This section is devoted to providing excerpts of comments made by WISR's graduating students over the years when they submit their end-of-program evaluations of their experiences at WISR. Other testimonials and commentaries by outside agencies and others may be included from time to time. Much more work needs to be done on this page. For a start, here are the highlights of comments made by two recent graduates of WISR's MFT program:

"In a snapshot, I think that my WISR education has prepared me surprisingly well for work in the mental health field. I say "surprisingly" because the school is based on a combination of independent study and seminars, and I think this could make it susceptible to students drifting off subject and to less rigorously enforced standards of education, and yet neither of these things were true. WISR holds to a very high standard of education and professionalism and takes seriously its job of producing therapists who not only are competent to practice but will be able to pass the BBS requirements and exam. Some particular strengths are: Instructors are working professionals. . . . Seminars include a variety of students. . . . This enriches the seminars, creates lively discussions, and is a wonderful supplement to the faculty's experiences. Emphasis is on social commitment. . . . The faculty continued to bring our discussions back to making a difference in the world and to respecting the variety of human cultural experiences that the world contains. A high standard of ethical values and a gentle commitment to humanity was a wonderful aspect of all discussions. Faculty is supportive of my personal experience. . . . Even though WISR faculty must have to switch gears constantly to work with the personalities and interests of different students, they did so in a gracious and professional way. It felt easy and welcoming to email, call or ask questions during seminars. Faculty offered knowledge of big concepts along with specific information. In one-on-one and in group discussions, I felt that I learned in both big and little ways--that is, in being introduced to major concepts as well as information specific to my own interests. This was also true when my advisors gave me feedback on my papers. I felt confident that they had read the papers carefully, had thought about what I was trying to accomplish, and gave me relevant and helpful suggestions that opened up new ideas. WISR fulfills its responsibility to BBS Requirements. . . ."

"When I first started at WISR, my plan was to register at WISR and get financial aid to help me pay for tuition. I had seen the information in the catalogue that said that WISR was not accredited, but blanked on the fact that it had the approval of, not only the State Council on Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (CPPVE), now the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE), but it also had certification by the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners (BBSE), for the Marriage and Family Therapy curriculum. I had been stuck on certification by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which is a regional accrediting agency. With WASC certification, a school must have a student population of at least 150 students and a budget to match. Therefore, only schools with a much larger student body would have WASC certification and be eligible for financial aid. As long as I had the accepted credentials to accomplish my objective, to have the academic credential to take the MFT examination for licensure, I would have a more intimate learning experience and be able to gear my learning toward my area of special interest. Little did I know that this intimate learning experience would be the ingredient that would be most important to my competing my pursuit of a Master of Arts in Psychology degree. I don't believe that a larger institution would have been as compassionate and patient, when I had to withdraw due to an accident that left me disabled, to return much later to complete my degree work. . . . Almost a year after I started class, I was confronted by my own reality. First I was in an automobile accident, which broke my nose and totaled my car. And, in February 1994 I experienced a major fall, injuring my spine, which caused significant damage and left me with a permanent limp. I now had to change how I saw myself in order to come to a realization that I was the same wonderful person with just a different way of presenting myself. It brought me closer to the people I would be working with, and opened me to be more compassionate. The staff at WISR were extremely supportive and encouraging to me during my journey. They made it clear that my experience and capabilities came through my endurance and made me a better person, and that is what came through my writing. I was able to relate to most of the topics we covered from a more personal and heartfelt place inside me, that contributed significantly to my success in completing my degree. I thank all the faculty and staff that accompanied me along my personal journey . . ."

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Here are some comments, submitted after graduation in a written evaluation of her experience at WISR, by a recent graduate of WISR's BA program:

"The strengths of independent study with student-faculty check-ins really forced me to learn to schedule my time and manage my work and home life accordingly. I was really excited about and most appreciative of the faculty's capability to guide me without having to see me but a couple of times a month throughout my process of working on my project. Another benefit of being a student of WISR was not having strenuous deadlines and timelines that were measured by other's ability to write and perform, instead of being measure by my own abilities and needs. The flexibility of WISR's faculty encouraged me to set reasonable timelines for myself checking in with them periodically to give a progress report and to see if I needed support. This technique allowed me to relax throughout my writing process and increased my self-esteem. Having faculty that believed in my ability to write was most inspiring.
The weaknesses of independent study were at times, the lack of guidance or samples of other's writings to help me see if I was on the right track with how I was writing and documenting my findings. However, I have noticed there are more resources on WISR's website now to help WISR student's find their way and organize their thoughts and papers more efficiently.
The strengths of this approach were empowering and healing for me. I was often inhibited about providing a "draft" to the faculty for fear of criticism of what I had already written that was imbedded subconsciously from my previous higher education experiences. This, however, had nothing to do with the faculty because they were very supportive and gentle in their approach…my internal fears caused me a lot of anxiety and down time when I could have been progressing along with their help. WISR faculty challenged me to be creative and I enjoyed hearing my faculty's remarks, as well as the remarks of my Review Board which added richness to my writing experience as we explored my writings together. One of my greatest challenges with faculty was that I felt like I was never done with my thesis, even when "I" thought I was. After having a review session with faculty, I didn't feel like I had written enough, explained enough, or gave enough information and it was hard for me to bring my paper to a close. But most often times, I felt like I just didn't have anything else to say. Whenever I checked in, I always found out that I had left off a section that I needed to include. That was very frustrating; on the other hand, I was able to make my own decision about how I was going to write my thesis and what it was going to include and that part I loved. Faculty always challenged me to write more, add more clarification, clean up and edit more thoroughly. This served as a motivator and discouraging factor at the same time…I was pushed to my limits and this was often a turn off for me, even though it produced temperance, patience, a healthy pride and determination in me. I was able to break through some damaging and limiting beliefs and barriers onto a magnificent glory in higher education.
I enjoyed being able to choose my own subjects to write on and to use my experience as a foundation for my writing projects. The faculty's suggestions of topics to write on were helpful and interesting and always encouraged me to think or write differently than I had thought and wrote before. I was considered to be the expert when it came to the subjects that I chose to write on and that is entirely and altogether different than tradition institutions and studies where the instructor is usually the expert or author of the material you are reading. WISR challenged me to think outside the box and to not conform. I enjoyed being radical and speaking in my own voice. WISR's faculty encouraged me to share from my "gutter most" level of experiences to my "greater most" level of experience. I was inspired to communicate and write truthfully and openly without fear of judgment. I was able to move beyond artificial and intellectual issues to what the "real deal issues" were for me.
When first coming to WISR, I didn't have a clue about how I was going to add value to my community or my life with my writing. I felt like I was exposing my family history and challenging my religion in a negative way at first by the topics I chose. However, I learned that it was where I needed the most healing and where I had most of my knowledge over the past 20 years of my adulthood. By me being willing to look at my challenges of discrimination, substance abuse and the challenges of others in my community with the same issues, I was enlightened and able to give back to my family and my community on a greater level. WISR's faculty played a very important role as my support system through my journey into my history and African heritage and helped me to understand how important it was to research and dig deep for my own meaning and my own spiritual path. How can an institution accomplish this…only by allowing a person to be who they truly are and supporting them in their greatness. Overall, WISR's faculty and their approach to guiding students on their journey to Higher Education has been a positive experience for me. I now know the challenges I have before me as I transition to the M.A. program and some of the lessons I have learned below are: 1.) I am not through writing, even when I think I am. 2.) I can always stop and start over. 3.) I can take a break without condemnation. 4.) I can ask for help along the way. 5.) I can write in my own voice and it can still be a powerful paper full of meaning. 6.) My writing doesn't have to be "perfect", just clear. 7.) Organize my thoughts on paper before I start writing. 8.) The quality of my paper is not based on the amount of pages. 9.) It is okay to shorten or break down a quote using my own words. 10.) I don't have to read the whole book, just know the important parts.