Just started my prereqs through straighterline

Kathy H · Apr 21, 2015

Hi,

I am starting May 1 and took a straighterline Intro to Communications course. WGU is a partner school. My EC sent me the link so I could get $50 off. WGU also gives you $50 credited to your tuition for each SL course you transfer up to 4 courses so you can get up to $200 credit!

iamdjar · Apr 22, 2015

Yeah, not much, but at least it's something. I went online and found the code for first course free, i believe it never expires, so for everybody thinking about trying it out, i always suggest looking up the code, it worked for me.... in fact, I'm actually taking my time with statistics, just to make sure i ace it, not sure that's the best strategy, but I'm still feeling my way through the first half of the course.... One thing i really dislike is the answers on the exams have to be EXACT, like word for word, $ signs, % signs.... Very frustrating to miss a question that asks what percent xxxxx, then get it wrong because i INCLUDED the % sign in my answer, when, since it was in the question, they marked me wrong for saying 68%, instead of 68.... Ugh!!!

Other than that, i am learning a lot.... LoL

RJTnurse · Apr 22, 2015

Hi iamdjar,

I took A&P II with Lab with Straighterline and I had a positive experience. I think that if you can finish Stats with 75% as soon as possible I think it would be to your benefit since WGU only needs you to transfer the course. Actually, stats is not required to be admitted to the pre-licensure program. I would def. do my best on the required courses (Anatomy and Physiology I & II with Lab and Microbiology).

42pines · Apr 24, 2015

Let's see... $50 off Straighterline, and then $200 off WGU, and somehow I found that my hospital, for some reason, I think they said "affiliated," but I suspect that's said rather loosely, has a 5% off tuition. Add those together and that's $50 + $200 + $160. That could translate to a $410 off the first semester. Excellent.

im.sarah · Aug 12, 2015

Hi RJTnurse,

do you know the formats for assignments/exams for SL science courses?

i'm planning to take microbio soon not sure what to expect.

iamdjar · Aug 12, 2015

Exams are open book, only the final is proctored via webcam. Labs are from esciencelabs.com and come UPS, so make sure you have room in your refrigerator. ProctorU does the proctoring, so go there and create an account and make sure your computer and internet connection pass their minimum requirements. I bought my Micro book on Amazon cheap, like $20 cheap,

One thing I may add from experience, make sure you know the material inside and out before you plunk down your coin and the clock starts ticking. The exams are really unforgiving of misspellings and missing/different words or mistated answers. Kind of frustrating. An example, I missed a question that asked "What percent of XXX is ?" So I answered correctly, 66%, which was marked wrong. Correct answer? 66 - The % was in the question... seriously.

The reason I say make sure you know your material first, is you don't really learn via the powerpoints, I think what the classes are designed to do is prove you have a college level knowledge of the material in question. So way before you sign up, buy the book, read the book, do all the chapter assignments at the end of each chapter, go to youtube and watch every video on micro you can find, go to khan academy. They are FREE. Search Google for Microbiology study guides, you can find a ton of free stuff that way. In short, make sure you are loaded for bear, and then, you can probably finish in 30 days with an A. Remember, it's an A or nothing, you have the option of retaking every class as many times as you need to, you have to pay for it again, but you NEED that A.

Also, once you sign up, dont sleep, get busy as soon as you can. Do the lessons, and at the end of each lesson, you can take practice exams. The questions are in the same format that the tests are and you can review your answers after you're done. Also, you can retake the practice exam as many times as you want, and each time the questions are randomized and reworded. So if you cannot consistently pass the pratice exam with 100 percent - theres no way you're getting a 100 on the real test.

One other note, you can take the first exam over, like a redo. You have to wait 48 hours after you take the first exam to redo it, but thats kind of nice. There is a learning curve to how they want their questions answered. But after that, when you take an exam its a one shot deal.

Good luck

iamdjar · Aug 20, 2015

One more thing I have found invaluable. Each textbook, I should say all modern textbooks have an online component. For the last question about microbiology, I purchased the textbook on Amazon used, fairly cheap, and also purchased the online access through the textbook manufacturer for $25 also purchased on Amazon - which gives you a really neat way to learn the material on the textbook providers website. Their particular method is called Learnsmart. You have to create an account, then you get access to basically a quiz format for each chapter. The website keeps track of your progress, and will direct you to specific passages in the textbook if you start to miss to many questions. There are reports to view to see your weak areas, and the chapter questions and quizes are adaptive, so as you are answering, it starts to figure out what your strong and weak areas are, and it asks questions in the areas you need work in. You can also come back and "recharge" in the areas you have already covered to reinforce material you already know. I firmly believe I learned more from the website and the textbook, than through Straighterline, but as I said before, I don't really think thats the point of the Straighterline program. You are basically paying for proof that you know the material. I am totally sold on the textbook manufacturers Learnsmart program. I also purchased the online access for the A&P I and II book. Found it on Amazon for $5...no kidding... shipped

im.sarah · Aug 20, 2015

wow thank you so much for the detailed advices!!! it will most definitely help me and many other students!!

iamdjar · Aug 21, 2015

Also, for anyone struggling with A&P, I found a complete online Marieb/Hoehn, Human Anatomy & Physiology, 9e - that is open access, read that as in FREE!

It's not the textbook, rather the online component... even better really.

it comes with chapter quizzes, exams, and chapter specific games and puzzles for each chapter and case studies and other study tools.

The best thing I found is each chapter is available to read via text and get this, there is an MP3 audio of each chapter of the textbook, as in it is read aloud and labeled for each section AND THE WHOLE THING IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD. You can download the whole text in MP3 audio, and put it right on your ipod, phone, burn it to CD and listen in the car... I am amazed by just this alone....

You can take chapter quizes, then hit reset and take them again and again and again, as many times as you need to.... very very cool.

This is not a pirated version of the text, its the online component and its the real deal and its free.

Marieb/Hoehn, Human Anatomy & Physiology, 9e - Open Access

And it doesn't matter which text you are using in your class.. A&P is A&P, the concepts are the same.

iamdjar · Aug 21, 2015

Found an Open Access Microbiology same as the A&P

01: A Brief History of Microbiology

barbiedallas · Sep 12, 2015

Hello there can u please work me through using the Straighterline website I am lost thank you