Do you have to be super smart to finish WGU? What can you do to eliminate any doubts

[MNomadic]

There are 2 ways to a pass a course, either you pass a test or you submit an assignment. For tests, you either pass or you don't, there's no subjectivity where a professor can just "pass" you, it's autograded. You have theoretically up to 5 chances to pass a given test and once you fail, they will give you resources and a study plan to help you succeed. If for whatever reason you can't pass, you'll have to drop that class and pick a different program. For assignments, there are designated graders that you'll never interact with so no amount of sympathy from your instructor will help. However, assignments allow unlimited attempts and they're not difficult as long as you follow the rubric to a T.

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How quickly have people managed to finish the Information Technology, Software Engineering, or Computer Science major, while working full time? Maybe not remotely at a demanding job or maybe remotely?

The only answer to this question is it depends. There are examples of people finishing degrees ultra fast and there are examples of people finishing closer to the "normal" speed of conventional colleges. There are also examples of people not finishing at all. I can promise you that all the "ultra accelerators" are outliers and you shouldn't count on replicating their results unless you're very confident in your abilities(very good at learning/test-taking, lots of preexisting knowledge/experience, lots of transfer credits, lots of time/dedication, etc.)

I know it seems like there's a million examples of people graduating in 6 months out there, but I can promise you that for every "I graduated in 6 months" article/post/video, there's at least a hundred who took multiple years or even dropped out.

[rachel83az]

Yeah, nobody wants to post about "I went to WGU and it only took me 3 years." Nobody wants to hear that, even if it's a normal experience. If you want to finish in "just" 3 years, you can do that anywhere. Everyone wants to read about the students who finished in under six months. I think one student even managed to finish a tech degree from WGU in only 2 months because they had experience and pre-studied before enrolling.

Counting credits from WGU Academy, Sophia, StraighterLine, and Study.com plus additional studying that needs to be done, a WGU degree isn't going to be any easier or faster than a degree from any other school. In fact, I'd argue that WGU is actually going to be more difficult than most degrees due to the sheer pressure of wanting to finish quickly in order to save money.

They do have some attractive degrees that you can't find at affordable prices in other places, though, which helps attract students.

[LevelUP]

There are YouTubers and posts on the internet saying people have graduated from start to finish in 6 months or one term. And if you type WGU 6 months into Google a lot of pages related to it show up.

Is 6 months not realistic for most people do you think? Like people working full time or maybe not and just devoting all their time to WGU?

With WGU, once you enroll, you can't transfer any credits. 

Transferring in the max credits is better to give yourself the best odds of graduating.

[jsd]

If you put in a lot of effort and actually learn the material and can prove competence, then yes you will pass. But don't expect to pass just because you "show up." You need to learn.

Especially for the technology degrees, where some of your finals will be industry certifications completely external to WGU. Certification bodies like CompTIA or (ISC)² don't care what you did in classes, they care that you can prove you know what you're doing. And if you can't pass those, then WGU doesn't let you pass the course.

People who speed through in 6 months are generally people who both have a lot of credits to transfer in, as people have pointed out, as well as people who already have a lot of experience in the area of study. This 6 month path is extremely rare, though of course those success stories will make the most buzz and get the most attention.

If you want to learn the material and be successful in the field, focus on putting in the effort and absorbing the info. Stop focusing on the timeline, unless you already know the material. If you're coming in with no background in the field, WGU might not be the best path because taking longer will cost you.

[whiverem]

There are YouTubers and posts on the internet saying people have graduated from start to finish in 6 months or one term. And if you type WGU 6 months into Google a lot of pages related to it show up.

Is 6 months not realistic for most people do you think? Like people working full time or maybe not and just devoting all their time to WGU?

With WGU, once you enroll, you can't transfer any credits. 

Transferring in the max credits is better to give yourself the best odds of graduating.

Is the content of courses easier, or the overall program easier, compared to regular colleges?

For example I've noticed in the computer science major there's no operating systems course or a compilers course. Some schools have a required operating systems courses, and some schools have a required compilers course, but WGU has neither as required.

I was going to do the max number of transfer credits from Sophia, Study.com, certifications like those from CompTIA, etc. and would only need to do a few courses at WGU, which seems doable in one semester that's 6 months long.

[MNomadic]

There are YouTubers and posts on the internet saying people have graduated from start to finish in 6 months or one term. And if you type WGU 6 months into Google a lot of pages related to it show up.

Is 6 months not realistic for most people do you think? Like people working full time or maybe not and just devoting all their time to WGU?

With WGU, once you enroll, you can't transfer any credits. 

Transferring in the max credits is better to give yourself the best odds of graduating.

Is the content of courses easier, or the overall program easier, compared to regular colleges?

For example I've noticed in the computer science major there's no operating systems course or a compilers course. Some schools have a required operating systems courses, and some schools have a required compilers course, but WGU has neither as required.

I was going to do the max number of transfer credits from Sophia, Study.com, certifications like those from CompTIA, etc. and would only need to do a few courses at WGU, which seems doable in one semester that's 6 months long.

Every school is going to have different required courses and yes, WGU's BSCS does have a required operating systems course. "Easier" is going to be completely subjective. Some CS degrees require up to calc 3 and linear algebra which WGU does not.

[jsd]

WGU requires Operating Systems for Programmers in the BS CompSci program.

I don't think "Compilers" is as common as you think it is. I just looked at the degree plan for three school's CompSci programs, and none of them have a Compilers course.

I looked at Georgia Tech, MIT, and Stanford.

[rachel83az]

I don't know what WGU's Operating Systems course is like, but this is often an easy first-year (first semester) type of course. Windows exists, Linux exists, MacOS exists, etc. and here are some basic differences. I don't know why you'd consider that to be a "difficult" class. If you think it sounds difficult, a tech degree may not be for you.

[jsd]

I don't know what WGU's Operating Systems course is like, but this is often an easy first-year (first semester) type of course. Windows exists, Linux exists, MacOS exists, etc. and here are some basic differences. I don't know why you'd consider that to be a "difficult" class. If you think it sounds difficult, a tech degree may not be for you.

That sounds more like the OS for IT course, the programmers one is a little more in depth -- but you are right, OS courses for a CompSci program are not considered difficult, they're lower level courses.

[LevelUP]

There are YouTubers and posts on the internet saying people have graduated from start to finish in 6 months or one term. And if you type WGU 6 months into Google a lot of pages related to it show up.

Is 6 months not realistic for most people do you think? Like people working full time or maybe not and just devoting all their time to WGU?

With WGU, once you enroll, you can't transfer any credits. 

Transferring in the max credits is better to give yourself the best odds of graduating.

Is the content of courses easier, or the overall program easier, compared to regular colleges?

For example I've noticed in the computer science major there's no operating systems course or a compilers course. Some schools have a required operating systems courses, and some schools have a required compilers course, but WGU has neither as required.

If you pursue a computer science course at a traditional college, you will be required to take a significant number of courses that WGU, TESU, or SNHU don't require. For instance, computer science majors often need to complete Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, Linear Algebra, as well as Physics and Chemistry.

If you don't have a strong affinity for math and science, pursuing a computer science degree could make your academic life quite challenging and unpleasant. That's why I would be cautious about recommending this degree. for a traditional college student.

However, at WGU, TESU, or SNHU, while Calculus I is a requirement, it's not as daunting if you choose the easiest provider for the course. Overall, their computer science degree programs are not significantly more difficult than IT degrees. Computer science degrees offer excellent career flexibility, which is why they are often recommended here on DF.

At a typical traditional college, you can expect to spend around 100 hours per course. Some math or science courses may require even more time.

The time required for ACE credit varies widely. Some courses can be completed in as little as 10 hours, while others can take up to 200 hours if you opt for the most challenging course and provider. Calculus is notoriously difficult at WGU, so it is advisable to transfer that credit if possible.

On average, non-math courses usually require 20 hours or less per course, which significantly saves time compared to traditional college courses.

There is a person who studied 40 hours a week and managed to complete almost the entire Computer Science degree in just 3 months. You can find their story at this link: https://miguelrochefort.com/blog/cs-degree/

Even though they completed the program quickly, there are ways to optimize the study plan based on the current availability of courses. For example, I would recommend taking American Government and Calculus at Sophia.