My WGU MSDA Story

Bajal
Bajal
Nov 6 · 2 min read

Recently I was able to complete the MSDA program at Western Governor’s University in a single term. These are some tips I wanted to pass along. Many of these are gathered from advices given by other students in slack and directly to me.

  • Everyone has different backgrounds and ability to retain, but I estimate to put in 10-20 hours per week of study time. I personally spent 6 hours on weekends and one hour each week day.
  • Identify a support system — if you have a family and work full time, discuss your plans and need for study hours on weekends.
  • Identify a study location, and keep it organized. I used to take OAs at my office after hours to avoid interruptions.
  • *Work on something every single day*
  • Start studying before the term starts, either study for certs you know you’ll have to take or activate a course during the 15 day window prior to the start of the term.
  • Don’t worry about being perfect, just worry about passing.
  • If you are familiar with the material to some extent, take the pre-assessment immediately to gauge your knowledge. If you score high, take the final.
  • If you need help with planning don’t be scared to discuss with your Mentor and let them know your plan ahead of time. Once you gain confidence of your mentor by passing first 3 courses quickly, they will be more open to helping you progress faster.
  • Set goals and stick to them. Eg. set date for taking an OA or Certification.
  • Use the degree specific Slack channel to ask questions and stay motivated.
  • Use the chatter, and search reddit.com/r/wgu for useful tips. Organize them in your note taking tool. I use Microsoft OneNote.
  • Capstone seems to be taking longer now, with stricter rules for acceptance. Think of datasets early on, and discuss with the CI once enrolled. Keep few different ideas open.

Good luck.

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