StudentsReview :: Walden University - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Walden University

How this student rated the school
Research QualityB+ Research AvailabilityB-
Research FundingC- Graduate PoliticsA
Errand RunnersA+ Degree CompletionA
Alternative pay [ta/gsi]D+ Sufficient Pay-
CompetitivenessA- Education QualityD-
Faculty AccessibilityB- Useful ResearchA-
Extracurriculars- Success-UnderstandingA-
Surrounding City- Social Life/Environment-
"Individual" treatmentB+ FriendlinessB+
Safety- Campus Beauty-
Campus Maintenance- University Resource/spending-
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Afraid, Arrogant, Approachable, Broken Spirit, Snooty

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful, Condescending, Unhelpful

Male
GRE1250
Lowest Rating
Education Quality
D-
Highest Rating
Errand Runners
A+
He cares more about Education Quality than the average student.
Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
I have started work on my dissertation with Walden. I've been a student for 4 years. I must say, I felt "duped" by the recruiter when I was considering Walden as my school: The recruiter grossly underestimated the cost of school (he did not mention any of the hidden costs). Also, if you are like me and you work full-time and have a life, it is quite difficult to plan your residencies far enough in advance that you can also plan how you will fund them. Because of this, I had to borrow more than I needed each quarter, never knowing for sure if I would go to a residency that quarter or not. As a result, I ran up much more debt than needed. The costs of books, e-books, dvd's, computers, residencies, travel and lodging adds up to many thousands of dollars (easily over 10k for me). Tuition itself is about 10k per year at 1 class per quarter. Dissertation is 20k, plus whatever my expenses will turn out to be to complete my research (you can't hope, prey, and wait on a grant…we have a time table to follow). Add this cost to my masters (done at a high-quality brick & mortar school), I have over 130k in student loans to repay.

My main criticism of Walden's program is the quality of the class content and virtual classroom experience. Two words to describe it: it's terrible. But that's not so much Walden's fault as it is the nature of online classes. But by the time I realized the program was not for me, I had already spent a lot of money. I felt I had no choice but to continue and finish the program. Besides, how else would a 42 yr old full-time worker and family man get his doctorate? I could not go away to a traditional school; Walden was my best option.

I don't think Walden is engaging in fraud, like other for-profits have been accused of. They do seem to care, and they are serious about helping you succeed. I will say this: others are right when they said, "You get [from the experience] what you put into it." In the online environment there's only so much you can put into the experience. There is no substitute for brick & mortar environments, so if the "college experience" is what you want (in addition to a good education), I would not recommend any online school.

Good luck in whatever you decide!!

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