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About Western Governors University's B.S. in Health Informatics - JB

Posted: Jun 03, 2014

Is there anyone here who has gotten the B.S. in Health Inforamatics at Western Governor's University? Or is there anyone who is currently going to WGU to get this degree? If so, can you tell me about the program, how you like it, etc? The only thing that holds me back is the pass/fail grading system and transferring credits to other schools.

deleted - nm

[ In Reply To ..]

Nm

see post - JB

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"Is the problem that you think you will have to work too hard? That you could attend the local college and scrape by with Cs?"

Do you realize how insulting this is? Why must you talk down to people this way? It seems like you reached out and pulled that out of nowhere. There is not a place in my post that said I don't want to work hard or want to scrape by on C's. Where are you getting this from?

What is the issue with their grading system? - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I have seen people who thought - exactly that

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I have seen people who thought exactly that. Four or five of them. After comparing that and the local college, they said that they thought that WGU sounded like too much work. It was easier to sit in a class for a semester, cram for an exam, and get a passing grade.

I think the same thing. I know I can learn enough to pass, in fact get A, without having to work that hard. That's why I didn't choose another one of their programs. It will take half the effort where I decided to go.

Okay but... - JB

[ In Reply To ..]
Just because those people want to take the lazy way out doesn't mean everyone does. It lacks manners and social graces to come into a post insulting and talking down someone for no reason/something they didn't do/something they didn't say.

She did not accuse you of that. - nm

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NM

Yes she did sm - JB

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I directly quoted what she said.

No, it was one of several possibilities she offered - because the question was unclear

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She listed several possible explanations for an issue someone could have a pass-fail grading system. She did so because she did not know what your reason was.Â The one you quoted is phrased as a question, not an accusation. You also took it out of context.

The thing about writing is that readers can interpret it in the light of their own reality. A reader who expects to hear an accusation will hear an accusation.

I, personally, would have just said that option was not my reason and selected the one that was, or said none of them were and explained my reasoning further. In that way, I would have avoided a lot of personal upset and public ugliness, and maybe gotten some additional advice.

The deleted post says a lot sm - JB

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't want any advice from that particular poster. I don't need to be given advice that way. I made separate topic about a poster or group of posters on this board always finding a way to get a dig in with their "advice."

It's just getting tiring to read. I heard an accusation because there was one. There was absolutely no need to make the negative remarks that were made. I am definitely not going to smile in the face of someone assuming, for no reason, that I want to take the easy way out or coast by on C's at an easy community college. What would have been so hard about asking about what I meant without that remark?

Another poster below, someone who actually went to the school, understood what I was asking and gave a nice, helpful reply without any negativity or insults, and I appreciate that.

I went for a while - it is a good program

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I did not finish but that was strictly of my own doing and does not reflect on them. It is a wonderful program. Do not be afraid of the pass/fail, it is a competency program and you will be competent when you are through with the coursework. Transferring credit should not be a problem since they are accredited. It is a basically like you have an A or an F. If you are worried about transferring credits, just contact all of the schools that you think would be on your list and make sure they take it. If this is the area you are interested in, this is a great school to utilize. Hope that helps!

Thank you sm - JB

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This helps a whole lot. :)

WGU - Cindy

[ In Reply To ..]
I did much research on them. I was very impressed. What they do is evaluate competencies. For example, if you learned something on the job you could speed through that course and get your credit. I think that's a bonus. Plus, you can earn several software certifications as part of the program and the tuition is fixed regardless of how many courses you take. If you have the time to devote to the course, you could finish it quickly and save $$$. I didn't pursue the program not because of laziness (grin), but I simply didn't have the time to devote to a college course of study. If I did, they would be on my short list.

I took their entrance exam passed everything but... - feel sad

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Except for the math portion :( I wasn't accepted because I failed the math part. I have never done well in math. It really did seem like a good school, though.

The math part was not basic - sm

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Don't feel badly about that. The math part of that test is not exactly easy. It goes well beyond what most people take in high school, so unless you took enough math to get up to calculus and did it recently enough to remember it, it would not be unusual to have some trouble with it.

Their RHIA program requires more math than most because of the focus on informatics and programming. Other schools would be less math-y, especially if you started at a community college where you could take math readiness courses first.

Thank you for that. - feel sad

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It's been so many years since I have really done any math and to be honest, when I received the letter I had failed (which I really knew I failed the math) it really hit my self-esteem. I have never been good at math anyway, but it still hurt to see I most likely would have gotten in had it not been for that. I aced everything else. :( But thank you, it really did make me feel better for you saying that. Thank you..

Don't give up! - Cathy

[ In Reply To ..]
If you really want to do the program, don't give up because you failed the math part. You can take some math classes and then come back and ace it :) There are some free math courses that you can do through Open Courseware, edX, Coursera, etc. I also recently found straighterline.com, which offers very reasonable priced classes, and they are a partner with WGU so any credits you get there will transfer to WGU.

I would love to do the program at WGU, but I would have to brush up on my math skills first too. Right now I'm not sure how I would find the time to do it while working 4 MT gigs to try to make enough money since being bought out by Nuance, so it's on hold until I can figure that one out but hopefully I will come up with a solution soon.

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