Western Governors University (WGU) Intake Interview

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

Western Governors University (WGU), an online school designed for adult learners who already have some experience with collegiate level coursework, has become exceptionally popular in recent years. The reasons for WGU's explosion in popularity can be traced back to several appealing attributes. Some of these alluring attributes include very affordable tuition, regional and national accreditation, nonprofit status, a myriad of interesting majors and concentrations at the graduate and undergraduate level, and a cutting edge competency-based model that facilitates quick college degree completion.

Every student who wants to enroll at WGU is required to submit to an intake interview. This interview is nothing more than a routinized questionnaire conducted over the phone as a bureaucratic formality to apply the final touches to the student's enrollment. The intake interview, which is administered by the student's enrollment counselor, needs to be done no later than the 15th of the month prior to the intended start date. For instance, someone who is aiming for a start date of January 1st would need to have completed the intake interview requirement by December 15th. During the intake interview, the enrollment counselor will make statements and ask questions similar to the ones listed below. To promote ease of understanding, our theoretical enrollment counselor will be interviewing a student named Jane Doe who was born in the mid 1990s with plans to enroll in the RN-to-BSN degree completion program.

Your year of birth is 2002, correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm the birth year listed on the initial admission application. This step helps confirm one's identity and presumably prevents mix-up errors for people who have very common names such as 'John Smith,' but different birth dates.

The last four digits of your social security number are 1234, correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm the last four digits of his/her social security number. Again, this question helps confirm the student's identity and prevents those annoying bureaucratic mix-ups.

Your phone number is (000)123-1234, correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm his/her primary phone number, typically the one that was provided on the initial admission application. If one's number has changed or will be changing soon, now is the time to divulge this information.

Your email address is [email protected], correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm his/her email address. Again, this is the email address on the initial application for admission. Many students opt to use the WGU Gmail account that the school provides during the admission process.

Your address is 123 Lucky Street, Los Angeles, California. Correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to verify his/her mailing address. If the student's address has changed, now is the time to mention it.

Your major is the RN-to-BSN completion program, correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm his/her declared major, degree completion program or concentration. The student typically made this selection on the admission application and has ample time to change his/her mind before the intake interview ever takes place.

Your source of funding is financial aid, correct?

The enrollment counselor will ask the student to confirm his/her source of funding. Some students will fund this scholastic venture via self-pay and others will utilize financial aid. If financial aid is involved, the enrollment counselor will ask, "Do you have any other ways to pay tuition in case financial aid is not awarded?"

Our transcript department has received official transcripts from Moorpark College and Antelope Valley College. Should we expect any other transcripts?

Once the student confirms names of the schools that were supposed to send official transcripts, the enrollment counselor will insert a reminder: "You do realize we will not accept any other transcripts for transfer credit once you officially start the program."

Toward the end of the intake interview, the enrollment counselor will make an official recommendation that the student be enrolled. The enrollment counselor also reminds students of the payment deadline, which is normally the 22nd of the month prior to the planned start date. In addition, the enrollment counselor will encourage the student to complete the Education Without Boundaries course as soon as it becomes available. Finally, the enrollment counselor repeats his/her phone number and encourages the student to call in the event that any further questions arise regarding the admission process.