03-05-2024, 10:34 PM
I know this thread is old but I figured I'd reply because it pops up on Google. I've been to around 5 regionally accredited colleges. WGU is actually easier than most. The reason is
1) All the info is condensed, you are reading in 5 pages what you may need to read in 50 pages at another school. In the few cases where the WGU info is not enough, usually a quick glance at Wikipedia or a Google image search fixes everything.
2) Almost all the info is (similar to trade school) almost 100% related to work life in your degree. They teach you, say, "so-and-so's philosophical theory on learning" which seems abstract and useless, but then they immediately follow it up with "if you see a kid do x, y, or z (extremely common activity) in the class, then that is this theory", which really hammers it into your brain easily.
3) The mere fact that you can go as fast as you can, helps your memory. It is actually easier for me to pass if I do a course from start to finish in one day, than if spread it out over several days, because I forget a little each day.
4) Far less homework. The average college class elsewhere has 12 or more assignments per class, and often extra stuff like group discussion or group project assignments. Most WGU courses have either 3 assignments or 1 test and 2 assignments, and no group discussions or group projects. The WGU tests are short, usually only 50 questions. And the actual WGU assignments are shorter than normal college assignments - there is usually no minimum page or word count, and most often you aren't required to write it in essay format or cite anything (you can just copy-paste the questions then answer the questions in a Q&A format), you just write enough to answer the questions then move on. This also means that you don't dread doing the assignments either, you can do 1-3 assignments between dinner and bed (depending on how many distractions are in your house).
5) WGU provides strategic memory refreshers within the course. You'll learn a concept, get examples, learn a new concept, get examples, then it will loop back and remind you of the previous concept in either the text or video.
6) A lot of people have gone to WGU so there are quizlet lists you can use, there is a "chatter" (chatbox) section for each course where previous students wrote questions about confusing stuff in the assignments or info and got responses from the instructor. I hear the Facebook and Discord groups are really active too.
7) If you need extra help you can book sessions with a mentor who will explain everything to you. This is far more help than I have ever gotten at any other university. I did have to Email a course instructor once to ask for clarification on an assignment and I got an answer within just a few minutes.
8) Their classes are catering to people who have a low vocabulary or who haven't been in school for a while. They teach you what words like "cognitive" mean instead of assuming you know it or are going to look it up in a dictionary.
As for finish speed, with everything averaged out, so far I'm finishing the equivalent of 1 CPU a day. So a 2 CPU course is finished in 2 days. My Education Master's degree is around 50 CPU. I was assigned to do a minimum of 8 CPU in my first 6 months - this means after my first week I will have pretty much already completed my minimum quota. However I don't have kids.
Depending on your state, you can just study for the GED for free online and then take a GED test, no need to actually take any courses to get credit. My coworker is doing that. Also depending on the college, you do not need a GED to get admitted - you just need to take a knowledge test on English and Math. I have a friend who got in to University of the People that way, they dropped out of jr. high and didn't have a GED, but I don't know if WGU allows that route. I would agree that you should do as much as you can on Sophia before switching to WGU, the financial risk is lower, but I personally haven't used Sophia so I don't know if their courses are more difficult or more effort than WGU's.
1) All the info is condensed, you are reading in 5 pages what you may need to read in 50 pages at another school. In the few cases where the WGU info is not enough, usually a quick glance at Wikipedia or a Google image search fixes everything.
2) Almost all the info is (similar to trade school) almost 100% related to work life in your degree. They teach you, say, "so-and-so's philosophical theory on learning" which seems abstract and useless, but then they immediately follow it up with "if you see a kid do x, y, or z (extremely common activity) in the class, then that is this theory", which really hammers it into your brain easily.
3) The mere fact that you can go as fast as you can, helps your memory. It is actually easier for me to pass if I do a course from start to finish in one day, than if spread it out over several days, because I forget a little each day.
4) Far less homework. The average college class elsewhere has 12 or more assignments per class, and often extra stuff like group discussion or group project assignments. Most WGU courses have either 3 assignments or 1 test and 2 assignments, and no group discussions or group projects. The WGU tests are short, usually only 50 questions. And the actual WGU assignments are shorter than normal college assignments - there is usually no minimum page or word count, and most often you aren't required to write it in essay format or cite anything (you can just copy-paste the questions then answer the questions in a Q&A format), you just write enough to answer the questions then move on. This also means that you don't dread doing the assignments either, you can do 1-3 assignments between dinner and bed (depending on how many distractions are in your house).
5) WGU provides strategic memory refreshers within the course. You'll learn a concept, get examples, learn a new concept, get examples, then it will loop back and remind you of the previous concept in either the text or video.
6) A lot of people have gone to WGU so there are quizlet lists you can use, there is a "chatter" (chatbox) section for each course where previous students wrote questions about confusing stuff in the assignments or info and got responses from the instructor. I hear the Facebook and Discord groups are really active too.
7) If you need extra help you can book sessions with a mentor who will explain everything to you. This is far more help than I have ever gotten at any other university. I did have to Email a course instructor once to ask for clarification on an assignment and I got an answer within just a few minutes.
8) Their classes are catering to people who have a low vocabulary or who haven't been in school for a while. They teach you what words like "cognitive" mean instead of assuming you know it or are going to look it up in a dictionary.
As for finish speed, with everything averaged out, so far I'm finishing the equivalent of 1 CPU a day. So a 2 CPU course is finished in 2 days. My Education Master's degree is around 50 CPU. I was assigned to do a minimum of 8 CPU in my first 6 months - this means after my first week I will have pretty much already completed my minimum quota. However I don't have kids.
Depending on your state, you can just study for the GED for free online and then take a GED test, no need to actually take any courses to get credit. My coworker is doing that. Also depending on the college, you do not need a GED to get admitted - you just need to take a knowledge test on English and Math. I have a friend who got in to University of the People that way, they dropped out of jr. high and didn't have a GED, but I don't know if WGU allows that route. I would agree that you should do as much as you can on Sophia before switching to WGU, the financial risk is lower, but I personally haven't used Sophia so I don't know if their courses are more difficult or more effort than WGU's.
Finished: 2 AAs, 1 BA, 2 trade schools, 3 ENEB MAs, JLPT N1.
In Progress: 1 WGU MA, 2 Mastercurssos, 3 more ENEB MAs, teacher license.
In Progress: 1 WGU MA, 2 Mastercurssos, 3 more ENEB MAs, teacher license.
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