Can't decide between TESU and WGU - any help appreciated!

[RyTi]

I know that WGU is competency based and you cannot transfer any credits in once you are enrolled there. What is the benefit of completing a lot of courses before going to WGU in order to transfer a bunch in? With the tuition being so low and you not having any limits on the amount of competency units you can complete in a semester isn't it just as easy to complete some of the lower lever classes through WGU?

I did read a little bit about how some people were having issues getting into a graduate program without a GPA from WGU, but it seems like that isn't every school and most just want to see the bachelors. Personally, I don't have plans to continue past a bachelors, but that may change.

[jsd]

What is the benefit of completing a lot of courses before going to WGU in order to transfer a bunch in?

If you do a bunch beforehand, you can use more of your time on some more challenging WGU courses instead of trying to beat the clock to your term end, cramming in credits. I guess you can also avoid doing some WGU papers/projects and just test out beforehand as well, since not all WGU classes are objective-based. But I agree with you somewhat. Especially if it's something you're familiar with, might as well just knock it out as part of WGU so you're not paying more, and that's just one extra class to go towards your 12 credit/term minimum for WGU.

[TrailRunr]

You have to do the math between choosing a cheap community college and refund to pay for SL/books versus WGU alone. Keep in mind that IMHO, SL is going to be faster and easier. You also need to come up with the money for the CompTIA exam without financial aid if you skip CC or figure out a cheaper way to get admitted.

You'll need this link for transfer courses to get an idea of how much SL is going to cost. Look at the SL partner page for WGU as well. Make sure you use all SL cost minimization strategies like using the best coupon codes (each code only works once) and renting/buying older editions of the textbook.

I think WGU is better for you. TESU is better for those already in IT wanting an HR checkbox who are typically not eligible for financial aid outside of unsubsidized loans. You probably need in-depth training and certs to get that first job. I think a TESU BA CS grad with no IT experience may end up unemployed. The CS major at TESU is really light.

[dfrecore]

I know that WGU is competency based and you cannot transfer any credits in once you are enrolled there. What is the benefit of completing a lot of courses before going to WGU in order to transfer a bunch in? With the tuition being so low and you not having any limits on the amount of competency units you can complete in a semester isn't it just as easy to complete some of the lower lever classes through WGU?

You have to figure out the best mix for yourself personally. If you go straight to WGU, but have so many classes that you can't finish in 1 term (if that's your goal), then you've kind of wasted a bunch of money on classes you could have gotten for cheaper, faster, elsewhere. Plus, there is only so much time in a day to do the WGU work. Most people, anyway, don't have unlimited time and money to do this.

For example, if you take 2-3 months to take a bunch of CLEP exams and SL courses, and spend $1000 or so, and transfer those in, you might leave yourself with 30cr to complete in a term. But, if you just enroll, and then spend $3000 for a term, but have 90cr to do, that might be damn near impossible to complete in the term. Which would mean that you'd have to spend another $3000 on another term.

So, really , it pays to figure out the best mix for you personally, to make sure you complete the classes you take at WGU in the number of terms you want to finish in. It's pretty easy to create a spreadsheet to show how much it would cost to take 90cr outside of WGU, then figure out how much that would cost, then start deleting courses that you think you could finish at WGU during the term. You should kind of hit a sweet spot where it makes sense financially to do some outside courses and then enroll and finish in a single term.

[dfrecore]

I did read a little bit about how some people were having issues getting into a graduate program without a GPA from WGU, but it seems like that isn't every school and most just want to see the bachelors. Personally, I don't have plans to continue past a bachelors, but that may change.

Yes, this will be a problem with some schools. So, if you choose WGU, then you probably won't be going to THOSE particular schools. There are plenty more to choose from.

BTW - this may also be an issue if you opt for one of the Big 3 too. You may have 1-2 graded courses (capstone and possibly a cornerstone), but that won't fool any schools who are looking for 120 graded credits.

You have to weigh the pros and cons of a competency-based school, or a test-out degree, and figure out if they'll work for you. They may not get you to where you want to go. Or later, you may have to make different choices based on the decision you make now about which school you go to. Just a fact of life. Happens all the time...