RN to MSN Leadership and Management

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 18, 2014

Biggest tip I can give (and I thing I started a thread about this very thing) - let go of perfectionism. WGU does not give A's, so don't sweat and spend a ton of time perfecting a paper. If you've done everything they've asked you to, then turn it in. The worst that can happen is they send it back to you with suggestions for what is missing or needs more info, then you can spend 30 minutes fixing it and turning it back in. There have been MANY times when I was very dissatisfied with what I have written, and was sure it would be returned to me for correction, and it was accepted.

USE THE RUBRIC. The rubric points out very explicitly what you need to include in your paper. For every rubric point, use that as a heading title. When you don't use the rubric, that's when papers get returned to you.

Set aside a certain time every day or every week to do schoolwork. Don't put things off - it's easy to do with a work-at-your-own-pace program. I've been doing this for 3 years, and it's just within the last year that I've developed a routine with schoolwork. I go to the library every Saturday AM and work there until anywhere from 1 to 4 pm, but I don't let myself leave until I've completed that task (some tasks I give myself 2 weeks instead of 1). And then I don't think about or stress about school any other time of the week. This works for me, allowing me to complete one task every 1-2 weeks. If you're really wanting to accelerate, you will probably want to spend more than 5 hours a week on schoolwork, but the key is to create a routine.

Hope this helps!

chrty_knox · Jun 18, 2014

Thanks! Sounds like great advice and i think I will struggle with letting perfection go. How many credits do you/have you completed in your term(s)?

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 18, 2014

I had 37 credits in my BSN (took me 3 terms). Then I took 6 months off, and I have I think 30 credits for the MSN which I will finish by next May at the latest.

chrty_knox · Jun 20, 2014

Thanks! I usually am super motivated and I hope I can complete my 67 credits( I miscalculated in 4 terms but I have three young children and work part time. I want to be realistic and not go insane trying to complete in that time frame. I figure 17-20 credits a term and then the last term try and only have the 6 credit capstone classes left. We shall see how that goes it certainly would not be the end of the world if it takes 5 terms but 4 is my goal.