So disappointed in Excelsior. Should I bail or suck it up for the last class?

[indigoshuffle]

suck it up, buttercup

[Life_One]

I feel for you, truly. I feel that way about WGU and my experiences with them.
I have a friend that is in the teacher's college at WGU and not the tech college of WGU, and they tell me it's a completely different experience than what I went through. Point being, I was 100% in your shoes when I was completing WGU.

If you can, even if it's the shittiest of shit degrees, just get through it and get done, even if the capstone is garbage from your standpoint. Once it is done, you can take a much better Masters program somewhere else, and having this degree completed will open doors! Good luck!

[profstudent]

I'm glad others can relate. I'm closer to being able to suck it up and deal than before. As much as I don't want a degree from a school that is inept and incompetent at even basic things, like aid/billing, it's one class compared to the 'unknown' problems any other school might have. I dread the capstone group work non-sense, but am trying to just deal. It is one class compared to many. Excelsior is inept with billing/aid, but at least they're a relatively cheap school.

I've gotten a few exciting graduate school acceptance letters this week that make a bachelor's degree from a school I don't care about easier to accept and move on from.

[Life_One]

I'm glad others can relate. I'm closer to being able to suck it up and deal than before. As much as I don't want a degree from a school that is inept and incompetent at even basic things, like aid/billing, it's one class compared to the 'unknown' problems any other school might have. I dread the capstone group work non-sense, but am trying to just deal. It is one class compared to many. Excelsior is inept with billing/aid, but at least they're a relatively cheap school.

I've gotten a few exciting graduate school acceptance letters this week that make a bachelor's degree from a school I don't care about easier to accept and move on from.

Congratulations on the graduacate school acceptance letters! let us know how everything comes together! Good luck!

[Kab]

Congrats on these acceptance letters!
Keep moving forward and let the past behind you.

[Pats20]

I say bail. Jk. Congratulations!

[TheVilified]

Congrats on your graduate letters!

I am just finishing up my capstone this week with EU.

I think the classes I took are well structured (only took the 7 credits) but you and I need to remember that these three courses are not "learn about cell bio" courses but designed to check that those graduating have the skills they should.  SO basically they are busy work aimed at checking skills that are pretty trivial at this point if you have been working for a decade.

I think I lucked into a solid admissions/advisor and solid professors, so you may have had bad luck.

The Capstone is both easy and rough. The paper is a SLIGHTLY more intense version of the cornerstone but it did feel like less hand-holding.
The group project... well we had a person kicked out of the group and removed from the class all together, but the rest of the team got it done. Again, it seems silly but it's to check that you can work in a work-group (clearly one of us could not lol).


Citing was also annoying for me because I got comments a couple of times to cite but I am an expert in the field on the topic I choose essentially and you are not supposed to cite yourself. If they ding the grade much I may put up a fight, but otherwise, let's get this done and move on.

I have real-world experience so literally just need the box checked, it feels like you are in the same boat.  don't let EU annoyances get you down, you are better than their system, let's get it done and be done :-)

[profstudent]

Thanks for the congrats.


I did finish the Excelsior University capstone class. 

At best, it was excessive busy work that felt like a complete waste of time. One of the assignments was writing a 3 page essay on our career plans and values. I felt like I was in high school again attending Excelsior.

I'm also unhappy that Excelsior botched my financial aid package, leaving me with a far heftier bill than expected.

In the end, Excelsior University was a checkbox degree so I can check a box for having a BA/BS on a job application. Excelsior classes felt like high school busy work, and lots of it. Discussion forums were an abhorrent waste of time. Excelsior screwed up my financial aid package, but it was still the cheapest way to finish my degree. Excelsior accepted the most transfer credits of any school I could find, so it was the quickest means to an end. Am I proud of having a degree from Excelsior? Not one bit. Am I proud I have *SOME* college degree? Yes. Would I tell people it's from Excelsior? Absolutely not. The only mention I would ever do of Excelsior will be on a resume. I wouldn't hang that diploma in my office. It's getting shoved in a box in the closet. I'm considering grad schools now, and Excelsior definitely won't be on that list. I'm hoping to attend an at least somewhat reputable grad school program. Thankfully few people I know have even hard of Excelsior so they just assume it's some random private college, not a cheap degree completion program with almost open admissions. 

I don't regret attending for the sake of it being the quickest, cheapest degree-- but the coursework was absolutely painful and a total waste of time. Nothing about it was enjoyable and I learned essentially nothing, other than never to let my education drag on so long that my "best" option is a school like Excelsior to finish a degree quick. I've attended a lot of colleges over the years, and Excelsior's class assignments were the most pointless I've ever had to do. My high school even had more useful class assignments that had some level of thought and academics. Excelsior had a research paper where we could choose the topic, so that was about the most interesting thing. Still, the assignments were crammed so close together with useless discussion forum posts that crowded our time, making most people's assignments bunk and discussion forum posts the minimal amount of effort needed to 'pass' that module. They really should have fewer assignments with higher standards instead of a bunch of busy work.

I wouldn't recommend the college to anyone unless they just wanted the quickest, cheapest degree completion option-- and they should go into it knowing the class assignments are a mind-numbing waste of time.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Congratulations on pushing through, getting your paper, and looking forward to your next challenge.

[Life Long Learning]

I wouldn't recommend the college to anyone unless they just wanted the quickest, cheapest degree completion option-- 

This is why the Big 3 are the best.  Check the box and move on.