Happiness is Transfer Credit

I was relieved to learn that all of my general ed courses previously completed (10+ years ago) were accepted for credit at WGU.  A total of 7 courses (22 units/credits) will be wiped from my requirements, which is nearly a year worth of work I won't have to do, yay!  For anyone curious about how they evaluate transfer credits, here is the report they sent me.  I hope it's helpful.

Accepted

What a process!  I can't say it's more or less miserable than anywhere I have applied in the past.  It is what it is.  All things considered, it went pretty fast.  Stay on it, read everything, and it will go smoothly.

For those that are researching, applying for admission consisted of initially hitting the "Apply Now" button on the website and filling out all of the fields and creating an account.  There's usually some kind of promo going on to get the $65 application fee waived.  You'll be assigned an enrollment counselor, they will call you for about a 30 min chat.  They want to know about you, your background, why you're interested in their school and a particular program.  Next for the IT degree programs you must submit a resume and any certifications to see if you qualify.  Any previous official transcripts will need sent to WGU.  If you don't have an associates degree or IT certs (not sure about other degree programs), you have to pass their "readiness assessment", which consists of 4 tests:  the Admissions Inventory, Math, Language and Essay.  Based on what I've read online from reviewers, if you don't pass, they don't tell you why, but they will let you try again.

My resume/job history was sufficient to qualify me for the program, it took several days from the time I uploaded it to when I was approved in that regard.  I passed their readiness assessments, but again, it didn't tell me for several days after I completed them, that I had passed them.  It was tedious but not difficult to contact my previous colleges and have official transcripts sent to WGU.  From the time I was notified that the last was received by WGU, it took 10 days for the evaluation to come back that said what credits would be accepted.  In total it took about 3.5 weeks from my initial application to when I received notice that I was "provisionally accepted".

While all the waiting was going on, I filled out a FAFSA to see what financial aid opportunities were available and I applied for several WGU scholarships.  I have a scholarship interview scheduled for early May and my financial aid status is "in review".

I still have to complete an intake interview, then I'll be cleared for orientation and be officially accepted.

What Am I Doing?!

Oh my goodness!  At 39 I have found myself knocking on the doors of higher education, again.  Though I hold a host of credits from several institutions, I never completed a degree program.  Many things in life got in the way.  After many months pondering my current occupation, growth potential and marketability, I have come to the realization that my resume needs a bit more substance than I am able to achieve independently.

I currently work in the IT department at our local hospital.  I've been with the department for almost 10 years working my way up from the help desk to where I am today, managing, maintaining and supporting the EMR for many of the local physician practices.  I have no degree, no certifications.  Hard work, ambition and self directed learning over the years have landed me where I am today.  I enjoy my job and my co-workers, but I have 20+ years left in the workforce, and this can't be it.  To progress, I need to continue my formal education and attain industry certifications.  It's what's best for me and for my family.

After much research, I applied to Western Governors University.  The program that caught my eye is a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with an emphasis in Data Management and Data Analytics.  I've always loved spreadsheets, databases, queries and everything that can be done with them.  I believe this is a great fit for me.  It's in line with the way my mind works, and my interests.  It's also moderately future proof, setting me up with a general understanding of IT, network, security, programming languages, database management and data analytics.  As part of the degree program, many certifications are achieved as well (A+, Net+, Project+, Oracle, CIW etc).

I am a wife, mother of two, and active in the community.  Finding time for school will be a challenge.  Thankfully this is a completely online program, so I can study from anywhere anytime, though surely my study hours will be evenings and weekends.  With the help of my employer's tuition reimbursement program, the price is right.  So here I go again, back to college, with many more years of experience and life lessons under my belt, it should be an interesting ride.

I won't lie, I'm nervous.  This is a huge and expensive undertaking.  Three years of studying, flash cards, CBTs and proctored exams.  We’ll have student loans again, ugh!  I know that I want to do it, I know that I need to do it.  It's a commitment that I'm ready to make.

My purpose in writing this blog is that when I tried to research other's experiences with this degree program at WGU, I found very little information.  I'm certainly not a vlogger, writing is more my style.  So, whether you're family or friend, fellow learner, or curious about WGU and the BSDMDA program, I invite you to follow along and we'll see where this adventure takes me.  Maybe you'll drop me an encouraging message.  Maybe I'll inspire you to go back to school yourself.  Wish me luck!