I love Walden University - online PhD

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by emptynestmom, Nov 17, 2014.

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  1. emptynestmom

    emptynestmom New Member

    I thought I should post my thoughts about Walden University. There are now so many online programs available, it is difficult to decide which is best. In the end, I only had two choices for my concentration. However, before deciding on a school and a specific focus, I spent a year looking at all of the available online PhD programs.

    Walden is great! They treat students like we are customers and give great customer service. I always feel like they are willing to work with me, which is important because this is a big decision.

    First, I will cover the pros of Walden. It is online, it is accredited and accepted by the US Department of Education for almost all of their programs, including mine. This is important for loans, grants, and legitimacy in your field. For PhD programs, you get 8 years to complete the whole degree. This leaves plenty of time for working while going to school. Also, Walden is international so students get the opportunity to network with cohorts around the world. This is one of the nice things about online education. Since the residency requirements allow for a variety of locations, we may get to connect in person with our international cohorts.

    Cons include full disclosure not always given for everything. Make sure you ask questions about extra costs. In the end I went with Walden and will stay until I finish. However, I was disappointed to find out there are extra costs above tuition and books. I have to pay an extra $4000.00 for residency costs. This was not presented as extra in the recruitment process. I guess I was more worried about accreditation. Just make sure to ask for everything in writing or a complete breakdown of anticipated costs.

    I know that some have said Walden is expensive, but it is comparable to other schools that are nonprofit. National charges about the same for their Graduate courses and they are not for profit. If National had a PhD program I would have gone there, but they do not have one.

    Keep in mind that Walden customer service is awesome. When I first started, I was nervous and asked tons of questions. No one ever acted like they were annoyed. In fact, the academic counselor was attentive and helped me through the rough patches. This is important because stuff comes up and students often simply need someone to bounce ideas or questions for generic feedback.

    In the end, it is important to consider all variables and how one can fit these programs into our lives. This is a big commitment. I hope my feedback helps.:veryhappy::veryhappy:
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'm glad to hear that you're having a good experience.
     
  3. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    I think there are very good writers and advertisers who know how to post in places that will get their message high into the search engines...
     

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