I had half of my degree finished when I got married, and living in a rural community didn't provide a ton of options for me to finish. My husband had heard about this school and recommended that I look into it. 2 Years later, I would say my experience with Western Governors University has been pretty fantastic!
Pro's:
- They transferred a ton of my credits from BYU-I and Big Bend Community College from my running start days.
-You really do go at your own pace. As long as you want to keep shelling out the cash, you take take as long as you please! I wanted to go as fast as I could.
- Pricing. I looked into a lot of online schools, this one was really well priced and well reviewed. After a $500 dollar scholarship I applied for, I ended up paying about 2,900 per 6 month "semester" ( of which I completed 4 including student teaching). Some schools I looked into wanted 4 times that!
- These people are on the ball. It is really well organized and legitimate.
-You have your own personal mentor who calls you and encourages you once a week. I loved my first mentor! I felt like I was chatting with a friend each week.
-Aside from student teaching and my pre clinical experiences portion- I essentially earned my degree on my couch. or in bed.
Con's:
- You have to be extremely self motivated. You make your own schedule. If you struggled to show up for actual class, online education would really suck for you. I will not lie, it was HARD for me to turn down activities with friends and family, especially around the holidays to get things done! It was difficult just with myself and my hubby, I realistically cannot say that I could have done it with children or one more freaking chicken and kept my sanity. It was really tough towards the end. That being said, someone with better time management skills might have been ok, minus student teaching ( read unpaid full time job).
I began with WGU about 5 months after Elliott and I got married. So almost our entire marriage I have had this monkey on my back, and this added stress! It has been a new adventure and a lot more fun being married now than ever. I am glad we have a little bit of time before baby comes, to be just hubs & I, and for me to get my home in tip top organizational shape to bring our little peanut home to!
Speaking of the little peanut.... I got to hold the newborn baby of a friend a few days ago. Looking at that tiny tiny adorable baby really hit me hard. I sent my husband a text that said something to the effect of ... " DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE HAVE MADE A REAL LIVE TINY PERSON AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ACTUAL REAL PARENTS!???" He thinks yes, he does. I am not entirely sure how the fact that humans can actually create life, and that there is a baby growing inside me right this second doesn't blow people's minds completely out of the water more often. I mean seriously!! What kind of an amazing miracle is that! People always comment on how my hands are always on my tummy. Maybe it's because a person kicking me from the inside out hasn't ceased to be a novel experience? Oh yeah, just that baby I hoped and prayed for, splashing around in there... and stuff? I don't think I will be able to even entirely fathom the situation until I am holding that sweet girl in my arms for the first time. I can't wait to meet my baby.
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And here's an awkward photo for your viewing. You know, just me saying hello from behind my shiny balloon tummy. It was a good morning present to my little sister. Just keepin it real.
-farmwife
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