Walden is a money trap! They do not reply to concerns let alone ADDRESS them! They can't retain quality faculty at this point and it is beginning to be quite evident! I began my Dissertation to have my Chair leave the University. Ok, new Chair. She took three months to reply to anything I submitted! New Chair and frustrations sent to "advising". Still working on the dissertation and the University fails to acknowledge that there was any wrongdoing on their part...it's "my problem" and I'm certainly paying for it!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer's satisfaction.
Walden's so-called dissertation reviewers passed a flaw study and now are not refunding my money.
How can I join the lawsuit?
My contact is clac212law@gmail.com
120, 000 dollars worth of debt and they can't even find my records! If there ever is a class action suit I want in. I just want my debt forgiven.
I did the same thing with Walden and the dissertation process. Constant run around and changing of chairs. 4 quarters of dissertation that were required and no confirmed degree. Could not afford to continue additional quarters because of maxed loans.
I began attending Walden University in September of 2014 as a doctoral candidate in the Ed. D program. Since that time, I have been completing the required coursework for the program. Although I have earned a 4.0 grade point average, I found that the coursework was a reiteration of topics that I had covered in my undergraduate and post graduate work. I have expressed my concerns about the curriculum on each course evaluation but have yet to receive any feedback. I did have an opportunity to speak to Dr. Miller (Education Department) and he told me that the curriculum is currently being rewritten but I would not benefit from this as I have already completed the coursework.
I had always been skeptical of Walden’s online doctoral program but since it is “regionally accredited” and my school district assists with tuition I decided to continue. I began the dissertation process with a course called “Completing the Prospectus”. This is a five page application to conduct research on a particular topic. I have been submitting drafts of this document since April of 2017 and still do not have an approved prospectus.
Although the Walden literature on the program states that I will have an opportunity to choose my first chairperson from professors I have worked with or someone’s work I admire, I was randomly assigned a first chairperson. The first chair did not introduce herself or give her credentials. I called the first chair for an introduction. I asked him how many other doctoral students she had chaired and was told that it is none of my business. Although the first chair said that my first draft was very good, I continue to get minor revisions and the prospectus has not been approved. I asked my chairperson what the difference is between a project study and a dissertation and she told me that I should have learned that in my research coursework. It was not covered. She told me at one point that I need to change my entire topic because it dealt with special education practices that may be out of compliance. I then ask her if I could do a single-case study or a study that used my students as participants. She told me that the information is located on the Walden Research Center webpage and that she does not know. I Googled the first chairperson’s name and could find no information on her credentials or other work she had published. Recently, I was informed that she requested to have her assignment changed. She is no longer my first chair and is being replaced by the person who was my second chair. The second chair assignment is above the first chair in the committee hierarchy. I do not understand how these positions are being assigned.
I had qualified for the Post 9/11 GI Bill and 70% of my tuition has been paid for by the Veteran’s Administration. My school district also pays for 6 credits per year. I have paid about $10, 000 out of pocket. Walden University presented the program as taking between 3 – 5 years. It has become obvious to me that this time-frame is not accurate. With the delay in submissions and minor changes suggested on each draft, there is no way that I can afford this program. I am currently considering disenrollment due to the “bait and switch” tactics employed by the university. I have done further research on Walden University and have found that there are many other students who have had the same experience.
Even though I have asked about these issues, the university has not been able to answer my questions or explain how I could possibly finish in the time-frame given.
I have been a student @ Walden since 2007, and earned Honors in 2013...everything was going along fine until the department chair changed my professor & I had to re write 18 months of work because she did not approve...after another two years, she became ill & another professor was assigned...work that usually would take me 18 months to complete has now taken me over four years. I am one assignment away from beginning my dissertation...my financial aid was approved but the school won't approve it, holding it up for an IAP that was sent in four months ago.
Sign me up for a lawsuit please. I won't even say how much my loans are. I am getting the run around.
thanks.
I too am in the same position. If there is a current Lawsuit I could join please let me know
I was enrolled in the Mental Health Counseling Masters, only to have my program changed to CLINICAL MHC 3/4 through- this ruined my chance at getting a supervisor as I have had to turn down multiple opportunities with Masters level counselors, and psychologists due to not having the "clinical" license. Although I did not sign up for Clinical, I had extra work and hardships because of this. I completed 7 of 11 weeks of Practicum and my supervisor wasn't responding to Walden so they told me to withdrawal and start over. I did. I completed another 11 weeks of Practicum, and got no credit for the original 11 weeks. I then started my internship search to no avail. I submitted a list of 18 rejections from sites and was told that was all I needed to get some support from a staff at Field Experience. When the woman called me she offered me a site 5 hours away, and the site I had already used for Practicum (and informed Walden I would NOT be returning to). After I was openly frustrated with her, she admitted she did not review my file, and that she did not even know about the issue I was having. That was 1.5 years ago. Still no internship and close to 100K in debt with NO DEGREEEEEEE!
@WaldenUniversity
May, 2018.
I've had similar problems to you all and have finally realized Walden scams students on PhD programs. In the prospectus course mentioned above, I received an F. I had nothing but criticism from the professor and no assistance.She shot down every topic but never told me why or how I could align the problem statement or research question. It's clear that they do this so I retake the course and give them more money. God only knows how long it will take for me to complete the dissertation, assuming I get there. I would join the lawsuit anyone has filed or files.
Contact Paul to join the lawsuit against Walden:
Paul Lesko
Attorney-at-law
T 314.833.4826 (office)
plesko@pwcklegal.com
Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane
A Professional Law Corporation
818 Lafayette Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63104
www.pwcklegal.com
At Walden University, we take the concerns and experiences of our students very seriously, and wish to hear from you if your experience did not meet your expectations, so that we can work with you to try to resolve your concerns. If you would like to discuss your specific situation, we are here to help you.
If you are a current student, or attended Walden within the past year, please contact studentaffairs@mail.waldenu.edu and provide us with your name, student ID, program of study, location, and specific details of your situation, and one of our school managers will contact you.
If you are a former Walden University student who last attended Walden more than one year ago, please contact formerWUstudent@mail.waldenu.edu and provide us with your name, student ID, program of study, dates of enrollment, location, and specific details of your situation, and a Walden representative will contact you.
I am currently at Walden student working on my dissertation as soon as I got to chapter 3 I was immediately sent back to do chapter 1 over again. Once I received an approval again on chapter 1 I went back to chapter 3 and I have been held at the same point for two quarters. I am being asked stupid questions and asked to remove information that the checklist requires. So, my time is constantly being spent right now sending the same three sections back for reasons that I truly don't understand. I have heard that if you question things you are really held up even more.
I have had the same experience throughout as well! I am told to add or change something and then told the next time to go back to what I had. This has been going on for 2 years. I barely get any feedback and when I do it is about minor things which involve APA rule disputes between mentors. I am in the education program and they are consistently employing bad practices. The website is a mess and it is hard to follow directions and find the templates you need. Everything is based off a rubric with zero instructions.
I've completed the doctoral program in Organizational Psychology at Walden University and while it took me way too long to complete my degree, I hold myself accountable. I completed the course work in a couple of years, and worked hard to achieve a 4.0. My grades were not given to me...I spent endless hours doing the work and doing it well. As with any school there is a range of teaching styles and teaching quality - all in all, I would rate the professors high - they provided engaging comments, were present, and responsive. I thought the coursework structure was extremely well organized, thought provoking, and I learned a lot...you get out of it what you put in to it.
I think a lot of people believe on-line education is a breeze compared to traditional classrooms, and it's not - it's often more difficult because it requires extreme self-discipline (you're not told when to show up for class - there are deadlines to meet but it's far less structured than face-to face education). Additionally, you have to be able to communicate well via scholarly writing and many people don't know how to write well so they struggle with weekly posts and commenting to their peers. Scholarly writing is a different style than many are used to and if it wasn't required in undergraduate and master's level work (which I can't imagine a program that wouldn't require it) you will struggle. If a students struggles in the course work they are going to have a very difficult time writing a dissertation - it's all about writing and research AND requires even more self-discipline than the course work does.
Around the time I began my dissertation life took a turn and it was difficult for me to focus on school and I didn't know what I wanted to research for my dissertation, so I wasted a lot of time & money. I actually failed one quarter because I didn't do the work...that's my fault...not Walden's not my professor's...mine! Had I failed again, I would have been dropped from the program. Yes, after spending all that time and money, I would have blown my opportunity to complete my degree and that would have been my fault. I wonder how many disgruntled people made poor choices and blew it...how many didn't do the work and are upset that they have a lot of debt and not much to show for it...for those of you considering Walden (a university which stresses critical thinking) ask yourself those questions. Ask yourself if you're willing to do the work, because there's a lot of it. Please don't just jump on the bandwagon without doing your own research because I know a lot of successful people who have earned degrees from Walden.
I had a bad experience with my Method's Expert leaving in the middle of my dissertation - it wasn't the end of the world, or the end of my success in the program - I was assigned a new ME and I went on...because completing my degree was important to me and that bump wasn't going to stop me from achieving my goal/dream of earning my PhD. And, because that bump took a while to smooth out - I requested partial tuition reimbursement for that quarter and Walden reimbursed me for the entire quarter.
I'm not saying the program is perfect...I do have a complaint...once a dissertation draft is submitted the reviewers have, I believe, up to 4 weeks to respond. When it's an 11 week quarter that's far too long and that is a drain on the pocket book. I think that aspect of the program needs to be changed, turn around time needs to be much quicker. Other than that I'm thankful for my education and degree, I had a great experience, and I would recommend Walden.
I hope that more people will share their positive experiences.
I think there are some positive and then many people who didn't get good mentors...luck of the draw, which is inequitable. I am glad you had a positive experience. I have a 4.0 and have been passed from mentor to mentor as they keep quitting the university.
I am a DNP student and this is my last Quarter because my chair states she only read small portions and if it needs corrections she don’t read any further. My first chair couldn’t find my first theee sections to read for two Quarters. My second chair made me change my approved Proposal after getting approved for my initial Proposal and the first three sections were complet or she wasn’t going to read the paper. Smh I reported it several times to my advisor with no help and the head of the program NEVER responded. Ever! I now have no more financial aid. They didn’t do their job!
Check this site out! https://www.forgetstudentloandebt.com/student-loan-relief-programs/federal-student-loan-relief/federal-forgiveness-programs/walden-university-student-loan-forgiveness/
I also have been on the mentor merry-go-round. And now I being held up due to a difference in perspective between my two paper readers about APA rules (by the way it is a minor thing, whether to put page numbers or not) and the use of the word "it"-- really, that is why you prevent someone from moving forward with their dissertation? ...this has been going on for 2 years!
I am with you all. I spent 10 years at that school and I finally finished my PhD. I have almost 300k in student loans
After they strung me along for the 8 years max of the program. I had to beg them each quarter to get an extension because my chair would always tell me your soo close to finishing just one more quarter. We need a class action lawsuit. I don't want to pay them anything more
they screwed my life. sent me to the collection and took me out of the program for no reason?
I am also a student at Walden University I have been attending since 2009 and have been working towards my PhD degree with little progress. I am experiencing the same intended delays, lack of approval of my chapters and now it is claimed that I reached my aggregate limit for student loans. I am getting unwarranted U grades for everything that I submit. My progress is being undermined by my now Chair and previous Chair. I have petitioned for a grade change repeatedly and requested an investigation of my Chair and committee. I was delayed 2 1/2 years with my Prospectus, I had one Chair who argued that my Prospectus should have passed long before it did, and they removed him as my Chair. I was assigned another Chair who repeatedly advised me to quit because I developed a disability, she then undermined my progress by blocking me from submitting revised drafts of my Prospectus, whereby she submitted a previous unrevised draft instead.
I am experiencing the same with the new Chair who advised me to quit as well and subsequently gave me U grades consecutively for two quarters based on her bias against my disability. I am fighting the grades without any luck of getting them changed. My eligibility for financial aid is dependent on my grades each quarter. I now do not qualify for student loans, to continue my program due to the U grades and as financial aid states due to having reach my aggregate limit to borrow money. They are giving both as reasons for the denials.
I want to join the class action lawsuit as well. I sacrificed 10 years of my life working towards this degree. I am also deep in student loan debt, I can't just walk away. I am very stressed and upset and so very angry.
I have been attending Walden University for 2.5 years. I am now ready to start my internship. I have been blocked due to a grievance I filled. I have now been retaliated against and forced into signing some sort of plan that is unwarranted. I have tried to get help form every office at Walden and have been awaiting response. Walden University engages in unfair practices to delay students progress. I have paid tuition completed all coursework and now stuck and blocked from completing my degree as a result of a grievance filed. How does one area of a University have the power to block a student for no warranted reason.
At Walden University, we take the concerns and experiences of our students very seriously, and wish to hear from you if your experience did not meet your expectations, so that we can work with you to try to resolve your concerns. If you would like to discuss your specific situation, we are here to help you.
If you are a current student, or attended Walden within the past year, please contact us by clicking on this link to complete this form https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/a01on77Qb5e5z1I and provide us with specific details of your situation, and one of our school managers will contact you.
If you are a former Walden University student who last attended Walden more than one year ago, please contact formerWUstudent@mail.waldenu.edu and provide us with your name, student ID, program of study, dates of enrollment, location, and specific details of your situation, and a Walden representative will contact you.
Maria
FYI. I experienced the same only worse. As of last week, Walden has been served with a formal lawsuit. Contact me if you are interested in becoming part of that lawsuit.
Contact info?
Do you use whatsapp? If so, please send me your contact info and we can securely chat
I have a similar story from my 12 years as a student and multiple petition denials and now retaliation. Who can I connect with to join you?
While I was enrolled in Ed D Educational Technology program with Walden, my courses were cancelled, then my enrollment was discontinued without notification or warning. I inquired multiple times until I found out the status. Now I am trying to know how to resume. They have not provided any details.