[MSK9]

Human rights violation, you say? Bahaha.. I just can't. I have nothing useful to contribute to this thread.