2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on May 6, 2013
(email verified)
| Materials: |
 |
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
 |
Technology: |
|
Must be highly motivated
Online learning presents a unique set of challenges as opposed to in the seat brick and mortar. If you are one who needs the F2F social aspect of learning, Walden should not be your choice (nor any online format for that matter). If you are highly independent and have the time to figure much of the detail out on your own, Walden MAY be a place where you can do well. I am in the final semester of year two (DBA program)with year three on the horizon in the fall of 2013. Academically, I am doing great. I have found that some of the professors are much better than others, which is likely the case mose everywhere. I am very interested in seeing how the final phase plays out and whether I encounter any of the horror stories written with getting the doctoral study completed and approved per schedule. I am truly not interested in personally financing the first brick library in Walden history so I am looking to follow the direction of my committee without getting caught up in the maze of confusion that so many have described.
I've done brick and mortar for undergrad and master's level work so this is a new experience. It has not been a negative experience, however it has been very different one. I am being stretched, which is expected. Think of it like this...at the doctoral/Ph.D. level....this is the only time in your educational life when you become a peer of those placing the degree into your hands. With that said, you knew it was not going to be a cake-walk and to have any respect around it, it should not be one.
I will be sure to check back and place a second posting as i have more experience in getting my doctoral study through URR and IRB. At that time, I may have a different story to tell. For now, all is well.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on May 1, 2013
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
 |
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD Candidate Management
I am a first year PhD student at Walden and when I first started, I thought I earned the grades just to obtain the money(financial aid). However, as I went on with the program, I notice my writing style changed, my perception had changed as well as my view point on how I was learning. Walden is not nor should it be a handholding school. You are attempting to join the elitist group and your hands will not be held...Walden provides you the opportunity to complete your program within an allotted time based on your skills you entered and gained as a scholarly practitioner....I am learning the prior style of writing from academic, business writing to scholarly writing. It is baed on what I intend to put into this program will determine what I obtain from the program. I have owned my business in Child Care, however, I am crossing the lines to Management since I enjoy the leadership role...everyone is not a leader, nor can handle the role as a leader...So, like the old saying...What you put into a recipe determines the best results of the rise of the cake....lol That's my saying...lol ..I am starting my second year with a 4.0..I hold a MSM-Leadership from Troy State University which is a brick and mortar however, I obtained my BS and MSM online from Troy....
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Christina.dean
(In Progress) on March 17, 2013
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD student of Walden's clinical psychology program
I have attended Walden University as a full-time student enrolled in the clinical psychology program since Dec. 2009. I have completed all of the coursework and I'm now writing my dissertation. While I was very hesitant to enroll in a program that offered an online forum, attending Walden is the best decision I have ever made. Not only are the faculty and the instructors readily available to assist students at all times, but I have found that the courses are much more challenging that my undergraduate degrees and my Masters degree I obtained from private "brick-and-mortar" universities. I also feel that I have learned much more as a result of attending such a hybrid program, as Academic-Year-in-Residency also allows students to network, perform assessments, meet in person with faculty and their advisor, etc. Walden is ahead of the game with regard to the future of offering an academically challenging forum for professionals who want to learn in a manner that allows them to still work. In light of the current economy and the lack of adequate funding for educational benefits offered by various corporations (to include government entities, such as the military), it is nearly impossible to attend a brick-an-mortar school while also continuing to work so that one can pay for their education and day-to-day living. The traditional focus of APA accreditation should be revised, as it is archaic and very biased. I commonly train APA credentialed psychologists and mental health professionals as a requirement of my military position. These professionals are very eager to work with me; however, once they ask me where I attend school they become very defensive and biased in the assumptions they make about non-APA accredited schools. These "professionals" should be more open-minded and willing to hear what APA equivalency schools (such as Walden) can offer.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on February 14, 2013
(email verified)
| Materials: |
 |
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
 |
Experience of a recent graduate
After graduating with a MPA I decided to take a leave of absence before beginning my doctoral studies. When I requested enrollment in the doctoral program I was informed of additional charges on my account. The charges were correct, part of the financial applied to my account during my final quarter was not applied. One would think this would be a easy fix, pay the outstanding balance, however, dealing with Walden’s financial and supportive services is extremely unpleasant and not such an easy task. Although I addressed the bill immediately, I found dealing with Walden a nightmare. My transcripts were held after the account was paid in full and the staff very hard to talk to. When I asked them why my transcripts were being held, they told me they wanted to collect the money I owed them. When I asked them how much I owed them, they confirmed my account was paid in full. Okay? The Walden staff told me they sent notices; however, like many others, I did not receive them and think these notices may have gone straight to spam? Before I enrolled in Walden some of the Walden correspondences went to spam but since my spam empties after thirty days, I don't know if they sent me any notices or not. There were notices on my Walden email, the problem was I was not an active student and did not check the account after I graduated. It took multiple calls to get any answer and I did not receive responses from support services.
Although I was very satisfied with the academics at Walden, I would not recommend the school. At this point I would be afraid that if anything occurred out of the ordinary one would be risking their degree. I will be continuing my education at another institution. My final resolution at Walden is that there is still a hold on my account although the account is listed as paid in full and I may or may not have continued access to my records. So in short, after $51,000 and successful completion of my program with a 3.84 GPA, I may or may not have access to my transcripts in the future but at least they would send them to my new institution, and according to Walden’s staff, I should be grateful.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Nsatallah
(In Progress) on February 8, 2013
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Great Experience!
My experience with Walden has been a great one so far. I am in my 8th course-only two more to complete my M.S. in Education, with a specialization in Professional Development. Starting with my enrollment, all through to my 8th course, I have been met with wonderful guidance and support of everyone I have come in contact with in this university. The enrollment representative, admissions, academic advisor, online support team, and professors have all been genuinely respectful and helpful every step of the way. I have been enrolled in Walden for almost a year and a half, and have encountered many personal issues which have been met with patience and understanding from all my professors. I have also met lovely people and made great friends whom I hope to keep after graduating. Walden is a very serious university, and as others have previously mentioned, just requires you to work seriously and hard. But again, this is what you should be doing if you chose to pursue a higher education. I want to thank Walden for this opportunity, and for teaching me so much. I hope to finish off my courses and enroll in their PhD program soon.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Grumpee78
(Graduate) on December 23, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Two Degrees From Walden
Before going to Walden, check with you school district or state to make sure the degree is approved. If you do not do this, then it is your fault, not theirs. Heck, they even give you a link on the main page when looking at the education degrees titled "Find information about Walden programs and licensure requirements specific to your state". They are also NAEYC recognized for early education. My experience was great at Walden. My state does have them to meet the licensure requirements and I know this because I checked before signing up. In fact, My sister in law graduated from Walden right before me with her masters degree and already has her raise and it was recognized.I have now gotten both my bachelors and am about to get my masters degree through them and found it to be a great experience. Some people complained it was hard, well its school, college, so it should be hard. As far as the e-portfolio program that you do with your degree, each class you take gives you the final week in the class to work on the assignments. They are graded right away and if they feel you need to do more for them, the teacher will email you and give you two weeks to fix it. All of these complaints about Walden sounds like it is coming from people that did not bother to call their state before they started to make sure the degree was covered, that they did not truly read their emails and coursework, or they messed up. I can honestly say I am not a Walden employee because I know sometimes employees come on to make positive comments for their school. I am a student, or was and you can even look up my name in the graduate list from Walden. Laura B Chandler.
6 of 12 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on December 12, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Worst Online University Ever
This University is very unprofessional and insensitive to students. The Professors were alright, but the admission advisors, particularly [name omitted] <---BEWARE of this witch, was very rude and expects students to do her work for her. She Never checks on how her students are doing to see if they are keeping up or feeling anxious or overwhelmed. What happens at this University is that they enroll you even before your financial aid goes through, [She] Never told me that I will not have online books, instead, she waited until after I was fully enrolled in 3 classes to tell me that my financial aid did not go through because she personally did not receive my transcripts that I had sent over many times electronically. She then expected me to go through my prior University which I had graduated from with my B.S.P degree myself. So, I was in my first semester, bookless and behind. I chose to leave the University because I stressed to her that I felt very anxious and uncomfortable with them not communicating or preparing me for all of this chaos with not being ready. I had a 4.0 at my last college that I graduated with; made the Deans List. Don't attend this University. All they care about is dollar signs rather than the will and health of their students. Also, she emailed me back not apologizing for any of her wrongdoing, but to tell me I was two days past withdrawal so I was in academic penalty to owe the institution money which they will NEVER RECEIVE. I was only here for a week and a half, not even, the most RIDICULOUS staff and school!!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Acphifer
(In Progress) on November 15, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
 |
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Like everything else you get what you put in...
I'm more than half way through the mental health counseling program. The program is what I expected, not too hard but a lot of work, you get what you put into the program.
I first looked for an accredited online a few months after I obtained my Bachelors degree. I was drawn to Walden because of the accreditation firstly. As well as how "pushy" the representative was, in a good way, she was able to answer all my questions about Walden, accreditation, and the online process.
Not sure I agree with people who saw they just want money or see dollar signs. That's their job, to make money as was the university that you would have previously attended.
Like all other land based or online colleges you will get professors who care and who don't. If you actually read the background information they provide they have decent qualifications and experience.
You have to put in the work though. I don't see how students expect things to be handed to them, your education is YOUR responsibility, no one else's. it's up to you to reach out to professors and students and follow your own interest.
This also applies to contacting the appropriate offices to get what you need. I had to request for time off due to the death of my father and like expected one teacher was helpfully and understanding and the other was horrible beyond belief. But that's to be expected I was In too much a state to look into more of a leave of absence. Which I didn't know was even an option. I would have taken it, so yes Walden can be heartless but is an establishment not your friend.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on October 23, 2012
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Current MBA Student
This degree is what you make of it. It is online, it is not too terribly difficult, especially if you already have a business degree like I do. I went to a brick mortar university for my undergrad and I found that much more challenging than Walden's MBA. That being said, I was also taking 4-6 classes per semester at a time as opposed to 1. I have a 4.0 and am almost done with my cores (8 classes with 4 remaining). The work is not overly challenging, however it is time consuming. You have to work to get an "A".
I can tell you exactly how to get an "A"... work your ass off. Weeks 1-6 are all typically the same except for Finance and Accounting. You have 1-2 discussion posts per week that are due Wednesday and responses to two peers by Friday. There will be some sort of assignment (3-5 page paper) due by Sunday. Week 7 is always set aside for your business plan section that corresponds to the class, i.e. Marketing does the marketing section. Week 8 is the Blueprint for Professional Growth (BPPG) which is a self-reflection of what was learned that term. For Accounting and Finance, think back to high school/college math classes. There are problems assigned every week as well as quizzes based on the homework. You can fake (BS) your way through some papers with proper research, but good luck doing that in Finance.
I can certainly see how people can fail these courses. They are typically slackers that cannot handle the workload. It is a lot, but certainly manageable. You need to be disciplined and reasonably intelligent.
The big question is, is this MBA worth the price and will it open any doors? I am not sure yet, I have yet to graduate. I was hoping to get into teaching at community colleges and other online schools, as well as opening my own business. I doubt anybody that gets any of these "for profit" degrees will be teaching at any top tier school. I was not expecting to be catapulted into an executive position or anything like that upon graduation. I think that when looking at other "for profit" MBA's, this is as good as it gets. If you have the options and are deciding between an online MBA at a "for profit" and a online MBA at a public university, go with the public every time. There are a lot of great public schools like ASU, U of A, Cincinnati, Washington State, and lots more that offer online MBA's as well as similar price points. I had no desire to take the GMAT and I did not have the high marks or the resume to get into one of the public programs. If I wanted an MBA, this was my best choice.
I also hear people complaining about some of the caliber of students that Walden allows. All I can say is that I went to a pretty good State school and I had idiots in those classes too. I have had colleagues that went to Ivy leagues, and they had idiots too. Let's face, they are everywhere. We have all met people that have distinguished degrees and careers and did not seem like the brightest. How many doctors and lawyers have you met that were complete morons?
There you have it. That is my take on the Walden MBA program. Good luck in whatever decisions that you make with pursuing your education.
10 of 14 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on October 17, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Financial Aid
Walden University is not worth your time! This is the second time in a row that their financial aid department has screwed up. This time, they waited until the end of the term before contacting saying that they needed this form filled out. When it was filled out and emailed to them, two weeks later they claim that they were waiting on verification from the IRS. A week after receiving that email from them, an IRS form was sent to the house claiming that they couldn't verify the request that was sent to them from Waldren because they didn't include the home address. Every time I called or even my husband, the person that answered the phone would hang up. They wouldn't even answer one single question. After the last time I called and they hung up on me, I immediately called them back and when they answered the phone I informed them that I was turning them in to FASA, and they would more than likely also be having an audit, because they were mishandling funds. Once I was done telling them this, I hung up and I called FASA and reported them, the people at FASA were very helpful, and they apologized for the way Walden was handling this. While I was on the phone with this nice lady, she asked me if she could put me on hold that she was going to call Walden. When she came back on the line, she informed me that I was right, they don't answer any question and they had hung up on her. She also told me that she was going to be looking into them. I will not be referring anybody to attend Walden University ever! I am in the process of checking out other place that will accept the credits that I've received from Walden, and if another university does accept them, I will be transfering.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on September 16, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Long delays; No communication between professors
I'm in the 8th or 9th term of my dissertation, and now on the 5th URR revision. The process is that first the chair has two weeks to review a revision. If the chair wants revisions - and we're talking minor changes - most that weren't communicated in earlier revisions, he or she sends it back to the student. The student returns a revised version to the chair perhaps by the next day. Then the chair gets another two weeks to review. On to the URR, and yet another two weeks is added to this one URR review cycle. Count up those weeks. It's half of the term, over $1500. I figure that I've paid probably an additional $15,000 simply due to the delays throughout the six years that I've attended Walden. There is not normal discussion as might take place in a brick or mortar school between faculty members and students toward simple agreement about revisions. Yes, faculty will wait until the last minute to review, edit and return documents. Absolutely, that's been my experience, too. Delay after delay after delay. I hope to graduate soon and end this nightmare. The professors are fine, most very skilled with expertise in their respective fields. Holding students' graduation up is simply not right. Who does support the student? Anyone know?
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on August 23, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Ph.D in General Psychology for Teaching
I have attended Walden since 2010. I earned my masters degree at Walden, and am now working toward my doctorate. I would not still be there if the educational quality was not excellent. I have read a large number of reviews knocking Walden. No institution of higher education is perfect. Nor are all the instructors, I've had my share of losers-the majority do care about their students AND their success.
Reading the negative reviews is rather amusing. Walden is hard work, if one wants an easy ride it is obviously not the university for you. The written word is respected, and in reading a number of these reviews it is obvious why these students did not find Walden to their liking.
Whether in the minority or majority all students are given the opportunity to excel, but one has towork to earn the distinction. I have had many minorties in my classes, I would be considered a minority-by the way the Hispanic student has the highest majority of students in higher education. White students are a minority in 2012, not necessarily at Walden, but in the statistics for the United States. So if someone have a complaint against Walden,it is usually because they were low perfomers and wanted an easy ride.
Before reading all the negative complaints and making a decision about attending Walden, think about the post. Is it literate, do the errors in the post exceed the rest of the post. If so you know that the person writing the post has an axe to grind--they were not offered a free ride. I have not been given a free ride--I have my share of loans, you only accept the loans YOU want, no one forces anyone to accept them. Beware of axe grinders, throwing to many slings with them dulls them.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on August 7, 2012
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
 |
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
FINANCIAL AID AT WALDEN
Students' who are experiencing problems with financial aid (FA) is not because of some flaw within the Department of Education (DOE) as claimed; the problem is with Walden. They are holding on to the funds until the last possible moment to see if you the student will drop a course possibly making you ineligible for FA. God forbid if you are getting a refund, they act as though they are required to pay it back; especially if it’s a grad plus or private loan. Speaking to other students, they all experience the same issue especially when expecting refunds. The DOE has stated that they have not had any problems as stated and claimed by WU-- FA Dept. Most of the loan servicing depts.; i.e., Sallmae are baffled by this claim. To the student who had the problem with the student loan funding issue, you need to get on the phone because something is up.
Students required to attend those repetitive residencies I am sure benefit from the refund to assist with hotel and air fare. Walden intentionally places a hold on the funds—and later fwds daily emails regarding holds on the account. If an emergency arises and you can’t attend a residency for example, or if you fall below the six credits needed, your loan will be cancelled. You will then need to pay out of pocket for the other courses. There is a payment plan but through another system. There are specific requirements, you will need to call to find out. I think that they are using the money. Or it appears very strange that funds are released after a term has ended. Or even, while attending a residency in a land far far away, suddenly the funds are disbursed.
Overall, the school is a mess! And to the individuals who make comments about the Chair Advisor/Committee, thanks!!!!! I was wondering what the issue was; three advisors for over 500 students applying. I know students who have tried for up to 2 years searching for an advisor. And when you find an advisor, there is no committee. Someone needs to start a class action lawsuit, and WU needs to pay back all the loans students borrowed.
Excuse the punctuation and errors as they are not as serious at the moment. What is more serious, is the fact that WU is not holding up to its standards
Ps. students are being expelled for plagiarism; issues such as forgetting to credit a source is just crazy. I have seen student expelled for cutting and pasting the shell of an exam--a take home exam!!!
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on July 30, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Good Experience--Don't Believe the Bad Reviews
First, let me say that with any online degree program, you get out of it what you put into it. If you are looking to coast through a PhD or MS degree with little to no work, then this school is NOT for you! I am currently conducting my research and plan to finish my PhD within the next 6 months. During my time at Walden I have had good instructors and good support. The IRB and research office are VERY efficient and anything I submitted was usually reviewed and approved within 1 week. For the person that commented on the student population as being primarily minority and low income, well, I have to say that I am neither and that statement is totally inaccurate. I saw and met many white students that obviously had professional careers at my residencies. Sure, the student population is diverse, but many colleges are these days. The majority of students I met at my residencies and in my courses worked full-time in the field related to the degree they were pursuing, had families, and wanted to further their education. This is a good school for working professionals that want to further their education. As with any college, if you don't put forth the time and effort to study, learn the material, and submit the assignments and exams on time, you will not get a very good grade.
20 of 28 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on July 25, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
A Real Joke; And A Waste of Money
I would like to state that I was[ ] a student in attendance at Walden University, (WU). Any student considering taking classes this university should read all reviews; in my honest opinion they are accurate. I strongly believe that individuals who have written A1 reviews; are staff and have probably been paid to write the review.
The student body appears to be made up from a high percentage of African American, Hispanic, and White individuals from middle to low income communities. The other small percentage are from other countries. This determination is based on statistical reviews and observations at residencies.
The staff or at least those attending the residencies are at least 99% lily white.
You will waste your money at WU—point blank! If you want to take a course here or there—okay. As for a real career move, and to become the recipient of an outstanding degree; or help with social change, this is not the place.
I cannot begin to tell you the racism that I experienced when if first enrolled. It’s not important so I will leave it at that.
Walden is basically a trap that sucks the life out of the financial aid and loans that students are granted. The financial aid office is a joke. You cannot get through on the telephone without speaking to student support first. The student support team, like academic advising, technical support and all the other live chat prove to know absolutely nothing but script reading. Let me add, they sound sleep or waking up off of some high as a result of drug use.
My experience with financial aid, and the fact that I have taken out personal loans to fund my education are for some reason always on hold. After waiting literateraly until the next term for money that I will need to pay back; not to mention approved as a result of my credit, and by the DOE; I get a nasty response from the support team when I question. The first thing that is mentioned is that your refund blah, blah, blah , ;when my primary reason for my calling was to determine the date the tuition will be applied to my account. The financial aid office continuously communicates information via email “there is a hold on your account…”. With this being the case, if the funds were sent to the school, why aren’t the funds released?
Attendance at residencies is truly a shame. How many times do you need to speak with an academic advisor? Not to mention, standing in the long childish lines, and free coffee is what you get for the high tuition students’ pay.
The same information and speakers year after year. A real waste of money; this is both actual and the now virtual. If you would like to go to Spain, go for fun; not to go over APA’s Manual again. The designated hotel, very expensive. The flights, very expensive. These residencies make absolutely no sense. They really need to be for free or always online.
Securing a Mentor and Chair Committee is the third joke; it might be the 20th joke to some; or perhaps the impossible dream [remember the song]. I have been trying to get a mentor for almost two years now. I am seeking to enroll in a traditional university; in this case I can back track what I missed.
This is not to state that all online schools are bad. Taking electives while waiting to secure a mentor and chair committee are not all bad because you are initiating continuous class room learning.
If I had to do this all over again, I would not choose WU.
51 of 56 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Jkterry2003
(In Progress) on July 25, 2012
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
My time at Walden University
On September 9, 2009, I enrolled into Walden University’s Master in Mental Health Counseling program. Now, three years later, 22 core courses, a GPA of 3.34, and $80,000.00, I have been expelled from the university, to never re-apply. I would like to add, I was enrolled in the third week of my very last core course, and preparing for my internship. The university has added “Turnitin” as a tool to check for plagiarism, to the course requirement. But, it appears to me, that not all the professors have the same level of knowledge and understanding of the tool. I have been given different information by different professors. Or, when I inquired, I was unable to assist me with knowledge about the tool.
I am absolutely shocked at being expelled for the reason that was given to me. Plagiarism. Yes, I was accused of plagiarizing a final paper. I disagree with the school’s findings. But, who am I? I attempted to argue my case, but fell on death ear. Even though I have three years invested, $80,000.00 in cost and have successfully completed all the core courses except one, Walden University did not consider me worth their time to teach me what I was doing wrong. Is this the type of institution of higher learning you would enjoy learning from? I would like to point out, as a 61 year old, I have a BS degree in Psychology, Sociology and a minor in Education, a MS degree in Guidance, Counseling and Human Services, have been working as a Mental Health Counselor at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in San Francisco, California for the past 10 years, and was previously the Director of Mental Health at a 1,600 inmate prison. I said all that to say, Walden University is not my first professional encounter and I do bring experience and a wealth of knowledge to the table. I think I deserve more than what Walden University think I deserve.
“Turnitin” is not rocket science, therefore, I am capable of learning whatever is necessary. But, evidently Walden University thought otherwise. I wonder how and why they arrived at that decision? I think Walden University is attracted to dollar signs and less interested in educating. This has been the worst decision I have made in my entire life. An unfortunately, I will not live long enough to repay all the money I have borrowed to attend Walden University. Please, seriously think about your decision to attend a heartless institution as Walden University. Good luck.
Thank you,
James Kenneth Terry
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Ren1211962
(In Progress) on June 11, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Let's set the record straight...
I am in my third quarter of the MS MHC program at Walden. I have ready most of the reviews here and have a few things to say. I signed up for information and received several phone calls, but wasn't ready. The phone calls and emails stopped. A year later, I called back. The woman I talked to was thorough, answered all my questions and even emailed me during my first quarter to see how I was doing. She let me know clearly what degrees were on track for licensure and which ones were not. When I went to my first residency I did not know what to expect. Yes, it is social. But wonderful. Being with a group of people who have the same goals and interests and are geared to learn? Awesome! It was also an intense learning experience, which gave me so much more of an understanding of counseling than I had. I have always gotten an email or phone response to my questions from instructors, and academic advising called to see if I had any questions even when I didn't. During coursework they make you look up the laws and requirements in your state (during first and second quarter) so that you are aware of the road you need to take. I needed to add a course and extra quarter of internship for licensure in my state. Pay attention, be self-motivated and independent and you will receive a high-quality education here. My only concern is the fact that some of the content seems to be geared towards simply accepting what they think instead of learning the value of critical thinking. Great teachers, great library, supportive staff and organized program content. Overall, I highly recommend !
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
33 of 40 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Rkara
(In Progress) on May 17, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Misguided comments
Most of these comments are misguided. Graduate education, especially at a PHD level is about independent thought. If you were hoping for hand holding, then Walden is not for you. I am in the process of completing my PHD in PUBH and I can attest to the quality of education I received. The same experience extends to many other graduates and current students. As always, people who make comments online tend to be the outliers for many reasons. I just felt obliged to provide another side to the story, which by the way I believe represents the MAJORITY of graduate students at Walden. I challenge you to try going through a brick and mortar program and then come back a few years later and comment on your experience, particularly in regards to availability of faculty and support for your studies. I can almost guarantee you that it will be worse, unless ofcourse you are willing pursue your advisors research. Eitherway, good luck to you folks and just remember, what you put in is what you get out!!! Don't forget that most students at Walden, already have successful careers, hence, they are past the facination with the superficial factors such as brand name of the school etc. They are mostly driven by a specific academic goal, which is mostly postive social change. NOT ALL WHO ENROLL ACTUALLY COMPLETE THE PHD..there is a reason for that...and you are prime example!
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Mrsfarley
(In Progress) on May 12, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Finding it to be a great experience
At this point I have had a very positive experience. I work as a full-time teacher while I pursue my education. I have been teaching for nearly 20 years, and I appreciate having materials that reflect the newest research in education. I find the courses to be meaningful and useful to the work that I do. The only regret that I have in that respect is that I don't have a lot of time at this point to implement some of the new ideas that I've encountered.
Walden is also economical compared to other online programs, and though I am paying for it entirely in loans, gaining this education will result in three pay raises for me, guaranteed, so I will eventually gain it all back. The workload has been manageable, and the assignments have been challenging enough. In other words, they have not been so simplistic that I felt my intelligence was being insulted or that I was wasting my time. Instead, they have been challenging but not obtuse or theoretical to the point of absurdity. As a teacher, I find it especially difficult to work with theoretical material that seems to have very little connection to the realities of the classroom.
As for the professors, I have found that all but one has been supportive enough and helpful; they have all worked in education mostly as retired teachers and administrators who understand what we, the students, are experiencing. However, one professor was pretty mediocre, if that. He started with a lot of self-promotion and tough talk about due dates, and then he himself was remarkably flaky and poorly experienced in the process and curriculum of the course he was teaching. I also found him to be ridiculously nit-picky with a limited view of the overall objectives. It sounds terrible, but I just did what I had to do and came out fine. Luckily, Walden requires that students complete an instructor evaluation at the end of each course.
The bottom line is this. If you need a lot of personal support and you have uncertainties about your ability to complete graduate-level work, you might find Walden to be inadequate for your needs (online learning in general probably isn't a good idea for that person); however, if you are a working teacher who can work independently with little trouble, and you want an affordable program that will give you a solid education in current educational scholarship without killing you, I recommend this program.
20 of 32 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Danielle.ciccoli
(In Progress) on May 9, 2012
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Horrible: Read On
Walden is a horrible university and decided to write this after trying to chat today for chat support. Nobody was on the other line but they did say, "how can I/we assist you". I then tried to chat in a few more times with no luck. The same goes for email support or phone support. I have repeatedly emailed financial aid with no response. I have never received a call from financial aid, giving me reason to make sure they had the correct phone number to do so. They do! They haven't even emailed me at my Walden email except to tell me when I didn't pass a class, that they were sending my loans back which they can't do according to Dept. of Education regulations. I have tried to call/left vms, email, chat etc. but all's they want is their money which they then created a retroactive debt of 1400 something dollars for a class and don't offer payment plans! What kind of school doesn't offer a payment plan and does not abide by D of Ed regulations? I work in the office of financial aid at AIU and know the regs! I would be taking classes there but I had already started my Masters program. It's horrible. The only calls I have ever received were from my admissions advisor, go figure and academic advisor when they had technical issues this past semester and dropped every student from their classes. The academics are horrible too! Regurgitation is the word. Swollow some words from sub prime books and learning material and write me some papers. The only thing they care about is APA formatting and teachers never give you any criticism or feedback whatsoever. In the last class I took, Diversity and Motivation, I had gotten 100% on all assignments without a single comment from my teacher, probably because I was the only native English speaker in the class. The rest of the student's English was soo bad that my eyes were bleeding. I would go to AIU or a school owned by CEC. I can tell you they take care of their students and it is quite the opposite. Calling to many times and annoying you is better then never calling you and you getting screwed!
18 of 26 people found the following review helpful
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
6
10
Anthea.lavergne
(In Progress) on May 6, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Instructional Design Nightmare
I was very excited when beginning Walden back in December of 2011. I had just completed a master's program at another online university. So, I think that my expectations were based on my prior experience and so far, Walden has not met my expectations.
First, at least in my Ph.D. program (education), the initial courses focus on heavily the fundamentals and skills that one should know and have as a post graduate student. Everything is about being a steward of the discipline, plagiarism, APA format, and paraphrasing. The other courses give you work to do in relation to your degree, but it's usually poorly sequenced, chunked, and organized. Many of the assignments greatly mimicked those that I had completed in my undergrad program. Yet another factor that has driven up my frustration level. There is also the lack of differentiation in the assignments and they do not lend the ability to independently, and freely think, most of the assignments tend to sway you in the direction they you want to go. That doesn't sit well with me.
My instructors so far have been great with the exception of maybe one who has not given much feedback or tried to connect with me.
This has been my experience with Walden. I think that my learning needs have not been met because there is currently no system in place to accelerate those of us who absorb information quickly and keep them advancing.
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on April 13, 2012
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
We're all just dollar signs to them
I am currently enrolled at Walden in the MS in MCFC program. I'm more than a year in and I feel like I have completely wasted this year. The assignments are nothing more than read and regurgitate, and when you do dare to think outside the box, you get blasted by professors who states that you didn't follow the assignment. Yes, I have a 4.0, but what is that worth if I feel I'm not learning or retaining anything? And Academic Advising is a joke. Beginning last quarter, I had some very serious concerns about the way faculty managed the classroom protocol. I was told to address those concerns to Advising and received no feedback or response, and nothing changed. Fast forward to the current quarter, where I am in a class where the professor refuses to answer simple questions or give adequate feedback. After attempting several times to get answers from this professor and finally being told to stop asking questions, I again turned to Advising. 3 emails and 5 phone calls later, I still have no results. No change, no assistance, nothing. I recognize that Walden is a for-profit school, but they lure you in with pretty words about social change and making a difference, then dismiss you as unimportant when you challenge the status quo. I plan to complete this quarter as best I can and then leave Walden for another program. I'm paying for my education and therefore paying the salaries of all those who have let me down, and I know I deserve better treatment than this.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on March 6, 2012
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
DBA student (current)
As an "update" re: Walden DBA: It is apparent that Dr. Turner, as the Progrm Director, has added rigour, and veracity, to the program. At this time the progrm demands are considerable; if anything, the claims of a "flxible" schedule is somewhat misleading (time commitment).
The College of Management and the DBA program specifically, is now accredited to the ACBSP national standard. The classromm environment (technically) is a "work in progress" and has room for improvement. As with any program, there is some variance in professor styles, and level of interation (teaching) with students. I have had some exceptional instruction and I have endured a class that I felt was self taught.
I feel that this program has a solid foundation for propective (self driven and motivated) students. For the most part (mid program) there is a "deal breaker" course (strategy) that serves to seperate the stragglers from the course (it is very demanding). The program remains an "open institution" requiring a graduate degree w/ 3.0 GPA. As such, some propective doctoral students should not be considering a doctoral terminal degree.
My most critical comment woud be the requirement to add subject matter experts in the respective business disciplines (as mentors and committee members).
Sincerely.
10 of 14 people found the following review helpful
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on November 10, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD in Org Psych
Current PhD Student
If you are considering enrolling at Walden, please read all the reviews. They are helpful, and for the most part very accurate.
Walden's strengths- the I/O programs and content. Some of the faculty are excellent. My chair is superb. He is not easy, he is demanding, but he is top notch. Choose committee members that have positions at Walden other than just being an adjunct as there tends to be turnover.
Walden's weaknesses are their administrators. They refuse to assign advanced graduate students academic advisors, they do not return e-mails or phone calls, they will not give you their name when you call, and they even sigh on the phone. This is unacceptable given the cost of tuition. I applied for scholarship money and it is been like pulling teeth to get even the smallest amount of assistance. They would not verify information for the organization, and each department tells you it is another department's responsibility.
I am glad I am close to being done, but I am sorry that I have spent so much money. I live in an area of the country that has a lot of colleges, but few doctoral programs. When I coach undergrad students, I have stopped having them consider Walden as a choice.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on October 26, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Bad Experience - Dissertation Nightmare and More
My experience at Walden has been anything but wonderful. I would have left Walden for another university, but by the time I realized I had made a big mistake it was too late. It was too late because the laws in my state regarding accreditation and licensure changed. If Walden had been up front and honest about the changes in the licensure I would not have enrolled there. While it is not their job to keep me abreast of the laws, it would have been nice if they had shared information which they were privy to way before I and other student like me could have known. Once confronted on the matter, they started telling other students about the licensure changes. I should mention, because Walden is not APA accredited, my state would no longer accept the doctorate degree as eligible for full licensure status. I am aware of five students who begin to tell student in their classes about the changes so that anyone who had not already invested too much time would be able to enroll in a program that would lead to licensure. We were completely mortified at the fact that Walden knew, admitted it (I still have the email of conversation between administration and myself), and did not tell enrolling students.
In all honesty, I believe the education at Walden is comparable to any brick and mortar university. There are also some excellent instructors. However, the turnover rate was high. It seemed many of the instructors that were good ended up leaving. Overall, my experience with instructors has been good. It is not the good experiences that make me want to pull my hair out, it is all of the bad experiences at Walden.
If finding out that I would need to take way too many classes per quarter to get done in time to meet the licensure requirements of my state weren't enough, the administration at Walden and the dissertation process was enough to drive me crazy. The only comfort I have in that comment is that I heard the same thing from several other students without soliciting negative feedback.
Administration seems to have varying different answers to questions; it simply depends on which person talked to on what day. My advice, always, always, always get it in writing. It is amazing how forgetful administration is there. Apparently, their ability to keep notes on the computer does not work very well.
As for my dissertation, well I have been working on it for over two years now. One might think presume I am a bit slow for it to take so long. However, the truth of the matter is that I believe Walden wants as much of my money as possible before I graduate. I went an entire quarter without a methodologist. I had one, a very good one; he resigned from Walden after a year being on my committee. He agreed to continue to help. Walden would not allow it! Walden also had not one single faculty member who was willing to be on the committee. The interim department head eventually found someone, someone who up to that point had not responded to one of my emails requesting her to be on my committee. It took the interim department head about eight weeks before he finally had the time to find someone. I guess it did not matter to him the laws changed in my state and I had a limited amount of time to complete my dissertation.
It also does not matter to my Chair that my time is limited. She has asked me at several different times where we left off in the process. What? She also asks me what the IRB said needed to be changed. I am confused. Did she read the email the IRB sent her? Did she read the comments I posted in the document I sent her (which was what the IRB said). I have been waiting since July 1st for IRB approval. The IRB is a pain, but the real hold up is my committee at this point.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5
10
(In Progress) on October 3, 2011
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Jamel D. Walden University
Maybe it is just me but this school seems to be a really hard if you were taught to do school assignments differently. It's like this. The way I was taught to do papers is totally different from what these instructors want. Every paper that I was taught how to do is to make sure most of it is in your own words just like the school material is, but I have recieved a person's paper from an instructor on how a paper should be. People, this paper was almost all citations. The instructors do not even go by the mandatory DQ assignments, they want it their own way. As a matter of fact they are not even the one's that give the assignments. They have someone else make up the assignments for the class. They ask questions on tests that aren't even the book or the person that made the assignments, got them from the wrong book. For example a test that I took for my Leadership class. There were a few questions that was on chapter 29 of the book and the course material is only chapters 1 through 12.
If I could do things over I would prefer to go to an on campus college. I went to a 2 year college and was acing my classes, the only thing that sucked is that they did not like the fect that I never went to class. They told me it was not my grades, because the instructors informed them that when I did go to class, I helped the other people, it was my lack of showing up to class.
That was my fault totally. I figured hell if i can pass tests and papers with A's and B's I wouldnt need to go, boy was I wrong. I guess it is my own stupidity.
Last night I talked to one of my classmates and he said he is passing with a 3.2 and he puts his paper through a website that does everything for you from grammar and what you should have as citations. Now I'm like damn, if only I would have known that the teachers like that better. Oh he also informed me that they use a specfic Word format and if you send them a paper and do not have that program you will get a deducted grade. How f'ed up is that. Well if I don't graduate from there, I at least hope there is a school that will accept a 1.9.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
8 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on July 13, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Yes - its Bad if you're not just after a piece of paper.
First, the interface is goofy and overabundant; there is a syllabus 1, 2, course instructions, calendar and application. All of which have different specifics on how the work is to be done, but you also have the instructors putting out their own rubrics.
The teachers are not bright, they encourage groupthink, do not grade by the syllabus, and are educational in their approach with the students. It's more like a social gathering in the discussions and, in several instances, I've had to correct the instructors on items they had wrong. It is very clear that the instructors are not very educated themselves and are not familiar with theories that are taught.
The books are expensive, and they require multiple editions to be order. For example, one class was three books, but we only need about 1/4 of it to complete the course. The rest of the course, we never talk about anything out of the other books, which cost well over $150 dollar for three, but that's because I bought at discount prices. If you purchase at full price, well, goodluck. They said "oh yeah," you can download the books for less, but that's not true. The downloads are the same price as regular books.
They told me that I could take classes where I would work alone, but that's not true. My very first class, I am stuck in groups with mandatory weekly meetings that I could not attend.
Anyway, it's just been an awful, awful experience. I am in my second class, but I will be leaving as soon as it's done.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5
10
Musamansa11
(In Progress) on April 30, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Rip Off Big Time
I am currently attending Walden's purported PhD Public Health program and I have to tell you, it's a major joke on the students.
The professor, who also earned his doctoral degree from Walden, does not disseminate any useful information, and forget about lectures as there are none, not even PowerPoint presentations. He makes very casual comments in response to the students' posts and never offers anything substantial. He grades the assignments but it is clear that he does not read them as he offers no feedback. His only focus is that we use APA formatting. There is absolutely no way that anyone will learn anything about public health in this type of setting. And while Walden boasts about having instructors who are experienced, what's the point if the intructors are not sharing that experience or expertise in the classroom. I am a 12 year public health veteran and could definitely teach or should I say manage the activity in the classroom as there is absolutely no teaching. It claims that it is a student centered environment wherein students teach each other. The problem with that argument is students are not qualified and nor should they be expected to teach their fellow doctoral classmates. Many of them are simply paraphrasing information for the sake of answering a question. A significant number do not have a background in public health.
Anyone claiming to learn from this setup is actually lying or is too ignorant to realize that she/he is being exploited. You will learn more from reading books and scientific articles than this university.
They also exploit their students by requiring them to attend 4 so-called residences out of state and usually in large metropolitan cities like Atlanta. The students have to pay an additional registration fee, plus housing and transportation all for the sake of hanging out with their faculty and fellow students. In addition, the guest speaker is never someone in the public health field. This year Eric Michael Dyson will speak. While I have his books, he has no experience in my area, hence, why would I pay money to hear him speak, and how is this experience considered a residency. During a residency, the student usually works at an external organization in h/his area of study; these are not residences, rather social gatherings that fill Walden's pockets.
Therefore, if you merely want a worthless degree, and expensive one, this is the place for you. If you want to truly learn about public health, I strongly advise you to attend a traditional public health program at a state university. I realize that sitting in a classroom is so yesterday and an inconvenience but you will learn a lot more and establish real relationships with your faculty and public health community. This will be my first and last course at Walden.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Verondab
(In Progress) on March 26, 2011
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
1st Semester M.S., Mental Health Counseling, Forensic Counseling
I am in my 1st semester of M.S., Mental Health Counseling, Forensic Counseling with Walden University. I must say, I was very doubtful to say the least in obtaining a Master's degree online, specifically regarding my area of expertise. As of right now, I am sooooo thrilled that I chose Walden U. There is a Student Support Group on Facebook, started by other students, that offers great advice, work arounds, and support.
My instructor is phenomenal and the course work required is right inline with preparation for a Clinical Practice and even sets the tone for Ph.D.
If you are second guessing yourself about Walden U., please rethink the process. Sure, there is not a perfect school, even the traditional brick and mortar, but the quality of education that I am receiving is surpassing my expectations, which are usually held in very high regard. I already have made some connections for possible internships and am looking forward to completing my first residency in the next few months.
Come aboard with an open mind, focused, and ready to achieve your goals and you will not fail!!!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on January 22, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Excellent program!
I am in my third semester with Walden in the Master's of Science Counseling program. Before choosing Walden I conducted research on the school and read other Walden students' reviews and decided to take a chance on it. I will abmit, I was a little worried, because it is an online program and I wanted to make sure that I was going to prepare me to take on a new career in the counseling profession. As it turns out, the professionals are VERY professional, knowledgable and friendly. I have only great things to say about this school. If you are thinking that this program is going to be easy, you might want to re-consider. The professors hold high standards (which should be expected in a graduate program), they expect you to produce quality material, whether for weekly discussions or weekly papers or final projects in APA style format. You are required to attend and participate in two residencies over the duration of the program which are very intense; especually the last residency which you will engage in 10 hours of group counseling sessions. The professors are very supportive and helpful in enhancing your skills to help you complete the residencies and master skills that will make you an effective future counselor. I have yet to have one instructor I did not feel cared about my success. In addition, the program is very focused on making sure you understand your state's requirements toward attaining licensure before you complete the program.
I would argue that about this program is about 70% online. The other 30% would consist of residency and internship practicum hours that you must complete prior to graduation. Keep in mind, this program is CACREP accreddited, which means that this program is internationally recognized and will take dedication, the degree will be just be handed to you, you have to actually work for it. If I could give you advice it would be being very familar with APA style format, be self-motivated, computer savy, dedicated, and possess good time management abilities and you will succeed. As of 2009, was able to introduce a new Chapter to Sigma Chi Iota Honors Society, which means that if you possess a 3.5 or higher after your first residency or third semester you would be invited by the Director of the program's Chapter to become a member of the program's Chapter and join the Sigma Chi Iota. This school genuinely cares about their students and their success. Don't think that because it is "online" that you will not recieve a quality education. It is an EXCELLENT program! This is coming from a student who recieved an undergraduate degree from a traditional university (UNLV) and I have been very impressed!!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on January 17, 2011
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD in public health
Overall, my experience at Walden has been good. The only thing I don't like is that not every staff is knowlegeable and consistent in answering our questions. For example, I have asked different enrollment and academic advisors regarding the PhD in Public Health accreditation and when we can start our dessertation. My enrollment advisor told me she didn't know about public health program accreditation, and my academic advisor told me it is not accredited. So then I emailed the program coordinator, who told me that the PhD program in Public Health is not accredited by CEPH because the lack of CEPH accreditation on this program will not adversly affect students in the long run, since a PhD degree is an academic degree and not a professional degree. MPH degree, on the other hand, is important to be accredited. Other than some staff not knowing answers to our questions, I liking my courses thus far; things are flexible at Walden and enables me to complete my assignment whenever I want throughout the week. There is a lot of reading and writing in the PhD in public health program so I take note on this; at least one assignment a week per course. At the end of the day, I am learning a lot from my courses at Walden so I am satisfied.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
10
10
William.molnar
(In Progress) on January 12, 2011
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD Education K-12 Leadership
My experience with Walden University has been nothing but great. My first contact with Walden was with a representative who was extremely knowledgeable and very understanding of my needs and goals. After steering me in the right direction, I was accepted to the school of Education and given a mentor. I could not have asked for a better person!! He is available to me at all times. I can contact him by phone when necessary and if I e-mail him, he respons within 24 hours. Every class I have taken has been very helpful to my career. I have found myself applying a lot of what I have learned from my courses at Walden to my job. I think the classes can be challenging but one only gets out of it what one puts into it. Many students feel the courses are too easy and professors do not care but I find the complete opposite. The professors are very good in their fields and every tiime they respond to my discussions, they always leave me with something to think about that helps me in my occupation. I find the materials to be very helpful. I always purchase the suggested texts for reference and use them frequently when working on various class projects. With regards to the library, I have had nothing but wonderful experiences. If I need help, I can always reach someone on the phone and if I leave a message, they always call back. If I e-mail them, they always e-mail back within 24 hours. My only concern is the finances. I do feel $20,000 a year is steep. I am $65,000 in the hole as of now and I expect it to reach $100,000. I must keep in mind that this PhD is going to advance me in my career and allow me to follow my dreams which would be impossible without the degree.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
2
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on December 19, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
The worst mistake I've ever made
I began the PhD in Sepcial Education program at Walden in the Fall of 2006. Since that time, Walden has changed several aspects of the program, adding to the length of time for me to complete my degree (so far, 3 quarters have been added at a cost of approximately $4200.00 per quarter). Even though I was Accepted under the 2005/2006 catelogue, Walden did not "Grandfather" myself or other students when these changes were made. I am too close to finishing, so now I am stuck with ever changing and conflicting rules. My current personal favorite is that after completing and accpetance of my proposal, and subsequent data collect, the Univeristy Research Reviewer has changed her mind about my proposal and now wants signifcant portions of the proposal re-written along with the research questions. This is totally inapropriate, vilotas Walden's stated policy, yet I have been told to "jump through the hoop" (yes, that is an exact quote).
I urge you to save yourself time, money, frustration and aggravation. Do not go to Walden. FYI, I currently have a 4.0 GPA and have never missed a deadline. The delays are on Walden's part. Work is reviewed by their staff on a consecutive time frame instead of concurrent; on other words, if 3 people need to review your writing, they each take a turn, one after the other.
Run, don't waste your time like I have.
Signed,
Stuck at ABD
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on November 3, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden Science Education K-8
I am writing this review so you might know some of my experience. If you are a science educator and like me feel strongly about getting a masters in science, this is probably the best bet out there. Unlike when I took teaching methods courses, the Walden course program doesn't just tell you things like 'use inquiry,' it actually has you participate in inquiry. Clearly as a science specialist you get far more depth out of experiences than your students would, but the course really helped me jump start ideas in my classroom. I also got a few lab ideas, although the supplies needed may sometimes be too expensive for a typical classroom. A drawback was that if you didn't have as much understanding in a particular area, it was more difficult to discuss with peers. While you would still learn about the topic, there wasn't as much richness without learning the theories behind the lab experiences first. Some of the professors are fabulous at feedback; some are not. I suppose just as with any masters, the level of difficulty steps up quite a bit over time. You definiately feel this and by the last couple courses, it's a time crunch. I was glad it was summer, and the courses accomodate you for that. There's little flexibility with due dates however. It's asking to move mountains to get your assignments early. I tried twice, once with luck. I'm not sure why they're so strict about that. I know the courses progress, but I would have thought that GETTING MARRIED would have been a good reason to get an assignment one week ahead of time. If you can make due with the rigid due dates, the courses are varied and interesting. The company Walden uses to ship materials is deplorable in it's service. The first few shipments they had a slip that said, "Everyone makes mistakes," so you could tell them what broke or wasn't sent. Initially, it seemed okay. After the first few shipments, that slip stopped coming, but the mistakes sure didn't! You may need to do some shopping and scramble to get the equipment to work at times because of this. I do think I learned more than I expected. It was easy to match with my schedule (most of the time). Overall, I'm happy with what I've learned.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Cavitrii
(Graduate) on September 3, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Loved Walden
I graduated with an MS in General Psychology in December 2007. Overall, my experience at Walden was rigorous. Courses were in-depth and challenging and expectations were exceptionally high. Some students interpret this as "rude" or "unsupportive"; however, it is meant to raise the students' academic performance. Profs were accessible via email and offered contact via phone. Most of my profs provided useful feedback on coursework in a timely fashion. Walden offered a survey at the end of each course to allow students to rate their course experience.
Coursework at Walden is self-directed. You MUST actively participate in the on-line forum in order to gleen anything from the course. The 30 page research papers due at the end of each course are no joke; profs will hold students to APA (or MLA) criteria as well as academic honesty (plagiarism).
I had one course that required I fly to MN for a week. I found that experience to be very professional. The lecturers were relevant and willing to assist in my learning. Fellow students were serious about their education and were hard working. I did not find the in-person experience to be "a joke" as some reviewers have stated.
Reviewers have indicated that Walden allows the "bottom of the barrel" who are desperate into their degree programs; I found the opposite. I had to speak with an advisor at length, provide a résumé as well as a detailed essay about why I wanted to be in the program, provide my GRE scores AND then interview with the Board of Regents of the university. Also, I knew of several students who were asked to leave the program because of poor work quality. I also knew of one student who had submitted her thesis and was denied her degree because of academic dishonesty.
The only low area was that the thesis process was confusing and disorganized. I had difficulty reaching my Chair; however, when we were able to communicate, her expertise was valuable! But, my thesis turned out to be the best work I had ever done at 125 pages, which included an innovative research project. Everyone I have ever shown my thesis to has been impressed with its subject and content.
I NEVER experienced any Walden staff to be discourteous or simply trying to "get more money" out of me. I never experienced Walden changing my degree program on a whim and holding me to the new standards. As a matter of fact, the thesis process for my degree was changed while I was well into writing my thesis, but I was informed that the changes would not affect me.
It My degree has allowed me upward mobility in the Human Services sector, and I highly recommend that if you are an over-achiever, who is unafraid of high standards and aggressive learning and are a self-motivated self-starter, then Walden is the place to get your higher education.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on August 27, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Thesis and Dissertation students BEWARE
If you are considering taking a master's or doctoral program that requires a thesis or dissertation......you might want to think again. I experienced all of the following:
• Committee members, Academic Reviewers, IRB reviewers, and URR personnel have clearly been schooled in the "stall as long as you can so we can get more money" department. You receive very little guidance and there is always something else to hold up progress.
• Walden will stall your completing the program to get more money from you,
• ANY ASSISTANCE WAS SUPERFICIAL AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE DISSERTATION NO ONE WILL HELP YOU AND THE CHAIRS ARE UNAVAILABLE.
• Some instructors are good, some are terrible - most do not contribute anything but grading. Financial Aid and Academic Advising departments are NOTHING like they are described by the school: Do not expect them to pay attention, know the facts you need, or call you back. Do not rely on information given to you, even about your own records, without speaking with at least three different people from the same department.
• Professors do not help their students pursue their degrees. They often give very limited or vague information that provides no help to the students. They constantly change their policies. There is no consistency in the courses. If it was done correctly, students would be able to finish without any or little difficulty.
• Other instructors never post to the discussion board and provide no feedback on your papers. Whenever there is a policy change they do not keep former students on the plan they came in on but they make you change to the new plan (i.e., more money for laureate corporation). Students are a source of income to the school and nothing else.
• The instructors and faculty have been known to be unethical and rude if you point out their mistakes. Their tone can be unprofessional as they urge you to stop complaining and get back to the process. However, you will come to many stops because what is satisfactory for one member of your committee may have to be changed to satisfy another. You are caught in a cycle and won't finish until they say so despite the quality of your work.
• Instructors are lying to students and are not meeting the 7-10 business day requirement for returning papers with comments, which prolongs students' abilities to move forward and ultimately complete the program. There is no instruction provided.
• If you have struggled they are not like most normal universities that care or are concerned about retention... they just kick you to the curb even though you have spent a lot of time and a LOT of money and have done well in the actual courses.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on August 21, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
No one cared enough to answer me
I attended Walden university from May of 2005 until April 2008 when my world crashed. In my final course, the school claimed that they never received the paperwork necessary for my practicum and thus refused to accept anymore of my work. my grade resulted in a zero. I spent countless hours trying to communicate someone at the school with no success. My advice to any potential student or existing student is to save all paperwork, emails, etc; have a back up plan and have multiple contact folks who can help you. My advisor never called me, the professor simply wrote an email and told me to stop sending her work. Needless to say, I am currently paying the student loan for a degree I never received. I have since moved on and have earned my degree from another reputable online school and I am currently pursuing my doctoral degree. The experiences have been great and I am so sorry for all of the students who are being ripped off. Once these folks have your money, no one answers the phone, email, letter, or any other form of communication. Buyer beware!!!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on August 3, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD Bait and Switch
Walden fails to deliver on promises. They assure you of one thing to get you enrolled (bait), and once you are involved in the program, they tell you it cannot be done (switch).
When speaking with the enrollment advisor at the outset, I specifically said that I wanted a PhD in Creative Writing. he assured me that I could do that at Walden. During my first online course, my instructor brusquely told me that "This is not a creative writing course. Go take a class somewhere else." I contacted an advisor who called me, went over my goals in great detail, assured me that I could get my PhD in Creative Writing through the Education Department. The advisor even found a mentor for me who was a published author and working in the same venue as I. He has been great! However, he as well as my second course instructor warned me that Walden may not honor the creative writing degree that I had been assured of. And, in fact, when I went to residency and met with the Dean of the Education Dept, his response was "Absolutely not."
I was put in the Education: Self-Design program, but there was nothing self-designed about it. The required courses were the same as any other education PhD degree.
I kept pursuing the idea, trying to get clarification. I was a retired teacher of thirty years so knew what I wanted. My goals were clearly stated from the outset--a PhD in creative writing. In the meantime, I maintained a 4.0 in the education courses.
I will say that the technical support and library support were very good. Most instructors were responsive, and my mentor was great. If I had been a teacher in midst of my career, I may have found the program worthwhile. But I am now in debt to the tune of just under $30,000 for one year, and I am not getting what I wanted nor what I was promised. I do feel the process was a bait and switch. I was promised one thing, given assurances, and once in the program, was told "No way." I have withdrawn from the university, filed a petition for return of at least part of my tuition, and have had to contact an Ombudsperson in order to even get a response from the Dean of Education. My petition has been denied. Walden is not taking any responsibility for having promised something they had no intention of delivering.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on May 2, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Recruitment: harassing phone calls only follow-up
Attended a lovely presentation and dinner regarding Walden University and spoke with some very nice staff and alumni who spoke favorably of the University. However, the follow-up has been a nightmare. I made the mistake I guess, by giving them my cell phone#. The only approach they seem to use is a barrage of telephone calls at anytime night and day. One night was after 9:00pm and was already in bed asleep so did not answer. A number of other calls came from out of state when I was not available with no messages so assumed several may have been from Walden staff. The one call I did receive a young woman was on the line and identified herself from Walden and came to my cell phone while I was driving and had some urgency to take care of at the hospital. I requested she phone me back later in the week or preferably by mail and she just barreled through totally disregarding my urgent situation. She wanted to know which of the two programs, I had indicated interest, was the one I wanted to know about. I told her both and requested if any materials could be mailed to me about the two programs and told her I had to go as was not a time for me to be on the phone given my urgent situation. She kept going on that I needed to just choose one program and I finally had to just hang up on her given my own urgent situation and driving while on the cell phone.
Several weeks have passed and I have never received any written materials describing the two programs of my interest but still just more phone calls at times I could not answer the phone with often no messages left.
You would think that they would consider contacting prospective students by respectful methods of either Email or Postal Mail rather than a barrage of calls anytime day or night that amounts to harassment. Times when I was up on the ladder pruning trees, driving in the car, Friday or Saturday evenings, Sunday dinner time, etc.
Their recruiting staff's contact strategies of only using the phone call method at any time of day or night or even on Sundays, disrespecting anyone's time or schedule, etc has given me a negative impression of their program.... and am now leary that they are only interested in their money/profit making potential.
NOTE: I appreciate the opportunity for this review posting site as a last contact and feedback resort: When I tried to locate a Customer Service site there was no where to email nor telephone anyone to let them know of my desire to receive further program information by either postal mail or Email, and my displeasure with their harassing "telephone only" recruiting tactics.
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on April 22, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Worth It
I attended Walden for their Master's program for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, and am now working on my Dissertation for the Education Doctorate in Teacher Leadership. An honest, fair assessment of this school is that they are constantly updating, and changing whatever it is that needs to be changed to stay at the forefront of education research and practices. The Walden Library is vast and extensive, and definitely gives you access to materials you need to complete all of your assignments, and complete research projects. The Writing Center staff is one of the best ones out there, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our community of learners. They are also personally available during residences to meet the needs of students. The residency allows you to connect with academic advisors, meet with various faculty on topics of that you are interested in, as well as walk you through all of the steps you will need to meet rigourous IRB standards for ethics. My professors have cumulatively ranged from Harvard graduates to state universities, all holding their own doctorate degrees. Walden has put in a lot of time and effort to build and maintain their education standards. My salary has increased rapidly along teacher paycharts in CA, as well as allowing me to meet requirements for professional development to maintain my CA credential. Walden is associated with Canter and Associates and Laureate International. It is only one school in many in this huge network of colleges and universities. I took the time to write this review because I am tired of seeing my school blasted from students who are blaming the entire school for a few poor experiences they may have had. You have to work to earn your grades, and you have to be self-sufficient to complete your work. There is no hand-holding at Walden, but there are several dedicated professionals who understand working adults' schedule. Walden does very much run its school as a business, but this allows room to have ivy league and state professors alike. It is a very diverse environment. Check out Walden for yourself, and make your own decision. I am biased, because I have had good experiences with this school, and my professors. It is a quality education at a competitive rate. Books and materials are included in your fees. If there are others who have had good experiences with Walden, please write so we can drown out these poor experiences. Walden is not a 1 or 2 star school, and deserves better!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
2
10
Melleed
(In Progress) on April 15, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Disappointed, Disallusioned, Debt Ridden
After extensively researching online schools for a graduate level program offering classes in current technologies to upgrade my skillset and compete in a tough market, I enrolled in Walden University. Walden appeared to offer most, if not all, of the courses I needed. The curriculum included Java, HTML programming, object-oriented design, SOA, network and website design and development with few unrelated management and general education type courses that clutter up many other online universities' advanced degree programs. I had high hopes but they soon were dashed.
Walden's program follows a progressive schedule with each class leading into the next and where eliminating one class can effect a student down the line. This happened with a critical class in UML and Java. Our class and others on the same schedule could not access or deploy the resources and the class was changed in midstream to pure research. No programming. Current classes now require us to code and many, myself (have a programming background - just not the time to teach myself)included are lost. Instructor support and feedback in all my classes so far has been minimal or non-existant. Now we have a major development project due in two weeks requiring apps built using, guess what - UML and Java. Moreover, the instructor just posted he will be off until after the class ends. My experience echoes what many others have posted here. Thus far:
Poor resources (One book, 2005- a lifetime in IT)
Little or no instructor support/feedback (We have an instructors?)
Just turn it in - you will get an A (Buying a degree?)
Poor writing skills of degree seekers and blatant plagarism (Buying a degree, maybe?)
I have 3 degrees from traditional colleges. I am not a whiner nor do I shirk hard work. While education and psychology pursuers may fare better as those courses require mainly research papers, technology seekers beware. Without instruction/resources/tools, IST is darned near impossible online and I agree with the sentiments of many posters here -- If you want to pay over $2,400 to teach yourself, try Walden.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anarmyfamily2000
(In Progress) on March 20, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
In ABD status
I am a current student in EDUC 8090 - The Doctoral Study Intensive which means you are ABD and working on your dissertation. I do feel similarly to the other posts about no one supporting me through the dissertation process. The Chair does nothing yet gets extra money being my assigned committee chair. Now, I must disagree with the others regarding the work. I attended the University of Phoenix and felt like it was a diploma mill. At Walden, I believe I have gained a great deal. Yes, it is a lot more self-directed learning, but that is to be expected from an online learning program. Academic advisement has been helpful, though not perfect, yet my financial aid has been seamless. The academic residencies, which you only have to attend 1 of, yet I elected to attend 2, were beneficial if you made the effort to get all you could. My 2nd residency was almost entirely the library sessions, by choice, so I could learn all their hints, tips, and tricks for research. I videotaped sessions with my Flip camera and have them with me to refer to again. Did I find it some great, networking event? No. Did I gain valuable information? I certainly did. No school is perfect, but I have been pleased for the most part. I had 2 duds as "facilitators" (what they refer to their professors as), but some amazing ones, too.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on February 24, 2010
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
A long way to go
The DBA is still a new program and I'm hoping that many of the kinks will be worked out. Unfortunately, the program is lacking in experienced instructors with significant qualifications within the fields they teach, lacking appropriate course materials and course development, and lacking the databases essential to a proper DBA program.
First the instruction: In Business Strategy and Sustainability & Writing the Doctoral Prospectus students would fair better buying their own books in support of writing a high level literature review and developing the prospectus and dissertation (check Sage publishing). The only qualification for the instructors seems to be that they wrote a dissertation once.
Second the course material/development: Walden has not really supported the courses with appropriate texts nor have they discovered the benefit of e-books. For Business Strategy and Sustainability, there were numerous research articles and two books. Senge's Necessary Revolution and a Harvard Publishing primer on strategy. In a doctoral program, I take great exception to receiving a review manual--to me it is like being a PhD candidate in English lit and receiving a "See Dick and Jane" book. The discussion questions in both classes were banal and elementary--it was a struggle to stay engaged because the question were not thought provoking.
Finally the available resources: I was fully aware that Walden was far from being AACSB accredited but I was extremely agitated that a business administration or accounting program would not provide access to a database of publicly traded firms such as Compustat, I/B/E/S, or other databases that enable sampling. What they do provide is the same version of Hoover's online to which most have access through your broker. Given that Walden claims to support a DBA and PhD in finance and a MS in accounting, it seems implausible that they would have no database to support the quantitative methods that generally frame both subjects. If you are a certified professional, use your personal and professional access to these databases if possible. If you are not, find another program that can properly support your continued educational efforts in finance and accounting. This is important because I have been told by one professional organization that I cannot substitute any of Walden's classes for CPE because there is a lack of rigor and support (they were willing to take credits from a non AACSB institution provided the instructors were professionally certified-none of them are certified).
I'm still pulling for the Walden model and recently they appointed a permanent DBA program director--I am hoping she will bring stability and improvements to this program.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
10
10
Robin.cheung
(In Progress) on September 20, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden AMDS PhD actually more socially-relevant
Having completed my MBA at a traditional AACSB-accredited brick-and-mortar university, I was at first skeptical about the marketability of Walden's online PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences. Having attended my first academic residency in St. Charles, IL, last year I am confident Walden was the right choice.
One criticism of PhDs in a discipline is that they can sometimes be too focused on esoteric theoretical matters and there is often a disconnect between scholars and practitioners. Walden University has addressed this concern by formulating from the ground up a distance learning scholar-practitioner model that constantly encourages doctoral students to discuss and refine their goals, motivations, and future applications so that their research remains both academically relevant and congruent with the real world. That the majority of Walden doctoral students are already successful executives in their own fields and continue as practitioners throughout their academic careers only serves to reinforce this model.
Walden doesn't simply admit students into a doctoral program and leave them alone to complete their research without regard for the real world outside academics--all students before beginning research work complete a Doctoral Foundations course which involves several discussions per week with a professor and other doctoral students discussing and helping each other refine goals and research interests and strategies for success.
The Walden University PhD program comprises a series of formal research papers--Knowledge Area Modules--each focusing on a standard facet of a student's chosen research interests, eventually leading to a formal published dissertation. A series of four- and six-day residencies along the way, averaging about one a year, complement the online learning process by providing opportunities to meet students and faculty from all doctoral programs and participate in seminars. With approximately one residency per month in locations across the country and internationally, there are tremendous opportunities for networking and face-to-face interaction.
Walden provides comprehensive online access to academic journals and references through a combination of its own licenced resources and document delivery agreements. Its student support, including financial aid, writing centre to assist with the APA Style in place for all doctoral work, and disability and other services are available in an accesible and timely manner.
I am confident that Walden, built as a distance-oriented program from its inception, has a winning model for its doctoral programs. If there are any specific questions you have before enrolling, I would be happy to discuss them personally! Please visit http://robincheung.info for contact information!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
7
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on July 21, 2009
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
So Far, So Good
I am a PhD. student in my second class at Walden and I have been to Milestone 1. So far, I like Walden. I find it challenging, and the instructors have been good. Like anything else , you have to be motivated and a good self-starter. There is lots of reading and writing. I find it annoying when people tell me that it's not a good school. Well...EXCUSE ME ! It is NOT a diploma mill. I work on school work almost everyday for several hours. It is expensive, I won't argue that. It isn't Harvard or Yale, but I'm not a young person going to college either. For older, working students, online is the only way to go.If not for online schools, many people would not be afforded a higher education. I have found the Walden staff to be very good, They always call back. The writing center is helpful too. I can honestly say that I met some very intelligent and educated people at the Residency(Milestone 1 ). There were people from all over the world amd in various fields. I would recommend Walden at this point. According to the information; Walden has some excellent instructors, but just like any other university(online or not), there will be some bad ones. The books are expensive too, so I buy mine on Ebay if possible. Once again, it comes down to being a good self advocate. You make your education, not the university !
I would say if you're in your early twenties, go to a regular university for the social contact as well as the education. But if you're like me, middle aged , and you want a higher education, Walden is a good place.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on April 18, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Good school
Walden University's PhD program in public policy and administration has been challenging and indeed I have developed as a scholar. I'm currently entering my 3rd year of the program and I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Folks, if you're looking for a degree that has snob appeal or you want be a senior professor at State U, this isn't your school. Whether you like it or not, there is still significant institutional resistance to these types of learning modes. But institutional resistance is not the same as institutional quality. Walden University delivers on its mission: to provide a quality doctoral learning program via the web with some short-term residencies to supplement the learning instruction (as well as develop a live network).
Walden University is excellent at teaching the skills of scholarship via the web. The biggest difference between this type of program and a traditional one is the intimacy of the small and shared experience that occurs in that format. So clearly you need to know what and WHY you are pursuing the degree before you enroll.
Finally, online learning isn't for everyone. You have to truly do a self-assessment of your motivation and individual learning style before taking courses in this format. If you're lazy or lack self-motivation or disorganized, then move on. There is no easy road to the PhD and you should look elsewhere if you think WU is your quick path to doctoral land. It's isn't. Also, just because it is online and therefore more "convenient" (no parking problems), don't think for a second that the program is completely flexible to your needs. Classes are packed into 12-week sessions and the agenda is quite aggressive. If you have "real life" issues like too much work or parenting responsibilities et al, then move on. WU will roll over you like a truck doing 85 at 2am on I-85.
The best parts of WU include an extensive online library, fast response time from librarians and excellent academic counselors. The residencies are also a strong point, as you get to network and form learning communities with other scholar-practitioners.
My primary problems with WU include non-academic factors such as having a more coherent branding strategy. I would also like to see WU establish an online student lounge for students with facilitating the connection with fellow students from the same state, program, etc. This can still be accomplished through Facebook, but it's not the same (in my view).
Finally, I would also like to see WU establish regional learning centers (or campuses) like Argosy, as I believe that would quicken the pace to which students would meet their residential requirements.
Overall, WU is a very good school if you are motivated to learn and have the time to fully commit to the take of doctoral work.
I hope my assessment has been helpful, as I tried to be honest and not a "homer".
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on April 9, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden University Doctoral Program
I am a student in the Education Specialist program at Walden University. I thought I was making progress and doing well. But when I began my final class, problems begin to plague me. I have no idea if or when I will finish. They added a new clause which lets future students know you could be in the program indefinetly:
Neither the provisions of this guide, nor the acceptance of students to the University through the admission, enrollment, and registration processes, constitutes a contract or an offer of a contract. The College of Education reserves the right to change any provision, offering, requirement, or fee at any time within the student’s enrollment period. Regular updates are made to this guide; students are encouraged to routinely check the Ed.D. Web page for new or supplemental information. Students should contact their academic advisors, faculty advisors/mentors, or instructors for clarification of specific academic program requirements.
The instructors and faculty have been known to be unethical and rude if you point out their mistakes. Their tone can be unprofessional as they urge you to stop complaining and get back to the process. However, you will come to many stops because what is satisfactory for one member of your committee may have to be changed to satisfy another. You are caught is a cycle and won't finish until they say so despite the quality of your work. I think Walden is trying to improve their reputation as a "paper mill" but the work is not rigorous or hard, it is getting someone to agree that you have met the requirements of the rubric that is difficult. If you are considering an online university and Walden is your choice right now, I would not recommend it for the above reasons. I am an anonymous reviewer because Walden has punished some students by making them redo completed requirements that they already passed as a punishment for what they see as complaining and being resistent to the process. It is the worst educational experience I have ever had. Say no to Walden.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Twykke
(In Progress) on March 3, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden U - You get what you pay for.
Materials: I gave this a five since I never bought any materials.
Teachers: Staff may possibly have been well-qualified, but they made up for it by being uninterested. Most responses obviously copy/pasted.
Institution: Emails were not responded to in a timely fashion, if ever. Account frequently frozen because of poor communication between financial aid and accounting departments. Lots of institutional spam.
Support: Again, I gave a five just because I did make use of this service.
Value: At the time I enrolled, Walden was the cheapest online program on the market. I have never bought any course materials, further saving quite a bit.
Use of technology: Software for the web-based courses was somewhat outdated and clunky, but usable. No major usability issues, just could have been a lot better. Outside resources, however, were mainly for-pay, and not worth using even if they had been free.
'Pro': The pros of this school are that it is one of the cheapest country-wide institutions (go to a state or country school if possible). Also, they will give a degree to anyone, and I mean anyone who can string several words of questionable English together. If you are developmentally disabled or English is neither your first, nor indeed second language, Walden may be for you (this is unfortunately not a joke).
'Con': In general, poor quality of online materials (need to buy lots of books, despite nominally being an 'online' university). Also, poor quality of classmates. Amazingly, many students could not spell despite there being a spell-checking tool built in to the posting form. Some students would fail completely to understand the assignment, basically just do whatever they felt like, and receive an 'A' anyway. Teachers were probably qualified, judging from their bios, but generally disinterested and would only send canned responses. Back on the 'pro' side, that means they are easy to game.
Summary:
If you live out of the country like me, or there are no good local choices in your area, Walden may be a good choice. If you want to get a degree with little-to-no work and little-to-no actual learning, Walden may be a good choice. If you are on a budget but cannot find anything cheaper, Walden might be a good choice. If these three considerations are not foremost for you, or if you really want to learn business administration, do not choose Walden as it is little better than a degree mill.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on February 28, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Education Reform
I finally graduated a month ago and I must say that the program (Master's of Science in Education with Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment specialization) has been worth my time and money. I know that generally people are very skeptical about on-line learning and I do not blame them. As an educator, I concede that people have different learning styles and as adult learners, they are free to choose the method that benefits them the most.
Quality of instruction: There is a wonderful balance of teacher centered learning and student centered learning through out the whole program. Those who are familiar with the world of education know that the ultimate goal of the learning process is to develop self-directedness, self-monitoring, and self-adjustment. For me, Walden's program gave me an excellent opportunity to further enhance my attribute as a life-long learner. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA but let me tell you, it was not as "easy" as many people would have assumed. I loved the challenge! My writing got better and my whole insight about education had changed. The professors were supportive, excellently credentialed, and have authored books on education.
Cohort learning: Online learning brought educators from multiple states together. Different states have different standards and via the online discussion forum, we learned from each other. That is the most invaluable experience for me. As we educators try to promote learning outside the classroom, online learners at Walden experience it first hand. Truthfully, there were colleagues who did the minimum but this phenomenon is not unique to online learning. I remember my friends in Pharmacy school who just got by and graduated with minimum requirements.
Assignments: There were clear expectations on how assignments should look like and how there would be graded. Basically, you will get what you put in. The rubric was clear and if you want to get an A, just follow the guidelines. The assignments were were very thought provoking and helped me exercise the much needed critical thinking skills in today's classrooms. My having difference of opinion with my professors was never viewed as a negative element. In fact, it was celebrated and brought into discussions for further analysis.
Student support: English is not my first language. I grew up in an ESL environment. Therefore, I struggled in my writing but the Writing Center was extremely helpful and supportive. My essays were constantly 2000 words or more due the depth that I chose to discuss the topics in and the writing center staff gave inputs and suggestions on how to improve the essay. It's a lot of work but one should not expect just to "breeze" through graduate school.
I highly recommend this program for teachers who wish to pursue a higher degree in education.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on February 24, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Backup ALL your emails & get everything in writing
My experience at Walden U was not as I had originally anticipated. At Walden, I think most of the instructors try to work with and have more patience with hardworking adults, who have children and other major responsibilities. However, from my experience, there are a few that do not. For instance, I had a family crisis and one of the teachers, who I thought, would allow me to complete my work and grade it did not. She let me do all the work and did not grade it, so I did not pass that course. When I attempted to find the email that I sent her and she responded to, Walden University had purged the email system; thus not allowing me to appeal the grade. I usually saved everything, but I did not get a chance to save that email to an external email. When I first started the degree program, I used my hotmail account to receive email correspondence, but later they changed it where all of the student's email addresses were through Walden. Now, I can see why.
7
10
Carmencita100
(In Progress) on February 24, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Its not that bad!
I am going into my 3rd quarter at Walden, Ph.D. in Health Psychology. So far I have had excellent responses from financial aid and advising, less than 48 hour wait.
After attending Capella for 2 years, Walden is a breath of fresh air. Amazingly, I prefer to work on my own and have teacher feedback. Capella had this constant discussion element that forced me to read terrible posts with serious intellectual deficits. So far at Walden I have found my colleagues to be well read and professional.
As many of you have stated, you get what you give and I have been lazy to an extent getting B's so far, thus, no A's are given away. At Capella I got A's for doing next to nothing. At Walden I feel like the material is relevant and challenging.
So like any institution Walden has its good and its not so good but I do not feel like its a diploma mill and customer service with me has been great. Faculty input is limited but I gauge my progress by grades. Obviously, C's or D's would indicate I am not keeping up. The B's I have tell me I could do better.
Everyone has a unique experience in their educational life. I recall as an undergraduate and graduate in B&M schools, students would complain about everything too. As with any venture one undertakes, effort and disposition make all the difference.
There is a tendency for people to be critical of online programs. There certainly are diploma mills out there and shoddy programs, but there are good ones as well. Just to be sure I called the Board of Regents of Ohio to verify if a Walden degree would be recognized and this was the response:
"Walden is accredited by NCA (North Central Association)
Walden is fine by this board".
That cemented my decision to attend.
Carmen
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on January 26, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
a new opinion
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who says positive things about Walden works for the company, or receives a benefit for saying something positive. I am writing this of my own volition.
After reading the reviews on this site I felt compelled to share my opinions. I would first like to say that I am not “bottom of the barrel”. I hold my BA and my MA from traditional universities, both with a cumulative GPA well over 3.7 and received many offers from traditional PhD programs. I chose Walden for the flexibility.
It boggles my mind that those who seem to have the harshest comments also have posts that are riddled with spelling, grammar, and typing errors. I cannot help but feel you had a difficult time because your work lacked the focus and skill required of a graduate student. You may have presumed that because this was an online program that it would be easy. This was proven to not be the case, so it makes sense to place the blame on the school for not bending and allowing subpar work to be submitted.
I am working on my PhD in clinical psychology and have found the courses thought provoking and challenging. I admit I have had one professor that left a lot to be desired, but when I brought this to the attention of the program heads, they promptly handled the situation. They did not however just go on a witch hunt. Documentation of the situation needed to be offered, and after supplying this documentation they worked very quickly to rectify the problem. My professors have been great, and have pushed me to further explore ideas beyond the course presentation and requirements.
I have met quite a few graduates of this program in the workforce all practicing in the field of psychology and all holding licensure. The school is not considered a diploma mill by those who actually have the ability to make such a decision. I have found in my experience that those individuals who feel the school is not worth their organization, generally also have no clue what the school is actually about when you probe the issue further.
The residencies’ were great experiences, if you participated. The school was not chasing you around to make sure you were participating. There were many opportunities for learning, exploration and discussion with not only your peers, but the professors as well. This however required initiative.
I would urge anyone looking at the school to ensure that your state will offer you licensure if your field requires it. I know in psychology many states require APA accreditation. This however does not mean a lot. To put it into perspective, NUY recently voluntarily dropped their APA accreditation. I can say for myself that if a state will deny a talented psychologist over something so ridiculous, I am happy I do not reside there.
If you are serious about learning, have the skills necessary to explore and research without being hand held, and have a desire to go further I would urge you to look into this fine school.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on January 4, 2009
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
My experiences with Walden
I am currently ABD in Educational Psychology from Walden. I received my MS from them as well in general psych. I have two undergraduate degrees from traditional schools. Before entering my master's program I had the same concerns as everyone else.
Online education is facing a crossroads. On the one hand, the move to online education is growing rapidly with new programs being implemented by online schools and traditional schools offering more online courses. On the other hand, there is still a general consensus by the public that online education is a cake-walk, and surely commercials stressing the ability to take classes in your pj's doesn't help that image.
Consulting literature, however, there is a growing number of studies being done supporting online education for several reasons. Cognitively, adults learn better through application. Following the constructivist theory, one can identify several benefits to online education: it requires personal accountability for learning, it provides the opportunity for personal control over their learning, and it requires one to use critical thinking to apply learning to useful and desired skills.
With any university you are looking at, there will be pros and cons with all of them, traditional or online, so it is best to know what you want out of your education, recognize your situation, then make the right choice FOR YOU. Second, after attending traditional universities, I can say that Walden has been much more challenging in it's requirements and therefore, more benficial...IF YOU USE IT! Walden will provide you with the tools but you have to apply yourself. Walden is NOT a cake-walk university or a diploma mill!
I can say that I feel Walden has given me a far superior opportunity for critical understanding of my education topics as opposed to the basic retention I got from traditional universities. Now, for those of you considering a liscensing specialization in psychology, while Walden is an accredited university, it does not have an APA approved program in psychology (no strictly online school does). Make sure you know your state's requirements. I know though that Walden graduates are being licensed so do what is right for you.
Just because a school is traditional doesn't make them good. Likewise, just because a school is online doesn't make it bad. Think about what you need, what you want, and examine both online and traditional schools. Find the one that works best for you. The degrees from Walden are legit, not from a diploma mill. You have to work hard to get it, and a lot don't make it. YOU make the degree. YOU set the value on it through your own hard work and what you take from it. YOU have to sell yourself, your talent, your skills, and your dedication to employers regardless of where you got the degree. Finally, no matter what you read here follow your own instinct. You know what's best for you, not us!
Good luck!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on December 29, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
A REAL Former Student
Walden University generally does not allow individuals to post anything negative about their school anywhere online. If you do so, they either lobby the site to have it removed or a couple dozen "students" all show up at once, using the exact same language, to tell you how wrong you are. So here is an unvarnished review of my Ed. degree, for as long as it lasts:
Walden University is the community college of online schools. It is the bottom of the barrel. Can't go any lower. Couldn't get accepted into anywhere else, so you had to go here. That should be understood at the onset. I feel into this category.
I ended up at Walden University because I needed the piece of paper in order to advance in my career. Nothing more, nothing less. What I got was a fight from my employer that still rages to this day. They do not want to accept Walden University as anything more then a diploma mill. And I can't say that I blame them. The "residencies" are a joke. All of the classes are canned (prepared classes where the "teacher" does nothing but facilitate and grades on Walden's parameters). This is not education by any stretch of the imagination. It is the equivalent of you sitting down with a reading list and teaching yourself - except that they charge you 40K+ for that privilege.
Since receiving my Ed. from Walden University I have had nothing but problems. The school system where I work looks at it as if it were a foreign degree from a third world nation - and it might as well be. Walden gives nothing back to the academic world as a whole, publishes only when it must, and strives to cover up the fact that they are more of a marketing company then a institution of higher learning.
I understand the appeal of Walden University. Sitting at home in your spare time, working on a degree to further your career... ...but reality just doesn't work that way. Trust me, find a different school and you'll be happy you did. I wish someone had talked me out of going to Walden, it would have saved me years of frustration and misery.
Now, "anonymous" users in no way paid by Walden University, have at me.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on December 27, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Don't believe poor reviews
I am quite surprised that people call Walden a "diploma mill" and must argue that Walden has provided a challenging program, among very competitive students and professionals. It is absolutely false that Walden professors hand-out A's and allow students to plagiarize. I am in my 2nd year of the PhD Public Health program, and maintain a 3.8 GPA. This has been earned by spending ~20 hours a week in each class, on challenging assignments that interface with current professional, research, and scholarly issues. Walden upholds very high standards, and students will never be allowed to plagiarize. The professors all use software to detect plagiarism, and will reprimand, reduce grades, and even place students on academic suspension for this behavior. It makes me wonder if the people who posted such poor reviews about Walden, were scathed by trying to get a diploma-mill degree, while plagiarizing, and not dedicating themselves to an intense, comprehensive program. I guess I would write a poor review too, if I had these expectations, but was unable to simply be handed a college degree.
The Walden support has been very good. I have attended brick-and-mortar institutions for 14 years, and find that Walden even surpasses the support experiences I have had from other colleges. I have used Walden's technical writing, financial aid, residency, academic advising support, and have been pleased by it all. My professors have all had 15-20 years experience in our field, have been highly interactive, and have provided good instruction. I criticised on-line degree programs for years, and still believe that an on-line program is what you make of it, and you must be a self-motivated, dedicated, and astute scholar-practitioner to interface with superiors, colleagues, and peers in this academic setting. With that said, I have always used great discretion while evaluating other's personal comments and reviews of on-line institutions-consider the source!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on December 19, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
My experience at Walden
I graduated with a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, Accounting in November, 2008. I started the program in October, 2005. This type of educational experience is not for everyone. It requires a self starter that is focused and committed. You have a faculty mentor assigned to you when you start the program. This is a resource available to you, but not pushed on you. The degree of interaction is up to the student. The mentor can be a valuable source of guidance and structure if used proactively by the student.
Like all experiences in life, you get out of it what you put into it. There is a rigorous amount of work assigned and there is a required amount of posting in the form of classroom discussions. Both require time and effort.
I did not experience any teacher that would just "pass" you on. You earned your grade. The teachers all seemed concerned and ready to help, but again, you had to be the adult and initiate the contact. Students need to understand this is not a baby sitting service....it is graduate school.
The technology was outstanding. Three years without a problem.
The cost of the program was expensive and Walden does not miss a chance to charge you, but than again, this is no different from traditional schools.
I found that any questions I had were generally answered with quick turnaround times. I was very disappointed, however, in the academic advisors and the lack of coordination between the various support departments. Again, however, this seems to be typical of all universities.
I was very unhappy with the approval process for the dissertation. There are several layers of approval. Your committee, academic review, and finally provost. This a very fustrating process with little support for the student. I don't know if this is typical of all PhD programs or not. Finally, it seemed that once the PhD was approved and accepeted, you fall into a black hole and have to jump through hoops to find out your status and the graduation details.
Bottom line. It was expensive. I thought the residencies were a waste of my time (the first three were fine and useful, by the fourth, you have already taken all relevant courses). The faculty was dedicated, knowledgeable, and helpful. Academic advising needs to have more interaction with the student. The technology was great.
I found the experience to be rewarding, stimulating, and well worth my time and effort. I would have preferred a traditional, on campus approach, but life's responsibilites did not allow it. Walden was a great alternative.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on December 15, 2008
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Well Worth The Money and Time
I have just completed my masters of science degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment K-12. I must say that I was leary of obtaining my degree online because of the stigma of online degrees. I found that the courses, assignments, and curriculum were of the highest quality.
The course material reflects all of the leading researchers and ideas that are on the frontlines of education today. While some of the coursework can seem overwhelming at times, all of it has practical application in the classroom. I found all of the readings to be relevant and useful.
As with any university, some professors are better than others, but I found the majority to be extremely helpful and challenging. I found that I spent about 15-20 hours per week on coursework, discussions, and applications. When I experienced some difficulties in my life, one professor was very accomodating in allowing me to complete the missed work in a timely manner without penalty to my grade.(Communication with potential problems is KEY if you are asking for extensions).
9
10
Anonymous
(Graduate) on December 2, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
A great experience
I have just completed my doctoral degree in health psychology and couldn't be more pleased with my experience. A lot of the complaints of my fellow reviewers also are expressed by people attending B&M schools. I know, as my husband recently completed his master's at a B&M school and sometimes it was a real nightmare to register, pay bills, apply for financial aid, get calls back on questions, etc.
We compared level of effort required for our respective Master's degrees and he really viewed my coursework as far more intensive and demanding. As noted by others here, writing skills are vital if you are to succeed at Walden. I have no doubt some people will look down on my degree, but so do people look down on community college and state college degrees, depending on their own educational experiences. Yet, I do sincerely believe I have received a quality education, well worth the pending student loans!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on November 30, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Avoid if Possible
After reading several reviews about Walden University, I decided to join this university in September 2008. I wanted to pursue my PhD in management,on line was a good fit for me because it doesn’t require the complete one year residency as brick and mortar universities generally require. It was not going to be new experience for me, since I already took several of my master classes on line from a conventional state university. Walden seemed to have what I was looking for and it was listed as one of the approved universities by my employer, so I was going to be able to apply for educational assistance.
Well, here is my story: If you can, stay away from Walden. Take this advice from someone that has taken on line classes from a brick and mortar university and knows what bad and good both service and education are. Walden is a business, thy will try to get as much money fro you as possible, regardless of what you do academically. They will task you with homework, lots and lots, whose value is more than doubtful. If you submit it on time, you got points. The feedback you get from the instructor is useless, and they force you to participate in nonsense discussions with no value whatsoever. Unless you really what to learn something from this, this is just a waste of time. For those of you that think that customer service is bad, you are right. Customer service is terrible. They treat you very well when they are trying to hook you up. After that, forget about it. But, this is not much different from my experience in my state university.
Now for the worst part: It is expensive. They tell you that a quarter is $ 4,1700.00, but what they do not tell you is that depending in the time of the year you register, there will be bridge course until the new quarter begins. They register in this type a course during the first quarter, but they tell you not to do anything on it until the 12 week. Then at this time, they automatically register for this class again for an additional $ 1,500.00! When I complained about it, I was told that this is the way the university works, so I told them that unless the charge was removed from my account, I would not register again. I am still waiting for an answer. The most fantastic thing was that I did not submit any work or participated in any discussions for this class and still got a satisfactory as final grade! In top of this, you have to pay for residencies (6 of them with a cost of $800.00 to $ 1200.00) and books, even a simple $ 10.00 DVD (Please let me know how your textbooks were included, mine were not).
Bottom line: This school has to be considered as a last resort. I am out of it and registering for a local, in state and well-known university. It is a business, and they will treat you like that. And believe me, I can distinguish between meaningful work and just work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on November 21, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden MBA is Competitive
I would have to flat out disagree with the last person's assessment of the Walden MBA program. Most of his issues seemed to be with the University--not the program.
I have two more courses before I complete my MBA in Project Management and have had only one professor that just gave me an "A" regardless of what I submitted. In my Business Finance course, I had the best professor (Dr. Jong Yi) that spent upwards of two hours *every week* explaining to me the lessons for that week because I had trouble. I received an "A" in that course as I have in all my courses so far, but I worked *very* hard to do so.
Listen, there are people who will throw together an assignment and not care how it comes out. Some people cheat and plagerize. I did thorough research, worked in teams, and worked with my professors to get through each course (2-eight week courses per semester). That is why I thought I got a lot out of it. The one course that I got the most out of was a Marketing class where we fought a lot due to conflicting ideas regarding our team assignment. But let's face it--isn't that what the work place going to be like anyway?
I gave Walden University a "9" overall because I have enjoyed my experience. Plan on getting the "Walden U" shirts, coffee mugs and stickers for my cars. I found the reading materials, course texts, articles, etc. top-notch and updated to reflect current trends. The PowerPoint presentations with the live videos were refreshing and took the place of the instructor lectures. Never had any measurable issue with support and I have been able to work on my school work while traveling numerous times for work and while on vacation at Disney World (not something I loved to do--I had to do it!). How else can you do that and attend a brick and mortar? Very impressed with the use of technology--definately got exposed to technologies I hadn't previously known about.
It would have been ideal to attend an accredited school locally such as Georgia State, Emory or Kennesaw State here in Atlanta, but let's face it. Unless, I leased a private helicopter, how would I be able to make the weeknight courses with all our traffic? And Weekends? I am a parent, those are for piano lessons, laundry and karate. An at-home program works just fine for me. I schedule the time, and I control my learning. I also like the principle of social change that is the undercurrent of each course. The school is accredited and I know people who have gotten MBA's from Emory who many have the fancy paper, but still don't have a clue in the work place.
So like everything else, your experience at Walden will be what you make of it. It is not perfect and your mileage will vary. But please know there are way more people that love the school than hate it.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on November 6, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden Was a Waste
At first I was very pleased with the EdD in Teacher Leadership program at Walden. Then I took EDUC 8015, the first of the Research courses, and we had to read the same two articles over and over for nearly every module.
Nevertheless, I was earning an "A."
After the third week, I became so sick that I had to ask for an extended deadline. The instructor suggested I contact Disability Services, which I did, and I was given the extended deadline. However, a week later I became so sick that I could not even complete the work by the extended deadline. By this time I had also missed the deadline to withdraw from the course. When I pleaded with the instructor to allow me to submit my missing work beyond the extended deadline she had given me, she refused.
I contacted the advising team and was told that I could petition for a change of grade to No Credit and a waive of the tuition. Since the course was now half over, the Director of Disability Services intervened with the instructor for me and asked what grade I would receive if I completed the course without the missing work. The instructor said I "might" be able to earn a "C" at best. Since I did not want a "C" on my transcript,
I petitioned, and given what the advisors had told me, I felt confident my petition would be granted. However, I was shocked when the director of EdD programs and the associate dean both agreed with the instructor and denied my petition! Even the director of disability services, who had said she would stand by whatever decision I made, agreed with the denial! I appealed the decision, sending along 51 pages of supporting medical documentation, but my appeal was denied!
I was devastated, and watched helplessly as I received an "F" in the course. I contacted the advisors again and was told I could pay another $4000.00 and retake the course to improve my GPA with a better grade, but that the "F" would always be on my transcript. Although I only had two more years in the program, I decided to leave because of the unfair treatment I received. BTW, I'm a full-time professor of Education and had received all A's in a doc program at a B&M University prior to attending Walden. I made the mistake of leaving the B&M for Walden because of convenience.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Bakernc03
(Graduate) on October 2, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Support at Walden University is a JOKE!!!
I completed my undergraduate degree at Walden University in Business Administration. The administrative support I received was absolutely terrible. This problem wasn't limited to one department either. I had trouble with the Financial Aid department, the Bursars office, the Academic Advisors, the "Graduation Team", etc. Every issue I encountered required me to e-mail and call at least ten times (and this is not an exaggeration and I have the e-mail chains to prove it for anyone doubting me on this). Nobody would ever handle any of my problems, and I was constantly pushed off on other people. I have never received this poor of customer service from any other organization (and I've had to deal with a lot of notoriously poor organizations like the VA, DoD Records Offices, State Unemployment Office, and Credit Card companies).
I have been done with the Walden program for two months now, and of course I still can't get anyone to respond to me and tell me if they are even working on processing/issuing my degree. Also, I still haven't received my Financial Aid award (Pell Grant and Stafford Loan) from 4 months ago. In fact, I was actually told today that I will not receive it, because the school didn't process it on time. Apparently the Financial Aid has to be processed during the term it is to be awarded for (although I submitted it two weeks prior to the term's end date, apparently it takes three months to process like everything else at Walden).
Other than the administrative support, the program was ok. The courses were easy and you received a 100 on pretty much any assignment as long as you submitted it. Everything I learned in the program came from reading the text books, as the teachers provide little to no lecture.
The program price is a little costly, but the convenience of doing your degree quickly (easily handled 3 six-week courses at a time to complete 19 classes in a little over a year of course time) and at your own time added to the value.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
6
10
Jpaulshirley
(In Progress) on July 11, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (oops that's me!)
Emotions run so hot both ways on this topic that I'm hard-pressed to say anything I think will matter to anyone. Is Walden rigorous? Without a doubt. Are there good faculty? I have met faculty who have my utmost respect and personal affection. Are there bad faculty? You would not believe my first professor there, except that several of us with professional experience in Addictions Counseling suspected that instructor of TUI -- "Teaching Under the Influence." It was as bad as it could possibly get. In my experience, that one rotten apple was fortunately an exception to the rule of good faculty. Are there others who are a tad temperamental, touchy, and who react emotionally, making it fairly clear there are students who can do no wrong, and others who can do no right? I'd have to say yeah, but not noticeably more so than were in my traditional B.A. or masters programs, at two different state universities.
I hate to say this, but as much good as I have to say about Walden, I recently recommended two individuals to steer clear of it. One is a male with disabilities, like me. The Disability Office took 4 months to process my application and “lost” countless emails, phone calls, and faxes in the process- some containing sensitive personal medical information. If I told the whole story, the Believers here would probably accuse me of being an Infidel and lying about it. I recently saw a different forum that described Walden in terms of "academic excellence" but "administrative incompetence." I am not so worried about the incompetence. What worries me is the denial, coverups, and bullying that take place when I try to work through the problems. An administrator, admonishing me about my "attitude?" Nope, sorry, that's outa line, that's the purview of a behavioral health consultant, if I choose to hire one. Walden administrators are supposed to handle paperwork, and any who lecture me about my "attitude" or otherwise attempt to get overly personal with me in any other way, are engaging in harassment. The problem with harassment? It's slightly illegal in 2008, and that's because it is so destructive.
That's my best effort at being objective. There is opportunity at Walden. There are also things at Walden that can damage a person. You can to walk through a minefield in hopes of getting awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor after it's all over. Just don't go there with your eyes closed assuming you'll be OK because Sergeant Audie Murphy did it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Carpengo
(In Progress) on June 10, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden is a great expensive experience
Walden is a great way to pursue an advanced degree. If you are studying to get a license you need to check first if your degree will be accepted for license in your state. Walden's Psychology degrees are accepted by more than 25 states. However, there are at least 18 states and 3 territories that will not even allow online learners to take their licensure exams. One thing that you can see of the Walden alumni and is that they are already employed as psychologists, or doing similar work. Some are working in other areas and study a PhD just to obtain more knowledge or to have another diploma on their wall. There are few students like me that would like to obtain a PhD in Psychology to be licensed and practice this profession, without previous or current employment or training in the area or similar area. I live in Texas, where state and private agencies are recruiting psychologists; even doctoral students of Psychology in their last year! And they have enough time to finish their degrees and get licensed. And their salaries and incentives are not bad at all.
Walden is my opportunity to make a difference, obtain a doctoral degree and work as a psychologists. This journey is expensive, and sometimes demoralizing. You find many obstacles(low grades, family problems, financial problems, academic progress problem, etc), but overpass them and continue to the finish line. Walden's costs of study are still low compared to a traditional campus based PhD!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on May 23, 2008
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Walden master's in education, you decide??
Based on a very good friend’s recommendation I enrolled in Walden’s online (e college) master’s in education program (curriculum, design, and assessment). My friend told me that she had a great experience with the program, I valued her thoughts and opinions. She also told me it was tough, but very doable. Without really looking around too much, I dove right into program. I am set to finish my masters at Walden in 2008.
My experience at Walden has been mixed. Though some of the videos and material was interesting, the workload was extreme, and filled with too much busy work. As a full time teacher, I found it difficult to keep up with and inapplicable to my teaching situation. Due to the space limitations in this blog, I am not able to describe my experience fully. However, if you follow the link below, it will take you to another online college review website where I have explained in detail all of the good, bad, and ugly about my experience at Walden. Please note that I have tried to be objective, and will leave it to you to decide if you want to take this route to get your master’s in education or not.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on May 2, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Deceptive Enrollment
Please be very careful when choosing this school for the clinical PhD in applied psychology if you have any hope of becoming licensed to practice. Note: Walden is NOT APA accredited.
During consultation with the enrollment counselor, I was given a list of approximately 12 states that I was told "look favorably" at Walden graduates and permit students to take licensure exams, including two which I am interested in, namely Florida and New Jersey. I was even told that NJ State Board of Psychological Examiners was “highly impressed” with the quality of Walden graduates.
First a little background information about what you can expect from the time you inquire online. You WILL receive a phone call in 24 hours. You WILL have a difficult time making direct calls back. You WILL be contacted several times a week, for at least two weeks. Once you submit your application you WILL be pressured to enroll at the next quarter.
Part of the sales methodology of Walden is to push a person to commit to beginning studies quickly. The process from time of first consultation to when they first asked for a commitment, in my case, was two weeks. The enrollment "advisory" personnel will NOT provide any information about faculty, research interests, or allow any form of contact outside of the sales department. Also, they like to speak in terms of states ultimately "having" to accept online learning schools credentials, citing a lack of human services professionals in the future.
I wrote to two State Licensing Boards and received the following responses:
Florida Department of Health writes, "I am unaware of any instance in which the Board has looked favorably upon an applicant, outside of the above exceptions, who did not graduate from an APA-accredited program." The exceptions are listed on the website and do not pertain to Walden University.
The Executive Director of the NJ State Board writes, "to be honest, very few graduates of Walden University have obtained a license to practice psychology in the State of New Jersey." I shared with the Executive Director my intention to STAY AWAY from Walden and was given the following response, “I'm glad you have been so diligent in exploring the possibilities. Would that others had been so careful.” Although the door is not closed to Walden students, it is not exactly common, or even likely.
Don't even get me started on what I was able to uncover about the faculty turnover at Walden.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on April 21, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
PhD Public Health Walden University Beware!
I am presently attending Walden University, PhD Public Health, and I have to say that I am deeply disappointed. I am presently working on my dissertation and this has been a horrible experience and huge mistake (financially) on my part. First, for PhD Public Health students the lack of faculty available to fill the mandatory dissertation committee (3 faculty) is a problem that must be changed ASAP if Walden wishes to continue with this program. It appears to me that Walden has set public health PhD student's up for failure because most students find themselves without a full committee and cannot finish the dissertation process. The enrollment advisor and the academic advisors never say at the start that the student is responsible for finding their dissertation committee and if the student cannot then oh well, too bad you are without a PhD and without several thousands of dollars, but hey thanks for the money while you were here. In the PhD Public Health program there are not enough "approved" faculty to take on the number of students who must have dissertation committees in order to complete the PhD requirements. I have never heard of a "real" University not providing the appropriate faculty in order for the students to meet dissertation criteria so that one might complete the requirements to graduate. If I had known from the start what the final stage (dissertation) was in details, I would not have wasted my time and money at Walden. Walden University is private and corporate owned, thus a business. However, I am going to write a letter to the Better Business Bureau and The Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org. regarding poor business practice and lack of providing students with the BASIC necessities (like faculty) in order to complete the degree. To me I feel I have been lied to, set up for failure, and about 60 thousand dollars stolen from me because the university knew they did not have enough faculty for the PhD Public Health students to complete the dissertation according to their own policies and mandatory dissertation committee. I received my bachelors and masters from a traditional university and I am in the process of transfering back to the traditional university setting in hopes that I finish my PhD. I have maintained a 3.7 GPA during my doctoral studies at Walden and I am really angry to see all that money and time count for absolutely nothing.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
9
10
Awilber3
(In Progress) on March 16, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Some Advice for Would-Be Learners
I have utilized online education to obtain all of my degrees and have to say that I completely disagree with the assessment of some of the naysayers who have written sardonic reviews. I have always enjoyed complimentary reviews and comments from potential employers toward my online degrees. They are accredited, so why wouldn't they be?
And while we are on the topic of accreditation, lets address a problem which seems to be running rampant through these reviews. Walden has it plastered all over their website that their Psychology programs are not accredited for licensure. So, if the state of Florida demands that you be licensed and you you expect that from your program, then transfer to a Florida-based school. They will probably take most, if not all of your credits. The classes and courses are accredited through one of the six accrediting authorities which are accepted worldwide, so guess what? They are, kind of, obliged to, in general terms. So, you may have to take an extra course or two...big deal. At least you will be licensed upon graduation, right?
Here's some unsolicited advice for the would-be online learner: self-discipline is the key. If you are a person who has great self-discipline and can subject themselves to the rigors of an online program, then great! Online learning may be just the thing for you! However, if you are a procrastinator who has trouble with deadlines, cheated your way through high school, or even college, to some extent, then guess what? You are probably going to waste your time and money.
Online learning takes a constructivist approach, whereby the learner acts as their own agent in constructing their own learning. You will get out of learning, whatever you put into it. If you apply yourself and give it your all, you will be the benefactor for it. If you give it a half-hearted effort, you'll be quickly discovered and exploited for your efforts. Not publicly, as ethical practices would encourage you to do better. But, the grades you received will be emblematic of the effort that you provide.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on March 13, 2008
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Hindsight is 20/20
Walden University has afforded me the opportunity to complete all coursework for the MS Psychology Degree, finishing all but the thesis with a 3.8 GPA. I began the course of study in 2003 taking one course at a time. A few quarters I was not able to attend, but because I had such poor advising no notice was given that a four year time line would cut me short of graduation. An extension was granted until Spring 08 to complete the thesis, however the Chair selection process is a gamble that in my case resulted in a poor choice. Letters to the Advising Group were met with responses asking me to discuss with my mentor(Chair). The poor responses from the Chair and the Dean created time delays that pushed my thesis to the point that it can not successfully meet the time line.
Walden University is a money sham which should be investigated for fraud. I have 30k dollars in student loans to repay, no degree, and contempt for Walden University.
Buyer beware- Online schools are not for everybody. If you want poor feedback, high costs, and a general lack of respect for student's, Walden is the place to waste your time and money.
This post is one student's opinion and does not reflect the qaulity of other Online schools, nor other departments at Walden. The school of Psychology is specifically where my experience is drawn from.
For the working professional, Walden School of Psychology, is a poor choice for a quality education. What does one do with the faceless, relationless, entity that is the online educational venue for Walden?
I am sick over the whole experience! Without the degree my work with adolescent addicts will remain as a volunteer rather than as a paid counselor. Shame on me for being naive about Walden, shame on Walden for caring so little about it's student's pleas for assistance.
AC
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
8
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on November 14, 2007
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Accreditation at Walden
From time to time I have read various posts about concerns about Walden’s accreditation.
For Psychology students the biggest confusion centers on accreditation with The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association and accreditation with American Psychological Association (APA) or designation by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR). These last two are requirements for licensure in some states, but not all. There is a history at Walden of the decisions around pursuing APA accreditation or not. This does not make Walden a “bad school”. Not all schools, and not all Psychology specializations within a school, will have these accreditations. Walden makes it explicitly clear in several places on their website and in the program guides what accreditations it holds and what it does not. I realize that this is easy to get confused about at the beginning of a program, but come on – this is grad school, and by now you really should be able to ask questions. It really is up to you to understand the licensing requirements for your state before you enroll anywhere. There are several practicing, licensed psychologists from Walden – again, depending on the state. Walden’s general psych program is geared either to the educational arena or research. If you want to be a counselor don’t pick this program.
I am almost finished with my doctoral program at Walden and have to say that overall it has been a good experience. Many people like myself, with full time jobs and life demands could never pursue higher education if we were limited to traveling to and from a regular institution. So many traditional universities are now offering several courses online, if not full degree programs. Being among the first to tap into technology at the accredited graduate school level, does not make Walden a diploma mill, nor make the degrees awarded useless.
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3
10
Anonymous
(In Progress) on October 16, 2007
(email verified)
| Materials: |
|
Teachers: |
|
| Institution: |
|
Support: |
|
| Value: |
|
Technology: |
|
Watch OUT!
I have been attending Walden University since 2004, and the reason I have not graduated is because the degree for MPH is not accredited. I have spoken with CEPH, and APHS, and Walden has no affliation with them. Here in the state of Florida accreditation from a Masters and a PHD should have their own accreditation which supports the program.
I have found out that at the beginning, in 2004, the school told many students that they were accredited, but failed to mention that some of their programs were not individually recognized by organizations such as Council of Public Health Education, and Association of Public Health Schools. For this reason over 500 students have left the institution to seek programs that are accredited outside of this university
Numerous complaints have been filed. I had a hard time reaching the school and at the beginning of the year I lost 2 internship sites, due to no telephone calls returned or emails responses, that lasted over 6weeks. I could not fund anyone at the school. I reached viocemails for that length of time. I received communication once I complained to the DOE in Minnesota.
I am now working with the Vice President, the Dean, and the academic advisor to find an internship in my area. Unfortunately I am subjected to conference calls that have 4 plus people on the line. The four plus people are all Walden Staff, and then myself. I am not allowed to talk to any of these individuals without the presence of the other 3 or 4 people on the line.
In all they are still seeking an internship in the area I live in. 4 months and 4 conference calls later I am no where near graduating as I was in January 2007. Agencies here are concern with program accreditation, and online education issues. I cannot change this.
Please do the research for the school, Make sure that you can use the degree within your state. Unfortunately I may never graduate but I will have the student loans to remind me that not all school have your best interest.
I wish many of you luck, and I hope that I can graduate someday and use this degree.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
You can help by Writing a review
