Walden University - Walden University

My experiences with Walden

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on January 4, 2009

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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!