A little more on the WNMU experience so far...

Well, I applied to the MAIS program on Sunday, also sent them the question regarding tuition discounts for out of State residents. They called on Monday and spent probably 15-20 minutes chatting about different aspects of the program. I was admitted yesterday (Tuesday) and received a follow up call that afternoon letting me know about the admission e-mail and again offering assistance, also reminding me that classes are filling up and to get registered.....pretty awesome customer service I think!

A few minutes ago (Wednesday) and I have a long detailed e-mail from the History Dept. Chair/Adviser welcoming me to the program, offering advice, and just being helpful. I think I'm gonna like this place

 

When do classes start? Jan?
Glad you found a program you are comfortable with.

 

I've been very pleased as well. I applied Monday evening. I've not been admitted yet, but Jessica in the interdisciplinary office has been very helpful. She even went the extra mile to get my ID information so I could get registered for the classes I need to take in the spring even before the final admission is processed. I now am registered for two ENGL classes (Shakespeare and American Novel) for the spring.

 

I gave thought to this program! Glad to hear it is going so well for you.

 

Wouldn't you know that about 10 minutes after I posted I received my conditional admission letter (pending official transcripts)?

 

With these two courses you probably will have Donald Florence and Robert Welsh; two of the best. You can't go wrong - quite a bit of reading and writing but both courses and instructors are fantastic.

 

Ryoder, classes start Jan.9, Im glad I found it too! You should come take it with me, don't you have room for one more degree?

eilla, I hope the great service continues as well, It's really been an exceptional experience so far. My biggest fear is that they take away the out of state discount and leave me in a learch to pay for it, But I will just hope and pray for the best.

StefanM, I wish you much success on the English classes, I am toying with the idea of switching my business concentration (9 credits) to English or Writing, some of those courses sound interesting and I know my writing could be better. I wonder which course would provide the best prep for a future Thesis project?

Psydoc, if you have any info on History, Criminal Justice, or Business Instructors I would love to hear it. There is not much info out there on individual instructors. A bit here on Degree Info and a bit on Ratemy professor but thats about it.

 

I have Florence for American Novel and Heller for Shakespeare.

 

Congratulations!

 

I know this wasn't directly addressed to me, but I'm going to step in anyway.

I finished up at WNMU in May with my concentrations in History & Political Science. Let me share some information about the profs I had.

Dr. Manzanarez - I had him for three courses. What I liked about him is that he had high expectations for his students. He gave us challenging essays and provided great feedback. He also uses peer reviews so that you can work with your classmates to improve your skills. What I did NOT like about him was that his due dates/times were inconsistent. For example, one assignment might be due at 5pm, while another might be due at 9pm and yet another due at 11am.

Dr. Hernandez - GREAT! I had two courses with him. He uses classroom discussions, which he also participates in, as well as short essays. You'll also have a larger paper to do for him as well. He makes the topics fun, which is definitely important in my book.

Dr. Fritz - I only had one course with him, but I liked how he did things. He utilized powerpoint-ish lectures and provided a variety of resources above the course texts. He had little essays, quizzes and discussions for each unit within his course.

Professor Warren - I had three courses with him. He's rough, but worth it. His courses require a lot of reading, so I would advise you to be careful what you pair his courses with. You definitely want to make sure you've allocated enough time. He likes smaller essays and focuses on discussion and quizzes based on the readings. I'll tell you, his quizzes are extremely nitpicky, but you'll figure out his system. He's a lawyer, so take that into consideration, haha.

Dr. Lavalle - Let me start by saying I did not take any courses with this guy. However, I was warned that he is awful as an online instructor. At one point I was going to sign up for his Ancient Civlizations course, and it took a whole summer to get him to respond to anything. He told me I could sign up for his on campus course, and we could just do the course via email. Then I suppose the school told him he couldn't do that, so I had to drop the course. I wasn't too happy about that. A colleague of mine from WNMU took a course with him and said it was atrocious. However, as I stated, I never personally took one with him, so I'm merely passing along the words that were told to me.

I hope this helps you. Overall, I had a great experience with WNMU. My profs were all exceptional, and I only wish I had found the program sooner!

-Matt

 

Matt,

Thank you I am hoping to draw on your experience as I begin this trek, I appreciate your input very much!

 

Sorry, my concentrations were English & Writing so I have no familiarity with either of the concentrations you mention. Good luck in your studies.

 

I'm contemplating an MIS/Writing combo for the fall. How were the writing classes?

Anyone have any input on the MIS classes? There seems to be very few of those but maybe just enough to get the 18 credits.

 

The Writing classes are fantastic - quite a bit of online interaction and, believe it or not, there is quite a bit of writing. You may choose your courses, but I would suggest there are a couple of courses that you simply must take. One is Nature Writing and the other is Writing Literature for Children. If at all possible take Advanced Composition first just for the excellent background in writing. The Writing program is an excellent program with excellent courses and excellent instructors. The English program also shares these excellent qualities.

 

My pleasure! PM me if you need any specifics as you go through the program.

-Matt

 

I start in the Spring too. My interactions with Jessica have been excellent.

 

I really wanted to sign up for classes with Russell my first semester but by the time I was accepted, all the writing courses were full. I'm taking 2 in history for now. Reviewing the courses offered, I basically want to take all that Sharman Russell teaches.

 

John Gist is also a great instructor - but the same can be said of each instructor that I encountered. If you venture into Literature Don Florence and Robert Welsh are definitely on the positive list.