How come Nova is not mentioned as much??

mthomas2 said:

I'm just curious as to why Nova is not mentioned as much as other schools. Is Nova a good school or not. It just seems like it's not the first or even second choice of school for those interested in optometry? What's up- because that's the only school I'm planning on applying to. Is this a good or bad idea?

Click to expand...

there are better schools.

i wondered the same thing before i went there for my interview.....haha
well here goes. i had my interview at nova and sco 2 days apart. i went to nova first and they were nice. dr. sowka who inteviewed me was tough. he kept giving me scenarios. they facility was alrite. the clinic was small. they only had 21 exam rooms. the first 2 yrs you will be taking some science classes with the dental students. in my opinion nova is just so new to this that they have a lot of room for improvement. since they're a part of a university, i feel that they're not totally devoted to optometry school. and i want to go where i'll get the best education. then i went to sco and my family and i were very impressed with everything esp the eye clinic. it was huge (60+ exam rooms), plus it's only 3 yrs old. sco is very strong on their clinical. everyone was so nice and we had a very nice tour from the student ambassador. if i were u, i would apply to other schools as well as nova. trust me. u'll see for urself what i mean. gluck

mthomas2 said:

I'm just curious as to why Nova is not mentioned as much as other schools. Is Nova a good school or not. It just seems like it's not the first or even second choice of school for those interested in optometry? What's up- because that's the only school I'm planning on applying to. Is this a good or bad idea?

Click to expand...

mthomas2 said:

Thank you somuch for this info.

Click to expand...

no problem. so r u still just applying to nova?...lol

Although some people may not agree with me on this, here are my thoughts about the matter. Yes, there may be better schools. However, not everyone has the same exact situation. You need to do what is best for YOU! Just because someone goes to the "best" school, does not guarantee that they will be a good optometrist. On the other hand, just because someone goes to a bad school, doesn't mean that they are destined to be a bad optometrist. Yes, it may have some correlation about how well/poorly you may do on boards (which is very important), but even people from the best schools can flunk the boards. I would do what you think is best for you, and your children. I agree that I could have probably picked a "better/fancier" school, but UMSL is what fit me the best. Not only do I get in-state tuition, but I also am able to live a somewhat normal life and be close to my boyfriend and family. My family is very important to me, and I can't even imagine not being near them.....or at least right now in my life. I do not know if NOVA gives in-state residents lower tuition, but that is another thing to think about. You need to think about what fits best in your life and what would make happy. I just finished my first semester of optometry school, and I can't even imagine how aweful things would be if I was not happy with my choice of school. Luckily for me, I still think that UMSL was the best school for me. Good luck with your decision!

completely true! well put!

pre-opt said:

Although some people may not agree with me on this, here are my thoughts about the matter. Yes, there may be better schools. However, not everyone has the same exact situation. You need to do what is best for YOU! Just because someone goes to the "best" school, does not guarantee that they will be a good optometrist. On the other hand, just because someone goes to a bad school, doesn't mean that they are destined to be a bad optometrist. Yes, it may have some correlation about how well/poorly you may do on boards (which is very important), but even people from the best schools can flunk the boards. I would do what you think is best for you, and your children. I agree that I could have probably picked a "better/fancier" school, but UMSL is what fit me the best. Not only do I get in-state tuition, but I also am able to live a somewhat normal life and be close to my boyfriend and family. My family is very important to me, and I can't even imagine not being near them.....or at least right now in my life. I do not know if NOVA gives in-state residents lower tuition, but that is another thing to think about. You need to think about what fits best in your life and what would make happy. I just finished my first semester of optometry school, and I can't even imagine how aweful things would be if I was not happy with my choice of school. Luckily for me, I still think that UMSL was the best school for me. Good luck with your decision!

Click to expand...

I would think that if you have kids, the fact that NOVA has an extended five year program offered may be something to make your life easier. It's the same as the four year program, but the first two years of basic medical sciences is stretched to 3 for you.
NOVA is cheaper if you're from Florida. That ends up making it one of the most avordable schools.
I also agree with not every school being right for everyone. You have to go with your gut feeling. I happen to love NOVA and wouldn't be as happy anywhere else. I find out this week if I'm in, and couldn't be more anxious.
Good luck in your decision- it's a big one, so follow your heart.

mthomas2 said:

I'm going to check other schools out. However, the problem I have is that it will be hard for me to leave south florida because I have kids and their dad lives here whom I have divorced. However, I'm kinda concerned about Nova now, now that I have heard about other schools that are better. So it's up in the air.

Click to expand...

When I was in optometry school, Berkeley was considered the top school based on board passing rates. That was back in the late 90's. I have no idea about rankings now. Back then Nova was brand spankin' new. It was having trouble getting accredited. I always thought it was a horrible place to get an OD degree. Then I found out that one of the main reasons Berkeley did so well on the boards was that a lot of the questions were written by our professors. We saw similar types of questions on our exams, so it's possible we were better prepared because we had already studied for those questions. I then went on to complete a residency at Bascom Palmer, which is associated with Nova. We had students from UCBSO, Nova, NEWENCO, PCO, and IU. I was very impressed with the ocular disease knowledge of the Nova students. They knew a lot more than I did at the same stage of education. My point is that rankings are more arbitrary than you think. I would focus more on your situation. The real reason I went to Berkeley was not because of the board scores. I was a California resident and the idea of paying $4500 a year vs. $10,000 a year at SCCO was very appealing. You can become a great OD from any of the schools if you put in the effort.

Good luck.

As a side note to what Ben said.. once you pass the boards... no one EVER asks what you scored unless you're doing a residency. No one. Pick the school where you'll be happy.. and pay as little back to Uncle Sam as possible. (trust me on this one)

I just finished my first semester at NOVA and starting my 2nd. I totally agree that picking a school that fits you is very important. I love it here even though Houston would have been cheaper and closer to my home, Austin. You should not judge a school's clinic by how many exam rooms they may have--that's for sure. Ppl have different criteria for looking at each of the schools, but honestly I found the best measure to be by talking to the students who actually attend the programs. As I have said before, NOVA is a family-oriented school and they really make you feel like a person rather than a number. NOVA actually isn't all that new if you know it's correct history. It originally started it's optometry program at NOVA and later NOVA combined with a bigger university to become a part of NSU. Unlike other older programs that may be set in stone...the faculty here is flexible and isn't afraid to try new things to ensure the students are receiving the highest quality of education possible as the field progresses and advances. The boards will be changed from the summer after 2nd year to the spring of 3rd year from the entering class of 2006 and on. My class is the last to take it during the traditional summer period. NOVA has modified many things to adapt to this change that will affect everyone applying this year. I love that the school is located in a nice area where everything that is necessary for living and fun is all within 5 miles of the campus. Wherever you may go I wish you the best and hope you find your home-away-from-home as you pursue your optometry education for the next 4yrs.

mthomas2 said:

I'm just curious as to why Nova is not mentioned as much as other schools. Is Nova a good school or not. It just seems like it's not the first or even second choice of school for those interested in optometry? What's up- because that's the only school I'm planning on applying to. Is this a good or bad idea?

Click to expand...