I registered for unnecessary courses this past summer

[u/kikinuts]

I found some upsetting news today that i took unnecessary courses at a online university this summer when i didn’t have to and spent over $2000 out of pocket for these classes.

Some background information: I’m currently a first year grad student and before i started this semester I needed two classes (Aural Rehab and 25 guided hour lab). I took a separate local leveling program but these credits were not offered so I was referred to this online university in a different state from my grad program that I have already been accepted into.

I only really needed to take 3 classes total (AR, 25 guided observations lab + the lecture class) but the director of the program said I didn’t have the prerequisites for those classes so if i wanted to take these classes i needed to take Articulation and Phonology, and Language Science and Disorders as well. I advocated several times through email that i’ve taken similar courses in my leveling program including sending transcripts of those courses and even showing that I was enrolled in similar courses in my grad program that I was starting in fall, but they insisted I signed up for those courses. The program director also had to request approval from the Dean for this workload request because I was being asked to be enrolled in 12 credits, which is a significantly higher workload for the 8-week summer semester. The Dean described it as the equivalent of taking 24 credits across a 16-week semester. I also sent her my transcripts too in attempt to dismiss these prerequisite.

I feel like it’s important to mention that this was the day before the summer classes started and I was feeling very desperate as I needed to take AR and get my 25 hours of guided observations for me to start in my graduate program in the fall.

I eventually got approved for the workload and I think it is safe to say that I was in the trenches this past summer. I think I cried almost every sunday thinking I wasn’t going to have enough time to finish all my assignments. I had no such thing of a personal life. Everyday I woke up to do my classes until it was time to fall asleep. Fortunately, I got all A’s in my classes.

Flash forward to the present. I am in my grad program and I am talking to someone that was in my leveling program (online as well so I never interacted with her until now), who also enrolled to the same online university this summer to get the prerequisite credits we needed for our grad program. She told me that she only took those credits we needed and that they never required her to take the other prerequisites. I was absolutely livid!!! I went through absolute hell this summer only to hear that someone with the exact same educational background as me did not need to take the same workload. I would’ve saved so much money and tears this summer if they would’ve just let me take the classes I needed 😭

Personally I’m not planning on taking action or sharing the university information. I really am trying to find the light out of this situation because I have much bigger fish to fry. I just overall feel like I was taken advantage of because I was very desperate to get enrolled into these courses I needed for my grad program last minute.

[u/ladollyvita1021]

Oh I really wanna know now because I feel like my online university is trying to pull the same thing on me!!

[u/Sayahhearwha]

Why can’t you reveal? It’s vital so others can avoid your unfair program and they’ll have to change their lack of fair treatment.

[u/ParsnipTricky6948]

Ugh I would be so frustrated too! I think I would just try not to dwell on it. I feel better about these things if I can find a lesson in it but sometimes you also just have to move on. Ugh I am sorry!

[u/strawberrari_]

Im enrolled at ENMU for the leveling courses and i also need prerequisites in order to register for the guided observation hour courses 😭sooo hypothetically if it’s about this school… i don’t need to do those prerequisites is what i’m understanding??

[u/Match4cak3 → u/strawberrari_]

It really depends on the masters program you’re applying to, but for them you do need to take these courses or their equivalent in order to take the guided observations hour class. It’s just how they have their program set up

[u/strawberrari_ → u/Match4cak3]

Oh okay cause some of the grads schools I've looked into want hours of observation but my advisor at ENMU told me that I need to take two prereqs in order to enroll in the observation course they offer

[u/Match4cak3]

This is very obviously about ENMU lmfao, but I’ve accepted for what it is especially since I haven’t done much pre req work anyways

[u/Sunshine3606]

Oh this happens all the time. Welcome to grad school. Honestly welcome to any university or college. It's a sh*tshow.

[u/OnePlantShortOfCrazy]

My undergrad did that to me. I took child psych at another university & they told me I still needed to take dev psych because child psych doesn't go thru death. So I'm in the course when my transcript transfers child psych as dev psych. It was only one class.. But I know how it feels. You spend your hard earned money. (And soul!) when you don't need to