webster University

[dtaai-maai]

collie - either post your email address using 'at' and 'dot' or reach 10 posts to access PMs.

[collie007]

Yes, it is around $6,000 during the fall/spring semesters. I think additional fees are in the ballpark of 20,000B per term, which wouldn't be a problem if that reflected what the campus offers. If it helps, I will give you a quick pros/cons type of thing for Webster Thailand.

Pros: extremely diverse student body, ability to transfer to other campuses abroad, ability to study Thai or Chinese languages, small class size (10-30 people per class), accreditation from both the US and Thailand

Cons: located far from town, facilities are in poor condition (library, gym, internet), staff have high turnover rate, some professors have low academic standards (there are exceptions), no financial transparency.

Overall I enjoyed my experience at this school, but it has too many flaws for me to continue my studies at this campus. The Thai language teacher there is excellent, and the diversity of the students makes the class discussions more interesting. The two most negative aspects of the Thailand campus for me is the lack of financial transparency,and the low academic standards in some classes. You could always try it out for a semester and see what you think. Webster itself is not a bad university, but the Thailand campus has much room for improvement.

Thank you for your input.
At the prices you think the standard would be higher!!!

Does anyone know the UK equivalent grading for the undergrad at Webster or Stanford.
2+ is required for access to MA in UK

[collie007]

collie - either post your email address using 'at' and 'dot' or reach 10 posts to access PMs.

thank you ...

ill get to the 10 posts so

don't want my email addy spammed to death 555555555555555555

[Somchai Turdsak]

I am also considering attending Webster University Hua Hin. I am currently finishing a bachelor's degree (online) and wish to attend a traditional university. I have a generous sponsor who will pay all books and tuition and provide a monthly housing benefit. Webster has the academic major I'm interested in and I could use a yearlong stint on/near the beach. Webster claims they will accept up to 98 transfer credits (out of 128 required)

How far is the University from Hua Hin central?
Would I need to bring my Wave or is local transportation adequate? The school runs a shuttle, but my experience is that the waiting and hassles are a nightmare with that kind of arrangement.
Some of the contracted student housing looks rather suspect too:
Sala Hua Hin - 132,000 for 8 months, 16,500 a month
VIP Condo-chain Cha Am - 72,000 for 8 months, 9,000 a month
Suchaya House Hua Hin - 60,000 for 8 months, 7,500 a month

Do you reckon a student would be better off finding his own housing? I have many other questions about the area.

[collie007]

by all accounts this college is just a cash cow

I couldn't find one good report on it anywhere and at the prices I cant understand why !!!!

[LolaBeltran]

Collie I sent you a PM. Did you ever get it?
Webster is a fully accredited American University based in St Louis. Not sure where you have looked, but there are plenty of good independent reports out there. All universities are expensive these days.
I am happy to correspond by PM with anyone having questions about Webster or Stamford.

[mafiamind]

Although the information is a couple of years old, this may be of interest concerning Webster:

http://fourthestate.blog.com/

[Dannie Boy]

I am also considering attending Webster University Hua Hin. I am currently finishing a bachelor's degree (online) and wish to attend a traditional university. I have a generous sponsor who will pay all books and tuition and provide a monthly housing benefit. Webster has the academic major I'm interested in and I could use a yearlong stint on/near the beach. Webster claims they will accept up to 98 transfer credits (out of 128 required)

How far is the University from Hua Hin central?
Would I need to bring my Wave or is local transportation adequate? The school runs a shuttle, but my experience is that the waiting and hassles are a nightmare with that kind of arrangement.
Some of the contracted student housing looks rather suspect too:
Sala Hua Hin - 132,000 for 8 months, 16,500 a month
VIP Condo-chain Cha Am - 72,000 for 8 months, 9,000 a month
Suchaya House Hua Hin - 60,000 for 8 months, 7,500 a month

Do you reckon a student would be better off finding his own housing? I have many other questions
about the area.

Although I can't find it, this seems to be the same or similar question that was asked a couple of months ago by somebody else?

[LolaBeltran]

Although the information is a couple of years old, this may be of interest concerning Webster:

http://fourthestate.blog.com/

Interesting indeed . . .but out of date. Things have improved since then. . .one sign of this visible to anyone in town . . .the four brand new Webster buses. It is also the fastest growing campus in the world-wide Webster community.

[PeteC]

.....Interesting indeed . . .but out of date. Things have improved since then. . .one sign of this visible to anyone in town . . .the four brand new Webster buses. It is also the fastest growing campus in the world-wide Webster community.

That's good to hear as I don't think either Webster or Stamford Hua Hin have gotten many good reviews on here. Is Stamford still considered "better" than Webster?

It would be good to set the record straight for present and future forum readers if big improvements have been made. Pete

[LolaBeltran]

.....Interesting indeed . . .but out of date. Things have improved since then. . .one sign of this visible to anyone in town . . .the four brand new Webster buses. It is also the fastest growing campus in the world-wide Webster community.

That's good to hear as I don't think either Webster or Stamford Hua Hin have gotten many good reviews on here. Is Stamford still considered "better" than Webster?

It would be good to set the record straight for present and future forum readers if big improvements have been made. Pete

As with any human endeavor, the negative voices are always louder than the positive. Both institutions offer a decent education with the usual mix of good and bad profs. Both have good and bad aspects and both have problems that need to be solved. Advice for any student or prospective student. . .talk to current students and find out what courses are worth taking and what courses to avoid.

Stamford moved its international ( English language) program to its Bangkok campus several years ago. It is a Thai university and the programs and classes offered here in Hua Hin ( last I knew) were all in Thai. Webster is an American university with campuses in many other countries as well as the main campus in St Louis. The student body is very international with dozens of countries represented. Stamford tends to be mainly Thai.

[mafiamind]

As I said before, I am a current student at Webster, and the buses (not the bus schedules) are the only thing that has improved since I have been here (over a year and a half). I am not sure what interest you hold in the school, because you obviously have some interest, but I can tell you that there is still plenty wrong with it.

Many of the complaints on the blog still hold true. Recently an American librarian (American staff members are quite scarce for it being an American University) quit in protest of the unfair firing of Thai employees. Also there is still zero financial transparency. They still have not made improvements to the gym, although they charge fees for it. Speaking of fees, they also started charging students for all visa fees (previously included) without lowering the rate. Many of the air conditioners do not work properly in the classrooms, and there are still frequent power/water outages.

Just because they finally broke down and bought a few cheap Chinese-made buses does justify the ridiculous tuition and fees they have been charging for years.

Many of the students have complained to both the staff here, and the St. Louis campus, but nothing has really changed.

The management seems to be most interested in landscaping, so that it can take misleading pictures to post on their website. They should take pictures of the gym and library instead, but I don't think that would be too good for recruitment.

Also, not all universities are expensive. I don't know where you are from, but there are plenty of schools here in Thailand and the US that are much more affordable than Webster, and much better academically.

You don't have to believe me, just go out to the school and have a look for yourself. Make sure you ask to see the weight room, and don't forget the football field(cow pasture).

As for the teachers, yes some are good. The problem is that a lot of the good ones end up leaving for one reason or another.

If you want to talk recent improvements, I will quote some of the recent post on one of the student operated Facebook pages (keep in mind that this is not a complaints page, but a informational page for students). Names have been omitted for privacy:

May, 15 2013:

'I took a 7.05 bus from sala going to mv today. The driver was high and/or drunk...he was dozing off while driving. He never even got to mv. I am not sure who to go to with this but the school needs to fix this. This is unacceptable!'

May, 8 2013:

' ***** is a good man. But with all due respect, making your kids do presentations the entire semester just because you are [probably] lazy is no way to teach them.
It would be nice if the courses that are to be taught by him were offered by other teachers as well esp the major media courses. i REALLY need that
STUDENT COUNCIL please help make this happen'

April, 9 2013:

'Is the water at school back? Have long classes today and would die without it. '

March, 23 2013:

'Had to pay 300 bahts for buffet which has lesser choices of food than Jack's shop at canteen..and he said we can't order what we like because it's gonna take time. Wth? First time going on school trip and it's a disappointment.'

February, 25 2013:

' Hey ***** YOU F***IN SUCK AS A TEACHER!'

February, 20 2013:

'Where the f*** is the 1:59 bus :@'

February, 18 2013:

'someone tell the rector to FIX THE F****** INTERNET!'

February, 12 2013:

'Water fixed? School tomorrow?'

February, 11 2013:

'Maybe, just maybe We might not have this trouble with water if it weren't for all the pretty fountains. Just saying.'

Since all of these are from 2013, I think that counts as recent. There are plenty more where that came from, trust me.

[LolaBeltran]

I am happy to correspond by PM with anyone having questions about Webster or Stamford.

No "interest" mafia, just knowledge. . . and an alarming tendency to look on the bright side.

[mafiamind]

I didn't intend my post to be some sort of rant. Just want to get the facts straight.

There are certainly good aspects of studying at Webster here in Thailand. I can also say that the teachers that I have for the current term are probably the best I have had thus far in my university experience. However, I have also had many negative experiences with incompetent instructors.

Given that it is virtually impossible to pick and choose your teachers at such a small campus, students are quite likely to encounter problems.

I just don't want people to come here expecting a professional experience, as many have in the past, to only be disappointed half-way through their first term.

[Somchai Turdsak]

http://fourthestate.blog.com/

Some rather grim reading...

Sounds more like a prison than a bastion of higher education.