a little WGU MBA review....

[playgolf]

Hi - I have spent a large part of my day catching up on your thread as I have an interest in WGU's MBA program and would love to know how you have been doing these last two months!

I'm getting ready to start the MBA Healthcare track Oct 1. Anyone done or getting ready to do that? I would love to correspond about WGU, process, et al. deovolente228@gmail.com

[mno]

Hi

I am looking for more updates from you. There is no post almost for more than a month. Hope everything is fine with you.

I am starting the admission process to WUG and just came across your post. Thank you for posting a lot of great information.

[rebel100]

Until the last couple of weeks there just hasn't been much to report on my MBA progress. I know I've said it before in this thread but the best thing about the WGU MBA is the self paced start and stop when you want nature of the program...its also the worst thing as my short pauses tend to become longer and longer. If I could fill the empty spaces with a little school work I would have been done months ago. On the other hand spreading it out over 12 plus months actually meant I was able to access employer tuition reimbursement over three separate periods (a fluke of the accounting year), so I'm not really adding personal cost just time. If I can finish before February 28 the MBA will still be essentially free.

My biggest hurdle is that tragedy befell my manager at work, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in March. I have taken up his duties along with my own. I've gone from supervising 8 employees to managing a department of 30. The hospital I work for is also within its joint commission review window so we are all engaged in heavy regulatory compliance issues nearly every day...frankly its an incredible period of professional growth for me...so when the studies suffer because I'm busy at work its really for a good personal cause. I only wish my boss and friend was here to do it with me, I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm amazed and inspired by the way he has faced this illness...really a great guy. My thoughts and prayers go out to him daily. It feels strange to be benefiting personally from the illness of someone you care about.

Now the review continues...

I was selected by my student adviser to participate in a "cohort" approach to the Decision Analyses course. Supposedly by invitation only, this amounts to twice weekly mandatory online meetings and should result in completing this difficult course in 5 weeks start to finish. I'm two weeks in and should finish the second of 4 tasks today...I have missed interaction with instructors, this cohort method is a lot more like traditional online school....yeah I just called online school traditional haha. The cohort has connected me with instructors and classmates like nothing else I've done at WGU. I think some of this should be required in the program. The Decision Analyses course itself is centered around using various information points to arrive at accurate business predictions. We are learning inventory management, assembly line balancing, staffing plans, line cues, short and long term scheduling, layout strategies, and learning curves. Probably ranks up there with Finance in terms of providing me with new and useful knowledge. Its tough at times, but i know I'm better for being in this course.

I'm also tackling Organizational Management right now. I tried to sneak this one in before Decision started...but the first Task was sent back to me for revision a record 4 times! Comical that I completed my undergrad with Organizational Behavior Courses from CSU-Pueblo applied to my COSC concentration in Organizational Leadership! I mean seriously, all of this stuff was old news, all ambiguous feel good nonsense...and it stopped me cold in my tracks. I just couldn't seem to figure out what the Taskstream graders wanted. The Course Mentor finally came to my rescue with multiple emails and one long phone call full of guidance. With her help Task 1 was finally approved. She offered a "boot camp" for Task 2 which promised completion of that task in 1 week...I took the boot camp and passed Task 2 with no trouble first attempt. I'm trying to slug through Task 3 (the final task) on my own (no boot camp for it till next month). I hope to have this course completed this week, that will leave 2.5 weeks or so till Decision Analyses completion and they will together mean 6 credits completed...and only two course to go to complete my MBA at that point, Strategic and Capstone.

So things are progressing, I'll try to keep you updated.

Best,
Rebel

[rebel100]

I'm getting ready to start the MBA Healthcare track Oct 1. Anyone done or getting ready to do that? I would love to correspond about WGU, process, et al. deovolente228@gmail.com

Let me know if I can help in any way. you know where to find me!

[rebel100]

Hi
Thank you for posting a lot of great information.

I started this thread because when I was considering WGU I couldn't find much information. I was really on the fence but finally took the plunge without really knowing what to expect. I hope this thread helps lead other to WGU or away from it. I just want people to be able to make a good informed decisions. I'm really happy with the program overall, it was right for me.

[mno]

Thank you rebel for the update.
You have inspired me to go ahead. I still have to take the online test. I plan to start in Feb as I have another committment till that time.
How many average hours of study you have to do to complete the assignments?

Thank you

I started this thread because when I was considering WGU I couldn't find much information. I was really on the fence but finally took the plunge without really knowing what to expect. I hope this thread helps lead other to WGU or away from it. I just want people to be able to make a good informed decisions. I'm really happy with the program overall, it was right for me.

[rebel100]

Thank you rebel for the update.
You have inspired me to go ahead. I still have to take the online test. I plan to start in Feb as I have another committment till that time.
How many average hours of study you have to do to complete the assignments?

Thank you

Depends on the assignment, WGU is competency based. I oversee my hospitals hazardous material waste disposal and hazardous response team (HERT). Classes like WGU's social responsibility were really easy and straightforward to me. I'm also pretty familiar with the concepts of website design (at least competent enough to talk a good game about it), so E-commerce was a breeze. Both of those courses were completed in a weekend(s), more or less.

Course like Finance, Supply Chain, Decision Analyses were a LOT harder for me, they took more time. It really depends on what you bring to the table and how good you become at deciphering what WGU is really asking.

[mno]

Thank you rebel, you are a great help.
I too have good idea of web sites.

Thanks again

Depends on the assignment, WGU is competency based. I oversee my hospitals hazardous material waste disposal and hazardous response team (HERT). Classes like WGU's social responsibility were really easy and straightforward to me. I'm also pretty familiar with the concepts of website design (at least competent enough to talk a good game about it), so E-commerce was a breeze. Both of those courses were completed in a weekend(s), more or less.

Course like Finance, Supply Chain, Decision Analyses were a LOT harder for me, they took more time. It really depends on what you bring to the table and how good you become at deciphering what WGU is really asking.

[rebel100]

The decision cohort took time off for Halloween, but I hung in there and submitted the third task on my own. Got it back this morning, passed! I've also started the fourth and final task and have 2 of 5 sections completed, yay. Hope to get the rest done tomorrow or Monday night. Decision has flown by.

I also blew through organizational task 3. It was a power point presentation on a merger. It was submitted Thursday night, . It came back tonight with a pass....so that awful class is all done. Absolutely the worse course taken in the program. Mainly I think due to really strict grading in task 1. This class was made bizarrely difficult.

I'm putting in for graduation, it's in February in Atlanta, my advisor is convinced I'll have it all wrapped up by then. Only 3 prompts in decision, and two more classes till I can add MBA to my resume, business card, and and work email signature! Pretty cool.

[rebel100]

Decision task 4 was returned, I somehow left off a couple of definitions in regards to the Project Management prompt. Spent about 30 minutes or so adding a slide to my Power Point project and re-submitted. Once this is approved Decision Analyses will become a memory...glad its almost over. In addition to being one of the tougher courses the grading takes forever, so it really bogs things down.

Also, horror of horrors my capstone course involves a team project and guess what? One of my teammates bragged on their online degree...from UofP!!! For those of you that don't know I really don't think much of UofP I think the school is designed around bilking taxpayers of their cash (via PELL for example) and leaving students with mountains of debt in exchange for the degree. I also feel that any student who chooses them has questionable critical thinking skills...why would you choose them of all the places in the world that provide arguably a much better degree (or at least from a school with less controversy) in exchange (often) for a much better price. With that said, I have to admit that this particular student seems articulate, engaged, and determined. I'm actually impressed with them so far (but its only been three days).