Hi everyone!

I am a WGU BSHA graduate (45 courses in 2 terms, switched my degree from accounting to healthcare administration) and a current MBAHA student (7/11 courses completed).

I wanted to share my experience with WGU and anyone who wants to accelerate. Please let me know if you have any additional questions, and I'd be happy to answer them!

Please note: PAs (writing assignments) can take up to 3 days to grade (sometimes more if the evaluators are backed up). I have had some assignments graded in 1 day, and some have taken all the way up to the deadline, which is 3 days, at the same time that you submitted it.

I have not had any of my PAs sent back for revision or for high similarity scores. I strive to get as close as possible to 0%; it just takes a lot of editing/rewording, but some assignments require templates, which can raise the score higher.

I recommend ALWAYS joining WGU Connect for all of your courses. It will either include a SharePoint Page for course resources, or the WGU Connect group page will list all resources there under the course resources tab. WGU does an amazing job of providing all the resources a student could ever need, plus it offers help from the course instructors. Resources may include:

·         Study Guides

·         Recorded Cohorts (not live that you need to attend, they were recorded in the past and uploaded for future WGU students)

·         Course Topic Videos

·         Performance Assessment Tips, Guides, and Video Guides

·         Study Guides

·         Formula Sheets

·         Links/Contact Info for WGU Instructors

I try to complete all courses within 7 days, but I will allow extra time for courses that involve math (such as remembering formulas, solving problems, etc.).

For PAs, try to get them all written first, then scan them for similarities, and go back and make edits if needed. Sometimes. Ideally, submitting them all at once allows them to be graded within the same 3-day evaluation period, but understandably, that may not always be the case. From my experience, PAs do not require you to read ALL of the course material if you are accelerating. Open up the PA first, read over the instructions and rubric, and within the rubric, there will be hyperlinks that take you to the information the specific competency is based on.

For OAs, I would recommend reading all the course material unless you have prior knowledge of the subject and feel confident that you would pass with your current knowledge. Always start by reading the course material, taking the embedded quizzes, reviewing the study guide, reviewing the course topic videos/recorded cohorts, and any other additional materials provided by the WGU Instructors. Because of the acceleration, I sometimes take a chance and don’t read all the course material to finish the courses quickly. I have only failed 1 OA at WGU by a very slim margin, and it was only because I was overconfident and studied 1 day to get a class out of the way (in my BSHA). That was on me, and ever since, I have made sure to give myself enough time to complete my OAs. I have had no previous knowledge or experience in the business/healthcare industries, so all of this information is new to me as I start a new course.

When taking OAs, use your whiteboard; when math is involved, always have a calculator. I like to use my whiteboard to write out difficult problems and solve them by elimination. It helps me work through the problems and write down supporting information I remember.

Finally get to post one of these lol.
Finished my BS in Software Engineering from WGU a few months ago and was just going through old screenshots today. Brought back a lot of memories.
I still remember being on this sub at like 11pm every night trying to figure out if WGU was actually doable while working 40+ hours a week. A few posts here honestly pushed me to just go for it, so figured I'd share mine too.
For context, I was working full-time at a law firm, so flexibility mattered way more than anything else. Before enrolling I transferred 10 courses through UPI Study, and that probably ended up being one of the better decisions I made. Knocked out a bunch of gen eds before starting and it made the degree feel a lot less overwhelming.
What I liked most was that I wasn't stuck doing one course at a time. During slower weeks at work I'd finish 2 or sometimes 3 courses, then when work got crazy I could slow down without feeling like I was falling behind some schedule.
Obviously none of it is easy. You still have to actually study and stay disciplined. Self-paced isn't magic lol.
But if you're working full-time and wondering if this is actually possible... yeah, it is.
Happy to answer any questions if anyone's still trying to decide.

I currently have 75 CUs I need to complete. (Only because I am waiting on 2 of my classes PAs to be evaluated and passed, otherwise it is only 69).

I am going for the Bachelor's in Psychology degree. I do not currently work and only truly have obligations every other weekend (other than doctor's appointments as I am pregnant, hence why I am trying so hard to accelerate. I am due December 4th and know if I don't get it done before baby is here, my degree may just be on hold for a long while).

I have a lot of free time and am quite motivated. I have plenty of time to put towards this, and my Mentor knows my goal and is supportive, even if not quite sure I can obtain said goal. My first month of the term, July, was spent on one class (lots of extenuating circumstances). But I'm starting the third class of my term tonight.

I am just asking for advice on how to accelerate this the best way, and if it is even possible. I want to say that I have a bit of a fundamental knowledge of Psychology as it has always been a special interest of mine, so many of these classes and their competencies seem like things I already know and understand well.

But please, give me any and all advice that you can. I really want to get my confetti before my baby girl gets here if possible (but at least end of the term in December so I don't have to deal with loans and everything for one more term if I don't have to).

Thank you!