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

[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.

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.

Maybe a little more in-depth, but not by that much. The SDC course, for the TESU Comp Sci degree, isn't much more than that. When I was looking for affordable RA replacements, they covered essentially the same things as the SDC course.

[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.

Maybe a little more in-depth, but not by that much. The SDC course, for the TESU Comp Sci degree, isn't much more than that. When I was looking for affordable RA replacements, they covered essentially the same things as the SDC course.

 Fair. Regardless, as you stated, it's not a hard course.

[ss20ts]

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.

There's a few things this guy had going for him. He had YEARS of experience. He was not working so school was his job and then some. He had a plan. He spent time planning this out. It wasn't like he woke up one day and said hey I'm going to start WGU today and be done in 2 months. 

Is his experience the average WGU student experience? Absolutely not. Not even close. Plenty of people transfer in credit and still take 3 years to complete their degree. I just saw someone this week who spent 6 years completing her WGU degree. She was extremely excited to finally be done. She changed programs and it extended how long it took her to earn her degree.

[dfrecore]

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

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.

First, WGU has 6-mo terms, not semesters.  Just so you have the terminology correct.

Second, WGU requires very few Gen Eds, which can be good or bad depending on what credits you have to bring in.  For someone with lots of credits in GE's, it can be disheartening to "lose" a bunch of credit.  But for someone starting from scratch, it can be quite nice to only have 25% of your degree be GE.

Third, WGU is very focused on the major.  So, if you've been working in IT for 20 years, and need a degree for some reason, a degree where 75% of your courses are based on info you may already be very familiar with it going to be an "easier" degree than one at a school where maybe 50% of your degree is on the major.  This does not mean that WGU is an "easy" school; it just means that what you've spent the last 20 years learning is what the degree is looking for, and your chances for success are much higher.

[LevelUP]

I would say WGU overall is the hardest of all the colleges we recommend though not by a considerable margin. It is built for both beginners with zero experience and also works well for someone with experience. 

Most people who fail WGU do so because they don't transfer in enough credits and are surprised by the amount of work they must do. The all-or-nothing pass/fail exams can be tough for some subjects. 

You really FEEL the pressure when you are enrolled. It's not easy to maintain a fast pace of working 20-30 hours per week studying.

[origamishuttle]

I would say WGU overall is the hardest of all the colleges we recommend though not by a considerable margin. It is built for both beginners with zero experience and also works well for someone with experience. 

Most people who fail WGU do so because they don't transfer in enough credits and are surprised by the amount of work they must do. The all-or-nothing pass/fail exams can be tough for some subjects. 

You really FEEL the pressure when you are enrolled. It's not easy to maintain a fast pace of working 20-30 hours per week studying.

I agree with all of this! I strategized my whole degree, including the major, based on completing it as quickly as possible. The challenge is hitting the sweet spot of just enough effort to pass, but without wasting time on getting a good grade. This is the double-edged sword of WGU, where a pass is good enough (no grades to worry about), but the specter of failing is stressful! Overall it took less time than I expected, but that was partly because I pushed myself harder and harder as I went. The pressure is real.

[ss20ts]

I would say WGU overall is the hardest of all the colleges we recommend though not by a considerable margin. It is built for both beginners with zero experience and also works well for someone with experience. 

Most people who fail WGU do so because they don't transfer in enough credits and are surprised by the amount of work they must do. The all-or-nothing pass/fail exams can be tough for some subjects. 

You really FEEL the pressure when you are enrolled. It's not easy to maintain a fast pace of working 20-30 hours per week studying.

My first bachelor's degree I earned a 4.0. My second a 3.949. My MBA I completed with a 4.0. Yesterday I took an exam at WGU in a subject which I had no experience or knowledge in and did not pass it. I missed passing by 2-3 questions. I've studied for a week for this exam. It was NOT an easy exam. It's not a bunch of questions on definitions. It's all applying the terms and definitions and using them in various scenarios. That was the tricky part. I now have to work on a plan to retake the exam with my Course Instructor. I had a meeting with him this morning. I have to attend 2 cohort meetings this week, review the material I did the poorest on, and schedule another meeting with him in a few days. Then he will approve me to take the exam again. So no no one is passing anyone. And yes there is serious work at WGU. This isn't a diploma mill. I'm looking forward to the classes with papers! That's how I earned my 4.0 for my MBA.....all papers. I LOVE research so I'm happy to write a paper. Exams are so much more stressful to me.

[origamishuttle]

I missed passing by 2-3 questions.

Sorry, that's a tough loss. I've seen so many people go through this on discord and reddit. WGU OAs are no joke! I was very lucky to never fall below the line, but I hold no illusions that it was anything other than luck.

[ss20ts]

I missed passing by 2-3 questions.

Sorry, that's a tough loss. I've seen so many people go through this on discord and reddit. WGU OAs are no joke! I was very lucky to never fall below the line, but I hold no illusions that it was anything other than luck.

The worst part is I don't even know which questions I got wrong so it makes studying more challenging. I really thought I was going to pass it and was kind of surprised why it came back saying try agin. This was definitely not an easy exam. Maybe if I had been working in the field for 5 years it would be.

[whiverem]

I think WGU takes most people. If you weren't initially accepted I think you can take some classes with WGU and should be accepted.

I was accepted without any problems. I've passed CLEP and DSST exams. I feel a little insecure about my reading ability. But I do read websites all the time and learn all kinds of IT/computer related stuff.

Should I re-read the material multiple times?

Do the general IT, computer science, software engineering majors use something like zyBooks? Can someone tell me exactly what is used? I was going to learn the stuff beforehand so I don't have any problems and can finish stress free in a semester with limited amount of time.

Are there videos in courses in these majors or the MBA, or are you just reading text all of the time?

For the computer science major I'm worried about the discrete math 2 and algorithms 2 courses, and for the IT major I'm worried about the SQL course, and for the MBA I'm worried about accounting and economics and finance courses. Are there any resources someone can share that will make these easy? Are the MBA courses on study.com or somewhere else similar? Thanks.