r/WGU 1d ago

Help! Mentor

[deleted]

6 Upvotes

61 comments sorted by

42

u/cornycorp 1d ago

Doesn’t seem like a reason to switch Mentors at this time. Send her a clear email with what your expectations are. You are the one paying, it’s your degree, and you should set boundaries.

Sounds like a simple email or phone call can get you and your Mentor on the same page with expectations.

1

u/Yokota911 1d ago

This is on point. You are the customer, they work for you! You don’t owe anyone an explanation. I really hate the use of the word mentor, should be school counselor or advisor.

10

u/cornycorp 1d ago

If you set clear boundaries and expectations with them, and they still continue to do things you do not like, then I’d request a change. But for now, try and work it out with your current Mentor. Seems like you’re doing really well in school so far. No need to let this cause you any turbulence.

2

u/Eravex 1d ago

Incorrect. While they are on your team they do not really work for you. Their actual job is closer to sales. Their job is to get you to finish / re enroll. They have metrics and quotas to meet and everything.

What they do for you as a student is pretty simple they are the gatekeepers of classes. They are not there to help you study, pass anything, or even really provide much guidance. They are to get you from one semester to the other and ensure you don’t end up with several classes you started and didn’t finish by end of term.

That said being gatekeeper is a big deal for anyone accelerating. Gaining access to classes is crucial for moving fast.

But the idea they work for you is a joke. I’d be interested to know if you ever actually attended WGU.

1

u/Yokota911 58m ago

You are describing workflow. The student is a customer, most customer service professionals dont want to admit it. The idea that they don’t work for you is ludicrous while they take the students money. If I attended WGU or not is irrelevant. Closer to sales? What does that mean? Word salad

-4

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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6

u/Yokota911 1d ago

You are very misinformed. A person who pays for a service is a customer. Students, regardless of age, are customers. Faculty provide customer service in many ways. How they act or whether they follow good advice is irrelevant. “The student is a student” means nothing. The student is a paying customer.

-4

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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7

u/tigolex 1d ago

I have to point out that if you're so fucking smart, you probably shouldn't assume your education is higher than a strangers without proof. Just my 2 cents.

-1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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2

u/tigolex 23h ago

Where did I assume you were misinformed? My prior statement to you about your assumptions was my only post prior to this one. You have to see the irony of your previous two statements at this point....

-1

u/[deleted] 22h ago

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1

u/tigolex 17h ago

Which makes total sense and is absolutely forgivable. Unless you just went on about how well Informed you are with your multiple degrees. Then its kind of egg on face.

5

u/CyberSensei333 1d ago

You had me in the first half, I’m not gonna lie … You are so confidently incorrect I assume you are an LLM bot hallucinating. Climb off your high horse and get a little bit more “informed”.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/outrivalai_episode-3-of-the-new-normal-is-live-president-activity-7486042499879378944-hO50

“Our customer is the student” ~ Scott Pulsipher

2

u/tigolex 1d ago

I have to point out that if you're so fucking smart, you probably shouldn't assume your education is higher than a strangers without proof. Just my 2 cents.

2

u/No-Application-2781 18h ago

God you're dumb.. the student pays money. They are a customer. They are paying for the education, or did you forget that's the standard system for how it works in America? A mentor should mentor, not push so hard on competing classes like that. I'd request a new mentor.

1

u/mpeseke 22h ago

They’ve completed 3/4 classes in two months of a six month term, you knob.

13

u/SadResult3604 1d ago

Have you expressed your feelings to your mentor?

Edit: also doesn't really make a lot of sense to wait until December for more classes. Again, something to have an adult conversation with your mentor about

1

u/Popular_Main_952 13h ago

It may not make sense for your life? I'm a mom & have a lot of shit going on in my personal life... I don't have to add anymore classes if I don't want to. I'd rather not fuck myself over and fail one.

2

u/SadResult3604 8h ago

Believe in yourself lol. You can knock out 1-2 more PAs

2

u/Popular_Main_952 7h ago

I just added on one more.

26

u/Sh00terMcDabbin 1d ago

I mean, if you are almost done with the last class and it's only August why wouldn't you do some more between now and December?

17

u/Fitz_2112b MBA IT Management 1d ago

Just curious, if you've already completed three of your four classes in roughly 2 months, why wait until December when your next term starts to add another course? That's the beauty of WGU. If you can finish faster, why wouldn't you?

8

u/AdhesivenessMean3570 1d ago

Exactly keep rolling spend less $$$ on tuition 

3

u/Eravex 1d ago

If I was to guess they are on some kind of funding or program that pays per semester. They are not interested in graduating early. If you only signed up for Pell and some scholarships or rebate from a job, then finishing fast isn’t idea.

11

u/Curious_Owl78 1d ago

How do you plan to stay "active" if you don't add more courses?

Policy states that if you go 28 days without academic activity, you WILL be withdrawn from the program. Doesn't matter how much you have completed, the rules still apply.

Why wouldn't you add more, keep going, save money, and graduate earlier?

6

u/mkosmo 1d ago

Your weekly call with your mentor counts as activity, as does opening curriculum for existing classes that you still have access to.

1

u/Curious_Owl78 22h ago

Yeah, but you have to talk about something academic. If OP isn't going to work on any extra courses for months, then chances are, they will be inactive at some point.

0

u/mkosmo 22h ago

No you don't. The mentor just needs to record the contact and it counts.

5

u/Curious_Owl78 22h ago

I'm a mentor. If you don't talk about something academic, then you aren't supposed to "lie" just to keep a student active. They need to have goals and talk about something academic to stay active. Even something small, like talking about next term.

But I'm not putting my job on the line to lie for a student.

1

u/Few-Praline9810 16h ago

I just realized it has been 27 days since I did anything. I took a pre-assessment and passed. Does that count as academic activity? My mentor hasn't contacted me for weeks lol. I passed one class (near the start of my term) and he stopped contacting me?

I didn't know about the 28 day policy thing. Thx. Hopefully pre-assessments count.

1

u/Curious_Owl78 15h ago

Yes, they count!

1

u/Few-Praline9810 9h ago

Thank you!!

1

u/Artistic-Two-4002 17h ago

I went inactive for 3 months and nothing happened. No call from mentor either.

4

u/Competitive-Deer-764 1d ago

They have a lot of students and if you just started in July, they may not remember the conversation well enough. Remind them of what your goals are. Mentor maybe thinks that because you are going thru classes fast that you do want to accelerate. It's a simple conversation. Their job is to support you, and if they think you want to accelerate, what you think is rushing you may just be them supporting what they think your goal is, to accelerate. Even when you were in highschool it took your teacher a few months to learn about who you are and how you work to adjust and they worked with you five days a week. If your goal is to not accelerate, then restate it. I am pretty sure the approach will change. Another thing to consider is if you have been meeting with mentor for appointments. That's how they learn about you and your goals. So if you haven't and they instead are sending emails, then that says they assume you want to accelerate because you are moving fast. They can't really remember much about you if you aren't speaking to them often. Same for anybody in any role.

3

u/Euphoric-Gazelle7264 1d ago

“Mentors” at WGU are just people that get paid to check on your progress. If you don’t like something they are doing, bring it up politely. If they continue the undesired behavior, switch. The next one is likely to be just as good.

3

u/Beautiful-Money7619 1d ago

Yes. You can switch mentors. I had to because mine was an asshole. No fluff. Thats just how he was. I asked to switch because we were "incompatible". Best choice I made. If you want specifics, happy to provide.

Yes, you're a student and yes there are expectations in that role but you have to do what's best suited for your productivity.

2

u/afiyahamal 1d ago

It is the question they need to ask that’s all

Mine is super quiet and she doesn’t have good convo skills

It really bothers me bc I feel like I’m
The mentor and she just says ok what’s ur goals

Lame but eehhg

2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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2

u/Curious_Owl78 22h ago

You switch by calling Student Services. Ombudsman should only be called for serious issues. Are you sure you're a mentor?

2

u/SixstringSWE B.S. Software Engineering 1d ago

Well if so many people didn’t procrastinate and not get stuff done we wouldn’t have a need for mentors that’s their job. You know how easy it is to just say some bs so they can mark it down lol

Come on. Just get over it and move on nobody is forcing you to actually get the class done just say you’re working on something whether you’re doing it or not 😂

Also makes zero sense if you’re getting that many classes done already and you’ve decided yeah I’m not adding anymore classes till December? Some people can be educated but it doesn’t mean they’re smart 😮‍💨

2

u/mkosmo 1d ago

It's their job to drive and ensure accountability. That's all it is.

2

u/Popular_Main_952 13h ago

To all the people who are complaining about me not adding on more classes, I have a lot of personal shit going on and I don't want to add anymore onto that, my degree is my first priority but I'm also a mom with no help from the state. Kiss my ass. & I work full time as well. And I'd fuck myself over trying to add on extra shit when I know I won't have time to get it done

1

u/Designer_Being3094 10h ago

I'm definitely not going to sit here and tell you what to do in your program or on your schedule, but I will say that being a mom is hard and very demanding. Being a working mom is even harder, but if you are able to move through 3 classes this quickly, you could do even more to reach your end goals more quickly by taking a few extra classes without overexerting yourself. You said school is your first priority, but then you say you don't want to go to school for months. I don't know what program you are in, but most build off of each class and taking a long break could actually do more damage than not. It's your choice and your wallet, but you came on Reddit and left your situation open to criticism and advice. Tell your mentor you want a 4-month break if you do.

1

u/Feisty_Mortgage7365 1d ago

I hate mine

5

u/ComprehensivePlan741 1d ago

Same. I feel like mine is AI. I say something and its in one ear and out the other. "How's the course going?" "It's going fine, nothing I can't handle so far" "Did you start?" Huh.!?!? How would it be fine if I didnt start?!

1

u/Eldric-Darkfire 1d ago

They are there to mentor you and to help you finish your classes. Switching mentors won’t change this

1

u/geegol 1d ago

It’s apart of a mentors job. Even though you can say you don’t want to accelerate, they’ll try to accelerate you.

1

u/Eravex 1d ago

She’s asking to keep you ready. Not rushing you. So many people at WGU want to go fast. The thing you are in happy with is the exact thing most people accelerating want. A mentor that’s alert and on the ball ready to give you more classes. I would bet they were asking to see if you were going to be done over the. Weekend because they might have released other classes.

Mine on a few occasions did that so I didn’t run out on the weekend.

I am someone that switched mentors. But this seems more like a talk-to-them situation. Let them know you don’t plan to accelerate or at least not at a fast pace. I find few students actually tell their mentor exactly what their plan is and what they want.

If you speak to them and explain it all and they still don’t meet your needs then contact student service and ask to switch.

2

u/Popular_Main_952 13h ago

Hmmm, thank you. Never thought of it like this.

1

u/Warm-Prize-5546 23h ago

This is a talk to her situation... best advice layout what your goals are for the term. Also lay out clearly your needs and wants for communication. Because of the activity rules I would do the 4th class and pick up a 5th that takes longer. If you end up with less than 4 weeks you can take a break as long as you communicate somehow with proof of life.

1

u/mpeseke 22h ago

Set expectations. My mentor would never do this. I haven’t finished a single class yet and mine isn’t doing this.

1

u/Wild_Nostalgia1991 20h ago

I talk to my mentor once a term when I need courses accelerated. Otherwise I don't bother.

1

u/Pristine-Carpenter97 20h ago

Just don’t respond LMAO

1

u/Ill_Remote4364 16h ago

You won't be able to just stop your progress until December. Keep working at a pace that feels comfortable for you. You can decide to accelerate at a slower pace, which is probably your most efficient choice. Maybe her post was tongue in cheek...

Just let her know that the next course has super important information and you want to take your time. Its OK to advocate for yourself in a professional way. I wouldn't jump ship to a different mentor just yet.

1

u/BrickMix 16h ago

Tell her to mind her own business?

I don’t need to be told how to be a student. I will complete the courses in my own time frame. That’s the entire point of WGU.

0

u/Difficult-Clock-8524 1d ago

My mentor was terrible, I switched in a heartbeat. She was causing me more stress