creekland Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 We're back from our Florida trip looking at colleges (Eckerd, Palm Beach Atlantic, U Miami, Nova Southeastern) and I wanted to share some info about Nova Southeastern with anyone looking for merit aid (those who are NOT opposed to filling out the FAFSA) without super high stats... Currently, Nova Southeastern gives full tuition scholarships to students (incoming freshmen) with at least a 1290 SAT (M/CR only) or a 29 ACT. (Their website lists lower scores, but those are their current scores - they've been raising them as the school increases in popularity.) NOT ONLY that, but students also get a minimum of 2K - 9K toward room and board. How much here depends upon the student and what they are bringing to the school in terms of extra curriculars, etc. R&B is only predicted at $9400 next year... so... a student could get full tuition and most of room and board paid for in non-loan aid. Fafsa is required in order to take advantage of any federal grants offered if applicable - loans are NOT expected. So... is the school worth it? For many without the stats for similar offers from other schools, the answer could easily be yes. I knew next to nothing about Nova Southeastern prior to our FL visit. I only learned of the name a few months ago when it came up as a suggestion to look into. Since we were in south florida checking out other schools and had part of a day, we added them. Here's what I took away (besides the terrific financial opportunities): Nova Southeastern is a school that started as a grad/professional school (med school, law school, etc) and very recently ('80s) expanded into undergrad. Currently they have roughly 6000 undergrads - and 22000 grad/prof students. Their undergrad has been developed based upon the "needs" (and recommendations) of the grad schools. There are NO TAs - all courses and labs are taught by profs. There are no large classes. The largest class is somewhere around 44 students. Most classes are capped at 24 students. Profs we talked with told us they knew all of their students by name, both first and last. They do have Greek organizations available - most (if not all) are academic related as they do not wish to become a party school. They do have dual admission programs (guaranteed spots into their grad/prof schools) for highly qualified students. They do have Honors classes that are capped at 15 students (I think I'm remembering correctly). While currently most undergrads are FL residents, their lucrative financial offers are bringing in significant numbers from out of state - currently a little over a third of students. Their dorms are superb - the best of any we've seen on any tour for all three of my kids. Their gym, pool, student union, and other facilities are superb. Everyone we met was super friendly and helpful. The whole school thoroughly impressed us (being the parent of a high, but not super high, stat kid). In the end... my guy could go there inexpensively or possibly free, but he won't be applying :sad: . The reason has to do with their Marine Bio program, not the school. Any other major and he'd be happily applying and possibly going there. With Marine Bio, their superb, new, Oceanographic center is located a few miles away... and is mostly populated by graduate students (very similar to U Miami - another school he's not applying to). He wants hands on for undergrad. Eckerd has that... Nova Southeastern really doesn't (just yet - they may be improving - they have been changing things as they grow, but that's not likely to change for next year). But I thought I'd share our super positive impressions for anyone else out there still looking around, esp if getting big $$ is helpful for stats that don't generally provide big $$ at such nice schools. YMMV I'll admit, I was drooling when we saw the place and heard about the potential cost - or lack thereof - but I'm reluctantly agreeing with youngest that Eckerd (and it's associated bill) is a better fit for him with his wanting a Marine Bio hands on program. If your student is looking for a more traditional major and isn't afraid to go to Ft Lauderdale, FL to school (airport is a $30 cab ride away - 30 minutes - the campus is a campus, not truly urban), it's a school worth checking out IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Great review and extremely interesting! I believe this is the school that one of my colleagues got a Ph.D. in Education from, via Distance Learning (Hybrid), many years ago. He had an M.S. in Math and got fed up, working as an Engineer. He got a job teaching Math, in a Jr. College district in Texas, and enrolled in a Ph.D. program. I believe NOVA came to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, for a weekend each month, or something on those lines. Also, I believe NOVA has a program here in Colombia, where they come to Bogota... I hope your DS will select the school that is indeed the best for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Thank for sharing this. Were the other science labs and facilities on the main campus? How did they look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Thank for sharing this. Were the other science labs and facilities on the main campus? How did they look? Like everything else we saw there, the labs and facilities looked top notch and they boast a decent med school acceptance rate - esp for a school with somewhat lower stats among incoming students (high stats from schools that only accept high stat students is not unusual - this is). They are all on the main campus. Marine Bio (as an undergrad) is also mostly taught at the main campus with a little bit of time spent on field trips and out at their graduate facility (only one year old and superb looking). Nova Southeastern, itself, is not on the water. Their Oceanographic facility is. Eckerd is already on the water, so one can walk to their aquatic lab right from their dorm. One of the perks of being "new" is "new" equipment and facilities. The school is private and non-profit, but they've been getting some pretty big donations from people in their respective fields who like what they are doing. Guy Harvey is one of the big sponsors of their Marine Bio and Oceanographic facility. https://www.guyharvey.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 A couple more things I remembered since my first post.... They are a rolling admissions school - and rolling merit aid. They accept applications up until July, but I believe the merit aid deadline is in Feb. They give credit for AP, Clep, and DE. One needs a minimum of 1000 (M/CR) on the SAT - 500 on each section - to apply as they feel those with lower scores are not ready for a 4 year college. FWIW, I'm not convinced this school is the best choice for top stat students (1500+/1600) - the caliber of peers may be too low to push them to their capabilities. However, for those of us with good students, but not necessarily super top students, they are worthy of consideration IMO especially if in that merit aid area stats-wise (but also if below since they are not as super expensive as many schools and the small class sizes are ideal for many students). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Thanks for the very comprehensive review, creekland. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.