Wilkes University - BEWARE!

[jennifer2021]

I just want to urge anyone considering applying to a Wilkes graduate program to reconsider. This is a warning.

1. Content: Everything is self-taught. There are no lectures whatsoever. Some professors will supply supplemental materials and others won't. The administration's solution to this was not to provide more support but to forbid any professors from providing additional resources. All of the modules have outdated sources (some dating from the 90s, no joke) and most of the citations are wrong. I don't really care about citations but considering that they profess to, you'd think they would fix their own citations.

2. Support: LOL. There is none. The school uses Keypath, an education management company. The advisors provided are not nurses and have no idea what the program entails. They cannot offer any useful information, advocate on your behalf, or even register you. You also can't register yourself. Who registers students? No one actually know. Also, you will NEVER be able to speak to an actual human being ever. Have a problem? Search for the right person, send an email, wait 2 business days, and hope you get an answer. Also, the people at Keypath are just rude. They don't actually want to help you. They're pushing paper and you, the student, are only getting in their way apparently.

3. Professors: Again, LOL. These programs have NO onsite professors. All the professors or should I say instructors because they don't actually teach, are adjuncts. Typically, they work for several online programs at a time. Some are decent but most are unresponsive, flippant, or just downright rude.

4. Placement: They do very little to find placements. Like the bare minimum. You have no idea whether you will be one of the lucky ones and get help finding a preceptor. You cannot speak to the placement team directly so you are not even able to follow up. In my cohort, less than 10% of students were placed by Wilkes. Everyone else had to find their own preceptors. Most paid thousands of dollars for preceptors. 

5. Administration: The administration changes almost yearly. Again, you can't speak to anyone on the phone. Instead of developing appropriate and relevant content, they troll facebook and accuse people of cheating and plagiarism. They've had facebook pages shut down because people were sharing self-developed study guides. That's right, student created study guides. Um, okay.

6. Culture: Rude. Condescending. Unhelpful. Unreachable. The administration just does not care. Have a problem? Struggling? Need help? You cannot reach out to these people and get any sort of support. You are in an online environment and there is NO ONE to assist. And if you do manage to reach someone, you will be met with irritation and contempt. Just a nasty, nasty place.

7. Admissions: They've lowered their admission standards to the point where if you have a BSN and a pulse, you're accepted. This is such a disservice to those in the program or that have already graduated. They have turned themselves into a degree mill and consequently every degree delivered now looks suspect. 

In short, I hate this school. I wish I never attended. The experience has truly been one of the worst experiences of my life. Learn from me. Spare yourself. Go someplace, anyplace else.

 

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

I see that all of their non-clinical classes are on-line.  That's a red flag.  Shows how little regard they have for their content.

[Yellownurse15, MSN, RN]

Sorry you had a horrible experience with this school and thank you for sharing your experience. The more aware everyone becomes of these unfavorable NP programs, the better chances we have of getting rid of these diploma mills (hopefully). 

[Guest1144461]

For those reading, this is like 90% of NP programs, even brick and mortar state schools.

I am surprised by none of the things listed.

[Yellownurse15, MSN, RN]

20 minutes ago, Numenor said:

For those reading, this is like 90% of NP programs, even brick and mortar state schools.

I am surprised by none of the things listed.

I agree. NP education needs a complete overhaul. 

[Tegridy]

So do they just collect government dollars basically ?

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

I'm glad OP is speaking out in details. It's important to point out what these schools are like. Essentially, these programs are handing out degrees without providing any added educational value.

[Victor Jerome]

On 8/15/2022 at 11:56 AM, Numenor said:

For those reading, this is like 90% of NP programs, even brick and mortar state schools.

I am surprised by none of the things listed.

This actually makes me feel a lot better 

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

On 8/15/2022 at 8:56 AM, Numenor said:

For those reading, this is like 90% of NP programs, even brick and mortar state schools.

I am surprised by none of the things listed.

^^ This is true.  Especially since COVID, it has given programs even more reason to do everything online than before.  Most schools figure, "Hey, it worked during COVID, let's keep going!"

I know there have been various AN members pointing out how it should be made mandatory, if you are a NP college/university/school, you need to be able to provide preceptors.  I agree!  Even if the college has to up tuition a bit to provide this, they need to be able to find proper placement for students.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

59 minutes ago, Mergirlc said:

^^ This is true.  Especially since COVID, it has given programs even more reason to do everything online than before.  Most schools figure, "Hey, it worked during COVID, let's keep going!"

I know there have been various AN members pointing out how it should be made mandatory, if you are a NP college/university/school, you need to be able to provide preceptors.  I agree!  Even if the college has to up tuition a bit to provide this, they need to be able to find proper placement for students.

The schools shouldn't have to up the tuition.  The students, I'm sure, are already paying the full credit fee for a service they are not receiving when 1. they have to find their own preceptors and 2. those preceptors are not employees of the degree granting school.  Lowering the standards is a poor method of getting more NP's into the workforce.  

[londonflo]

I looked at this University's NP site. Frankly, they ARE advertising a cut-rate, easy admission program. Online except for preceptorship. On other sites here on AN, I read of students completing ADN to BSN complaining that they have a clinical component. Actually read on AN that "students during Covid lucked out having to not complete a BSN clinical". 

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

On 8/15/2022 at 11:56 AM, Numenor said:

For those reading, this is like 90% of NP programs, even brick and mortar state schools.

I am surprised by none of the things listed.

Disagree. I went to Pitt in person, and it was entirely not like that at all. I am clinical faculty for other schools that are entirely not like that. I agree that the schools need to be held accountable to provide appropriate preceptors and programs, but I do not agree that 90% are bad.