Why I chose NOVA

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asdfasdfasdf1234

NSU Optometry | Class of 20/20
7+ Year Member
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Just to help those who might need another perspective

- laser integrated into curriculum based on the minimum qualifications needed to practice in Louisiana / they have a laser in the clinic (next frontier of optometry)
- mini MBA taught by graduate business school professors --important early advantage for those of us who want to pursue private practice or work for OMD/OD practices-- assistant dean says this shows up on transcripts and is additional to the mandatory practice management classes the general optometry curriculum requires in all schools
- cheapest out of state tuition (and cheaper cost of living ~10k) ~34k per year
- high clinical part 3 NBEO first time pass rates
- student scored the highest on part 1 NBEO this March
- interdisciplinary for basic foundational sciences only (anatomists teach anatomy, biochemists teach biochem, etc. those researching in their fields teach the fundamentals of the class meaning it's not an optometrist (clinician) doing it and instead can teach the optometric classes) -- that being said, on the exams for classes that are shared with dental or medical students, optometry students told my interview group that each profession gets a slightly different type of test that is geared more towards their field
- year round schedule, with classes in the summer for a couple weeks so that information is not crammed. this is information we'll have to know to be safe doctors, so i rather have as much time as i can get to absorb. students say the schedule makes things less stressful during the fall and spring as well which is awesome. NECO just implemented a summer schedule because students seem to fall back when they come back after summer in regards to clinical skills (dont use it, lose it). seems like NSU is steps ahead with this having already have had the summer parts figured out
- dean wrote the optics textbook many other optometry schools use and he teaches the class at NSU
- five delocalized clinics and you rotate through all (unlike just having one or so many you never get to go through all of them which results in each student getting a different clinical experience where some clinics are better versus others) -- one is called Kids In Distress which is geared towards disenfranchised youth (amazing)
- MIAMI & FT LAUDERDALE
- opportunities to volunteer with special olympics at Disney World
- has a lot of international optometric volunteer trips
- up and coming research facility opening 2016 right by the health professions division is going to bring more opportunities (partnered with the institute that decides on the nobel prizes)
- high diversity in the area, class, and clinics (i can't stand homogenous societies)
- really liked how down to earth and humble the students I met were
- some stellar externships (Bascon Palmer is the #1 eye hospital in the world- highly competitive from what I heard)
- facilities are not as crowded as previous posts have made it seem; it's a really great atmosphere of various health professions and super alive; multiple libraries with great facilities (24/7 for late night studying as well)

random cool perks:
- free 3D printer for students to use cause why not
- shuttles that go to grocery stores/other parts of campus (save gas $ and be lazy)
- amazing on campus gym with all the undergraduate perks (rock climbing wall and an olympic sized pool that athletes also use...)
- on campus BAR (ran into a bunch of first year optometry students right after they finished an exam getting drinks with classmates)
- college town with whole foods, trader joes, bars, malls, and everything you need within a five mile radius
- felt very safe there as a girl :) students said that they could walk around in the middle of night in the area with headphones on and feel perfectly fine
- weather.... unbelievable + tropical feel with lizards and greenery everywhere!

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For the sake of being comprehensive, what were the cons?
 
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For the sake of being comprehensive, what were the cons?
Cons:
- lower entering stats than UCB/SUNY
- facilities aren't as new/nice as WUCO/ICO
- externship sites aren't as many as NECO/ICO
- 6 months in house is a bit lame resulting in 5 clinics + 2 three month or 1 six month externship (quality of externships are good but i wish there were more we could do) compared to PCO's 4 externships
- above average board scores but not as high as UCB/SUNY
- did not get to meet third years (didn't get to meet any at any schools which sucks because those are the students that basically know if they regret or love their school)
- school affiliated graduate housing is meh looking but there are nice apartments not affiliated with the school super close by and all over the place since it's a college town
 
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That's really awesome and comprehensive, thanks!
 
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Haha yea you made me regret not visiting NOVA (when I got SCCO's admission on the Monday, I cancelled my interview with NOVA that was on the Thursday to save money since SCCO and NOVA were both my top choices). Did you cancel your interview with scco because it was out of state for you?
 
Haha yea you made me regret not visiting NOVA (when I got SCCO's admission on the Monday, I cancelled my interview with NOVA that was on the Thursday to save money since SCCO and NOVA were both my top choices). Did you cancel your interview with scco because it was out of state for you?
aww nooo you should have checked out NOVA! SCCO is a great choice though, I have friends who go there. I live in california and don't like the Fullerton area. It's near Cal State Fullerton which is a meh university, and SCCO is more expensive. My friends spend about 60k per year :\ CA is way too saturated, and they compete with Western at networking events so I just decided to get out of my comfort zone for 4 years. my friends are in their comfort zone... so theyre kind of just stagnant in terms of experiences. I'm not going to stay in Florida in the long run, so might as well use it as an experience to grow! also the whole MBKU and opening of other health profession schools is just all too much. i'm not sure how all of that is affecting the program?? i mean either way, great school :) i just dont feel warm and fuzzy about scco haha
 
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I agree with you about not liking Fullerton, although it's close enough to interesting places that it really doesn't matter, after all we should be studying ;-) the annual average of $58k includes tuition, books, equipment, board exams, living expenses, health insurance, transportation, etc by the way, so if you're taking out a loan, make sure to look into ft. Lauderdale cost of living too so you don't get any nasty surprises.

There are plenty of opportunities to network at any of the 80+ locations SCCO has during your 4th year. I'll probably practice in Canada though, so I'm not sure how useful networking in the states will be for me anyways. They were so incredibly friendly at SCCO, and as someone who came from a school with 30+k students, 300+ students per class, I definitely got the fuzzies with the friendly environment at SCCO. By the end of the interview day, I felt I was best friends with everyone, including other applicants, so they really try to foster a sense of camaraderie which I can imagine is an important skill to have in order to successfully network. They have videos to prepare you for interviews, PDFs with instructions, and so on, so they're really holding your hands throughout the admission process, and I can imagine they'll be quite helpful during my studies.

Finally, it's only a 4 hour flight from my hometown so lots of family visits!

This discussion has been really helpful! I'm thinking about taking your lead and starting an SCCO thread with a similar discussion, and hopefully people admitted to other schools can start other threads too!
 
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Yes, you should :) I'm sure it'd be so helpful for others! I'm happy for you! SCCO sounds like a perfect fit for you (can't wait for you to meet my friends too).

And yes! NOVA rep told us people usually take out 45-50k per year in total so much cheaper for me :(

Best of luck to you!
 
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