For those at Nova

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PattheAggie

PattheAggie

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First I was recently accepted into Nova last week and have strong interest in attending there: Fort Lauderdale was amazing, the school was beautiful, people were freindly, and my wife has a job opprotunity near there.

But I also have some concerns that I would like to get opinions on. Although the interview day was fun it was probably one of the least organized that I have been to. I didnt recive my packet of info until a week after my interview, one of the other applicants there was forgotten about by her interviewing committee so they had to call another doctor that happened to be on campus to come in and interview her. Consequently she missed the tour and lunch. I never got to meet the Dean of admissions because he was out for something, so they brought in this lady to tell us about the school. She was very nice but really didnt say much about the school. I know that this is just the admissions department but this is the only department with the school that I have actually delt with so far.

So my questions are: how organized is the school as a whole?
For any 3rd or 4th yrs out there how prepared do you feel compared to students from other schools?
Any negatives to this school?
I would also love to hear any positives that anyone is willing to share. Thanks in advance.
 
PattheAggie said:
First I was recently accepted into Nova last week and have strong interest in attending there: Fort Lauderdale was amazing, the school was beautiful, people were freindly, and my wife has a job opprotunity near there.

But I also have some concerns that I would like to get opinions on. Although the interview day was fun it was probably one of the least organized that I have been to. I didnt recive my packet of info until a week after my interview, one of the other applicants there was forgotten about by her interviewing committee so they had to call another doctor that happened to be on campus to come in and interview her. Consequently she missed the tour and lunch. I never got to meet the Dean of admissions because he was out for something, so they brought in this lady to tell us about the school. She was very nice but really didnt say much about the school. I know that this is just the admissions department but this is the only department with the school that I have actually delt with so far.

So my questions are: how organized is the school as a whole?
For any 3rd or 4th yrs out there how prepared do you feel compared to students from other schools?
Any negatives to this school?
I would also love to hear any positives that anyone is willing to share. Thanks in advance.
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When did you interview?
 
I'm not a Nova student but I did interview there and can tell you that your interview day experience wasn't limited to 10/23. Some things that bothered me:

The lady who showed us around wasn't rude per se, but she did seem - tough to put my finger on it - pretentious, maybe. Again, this was subtle, but having been on other interviews where the faculty/staff hosts really kiss your behind, the "feeling" at Nova stands out as sub par.

Also small but annoying when you are trying to make conversation with people all day: Nova is the only school so far that has failed to give out name tags. Nor did they give us any pamphlets, handouts, or school info of any sort. This, too, is strange now that I have been around the block several more times.

One other thing that struck me as odd was the campus tour. We rode around on a bus, extensively toured the gym and the campus library lobby. Both were nice but we spent 10 times as long in the gym of all places and as far as the library is concerned, basically just stood in the lobby for (literally) 45 seconds admiring the architecture - then back to the bus. While I don't have student feedback on any of my other items, the tour was strange enough to be discussed by other interviewees.

There were other little things during my visit that, when aggregated, left me with the impression that their interviewing routine needs a serious overhaul.

On a positive note, all of the Nova students I met were extremely nice. The admissions office processes/staff are a different story.
 
Wow...hermit you described my interview day perfectly!
 
i am a fourth year at nova. will be glad to answer any questions you have... pm me with specific questions you have. i have rotated with medical students from all over, DO and MD, and feel i can hold my own with any of them. one thing i can say positively about nova is that, compared with some other DO schools, Nova students tend to perform better on the usmle..from what i remember pcom'ers do pretty well too. that said, ask specific questions and i will be glad to answer.
all in all you will get out of medical school what you put in.
 
Amyl,

I will likely attend NSU this coming fall. How do you feel about the quality of rotations? Also did you have a chance to do elective rotations in the specialty that you wish to pursue and how did the required rural rotations affect you? Thanks for any help.
 
PattheAggie said:
First I was recently accepted into Nova last week and have strong interest in attending there: Fort Lauderdale was amazing, the school was beautiful, people were freindly, and my wife has a job opprotunity near there.

But I also have some concerns that I would like to get opinions on. Although the interview day was fun it was probably one of the least organized that I have been to. I didnt recive my packet of info until a week after my interview, one of the other applicants there was forgotten about by her interviewing committee so they had to call another doctor that happened to be on campus to come in and interview her. Consequently she missed the tour and lunch. I never got to meet the Dean of admissions because he was out for something, so they brought in this lady to tell us about the school. She was very nice but really didnt say much about the school. I know that this is just the admissions department but this is the only department with the school that I have actually delt with so far.

So my questions are: how organized is the school as a whole?
For any 3rd or 4th yrs out there how prepared do you feel compared to students from other schools?
Any negatives to this school?
I would also love to hear any positives that anyone is willing to share. Thanks in advance.
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Your education and your level of preparation for the real word as a physician will be completely up to you. 3rd and 4th year rotations are generally very good here. I can't compare it to other areas. Anywhere you go you will have good and bad rotations.

Personally, I feel that I am as prepared as anyone else.

Just remember that anywhere you go it will be up to you what you want out of it.
 
Tyrone Biggums said:
Amyl,

I will likely attend NSU this coming fall. How do you feel about the quality of rotations? Also did you have a chance to do elective rotations in the specialty that you wish to pursue and how did the required rural rotations affect you? Thanks for any help.
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we start elective rotations in our fourth year. i had to do one month of ER in August but then have had all the important months open to do audition rotations. i haven't had the rurals yet (they are also in fourth year) but I hear they are in general a good experience. while it is primary care you are usually given some autonomy. this probably varies from site to site...sorry i can't help you out more there as i haven't had mine yet. there is a large amount of variety in quality of rotations depending on clinical site. some rotation sites are great for slackers (I just talked to one of my classmates who said he worked two saturdays his whole third year!) and others are workhorse (i worked at least 20 saturdays or sundays and 5 times both).
 
Thanks for your answers amyl and hoody hoo.
I do have one more question though. I thought I read somewhere that you can do your rural rotation or maybe a core rotation outside of the U.S. is that true or do you need to use an elective rotation to do that. I really would love to go outside the U.S. for a rotation but I dont want it to hurt my to perhaps get a competitive residency.
 
two months of rural are assigned and the third is an elective rural rotation that can be done outside the us. doing so will absolutely not hurt your chances for residency... it is only one month.
 
i interviewed on 10/2 and experienced the same lackluster interview day. dean wasnt there, someone didnt get interviewed until way later and missed lunch, some woman who barely spoke english came in and told us about something that i couldnt understand, etc.

i loved the campus and thought the facilities were up to par with the other schools ive seen so far.

amy, can you maybe clarify some issues for me? I was looking at the curriculum and it seems different from the systems based curriculums ive seen at other schools. It seemed like everything was broken into different subjects and you are tested on each one. How do you feel about this sort of testing? From what i gather, people prefer the systems based approach more to an approach like this.

This is really the only major concern i have about the school, the way the material is broken down, hopefully it can be cleared up for me so I can make my choice.

I did get accepted btw.
 
i don't think they have changed the curriculum too much since my first and second years. first year is broken up into basic sciences: opp, clinical practices, biochem, anatomy, histo, physio, micro, neuroanatomy, etc. second year is systems based. you do two hard and fast weeks of pharm and pathology to get the basics and then you do heme/onc, cardio, pulmonary, renal, etc. seems like you spend about a month on each one...longer for cardio and a little less than a month for derm.
in general, DO classes are bigger, more impersonal and less hand holding than MD programs. and this is not just nova, people i know from other DO schools get this feeling as well... hope this helps.
I have met people from all types of medical schools, DO, MD, and met geniuses and idiots from all of them.... i did pick on location and would advise you guys to do the same. i too wasn't impressed with the administrative admissions staff but I tell you I haven't had to deal with any of those people since.
i can make some general comments about the DO schools i know people from if any of you are interested: NSU, NYCOM, Kirksville, KCUMB, PCOM...
 
compare kcumb and nova for me, those are my two acceptances so far lol
 
i had the opportunity to do my third year rotations with some of the students from kcumb. there were some very intelligent hardworking people that I am proud will be DOs....and then there were some others but i am sure the same could be said for my nova collegues. in general, i think nova students did better on the usmle than kcumb if you care, but there were exceptions of course. the kcumb students did get an elective third year, something i was jealous of. they had pretty much the same complaints that we did. i think they had more options on where they could do their third year rotations.... at nova we are committed to group of hospitals in a given area. i think the main difference is in location. you decide if these are +/-: nova is in a more bustling area than kcumb and thus attracts a more "urban" vs. "rural" kcumb student and all the stuff that goes with it like traffic and cost of living is expensive in florida, cheaper in kcumb, social scene and weather is much better at nova. academically i think these programs are pretty equal in my experience with both students but they seem to have a little more freedom in scheduling third and fourth year. hope that helps!
 
thanks for the breakdown, that cleared some things up..

im trying really hard not to base my decision on the 'social scene/weather' bc im gonna be in the library so much i wont notice it. I am also from upstate ny, i dont think kc weather will be a big deal for me, and like you said, kc allows u to rotate to a lot of places, i can always go to fl for my 3rd and 4th yrs.

i think my concerns about nova was that test every monday deal startin in oct.. i mean a test every other week is fine, but med school is hard enough, i hate the idea of having an exam on every single monday.
 
jzeidenb said:
i think my concerns about nova was that test every monday deal startin in oct.. i mean a test every other week is fine, but med school is hard enough, i hate the idea of having an exam on every single monday.
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Your in the wrong profession, sound like nursing school would suit you better. All jokes aside, your gonna have a f*&*ing horrendous schedule where ever you go for the first two years. Just come with your running shoes on.
 
First of all congratulations for those who have received interviews and especially for those accepted, it has been a long journey and its nice to finally have something solid in hand as you go foreward.

I certainly will not mindlessly defend NSU about what a few of you that have posted sensed as "sub par" interview days. I know for one of the tours I did, we did spend a disproportionate time in the Gym as opposed to the library (allbeit there is much more to walk around and "see" in the rec-plex as there is in a library---) but this was unintentional. Perhaps often the people giving the tours feel like the fun stuff to see isn't the inside of the library. Our mistake, I apologize for that. We do try to inform as much as possible about the various resources available to you through the library.

I must tell you all though, that medical school is literally A LOT of just really intense, seemingly endless hours studying. The curriculum, the PEOPLE, the class you will be part of, the COM faculty (not the admissions), the networks and relationships the school has built within the medical community are all VERY strong at NSU. Most of this you will realize this AFTER you begin your medical school journey at NSU. These are the things you want to be truly concerned about. Rotations, residency match list, licensure exam preparedness and a solid pre-clinical education are truly exceptional at Nova.

And I am not discounting the experiences you all had during your interviews, but it would truly be sad to see anyone miss out on the opportunity for such great opportunities because someone in their interview group was interviewed later than the rest of the group, or because some medical student-whose brain is probably fried from anatomy or cardio physiology- spent 15 minutes in the rec-plex with you and only 5 minutes in the library. Those do not make the basis for a sound, rational decision as to attend a particular school or not.

:corny: Okay i think i am almost done with my rant...but I hope this makes a little sense.

NOTE: When I was interviewing, I had similiar experiences at this school, but I had did much more research on the aspects of the school I considered important before I came to see the school that it didn't weigh heavily on my decision. I am SO GLAD I came here. I almost got "tricked" by really nice interview days, but the truth is that when it comes to the things that actually affect me on a day to day basis---like the quality of the instruction, the willingness of staff to make time to help students, the helpfullness of upper classmates and the resources for me to be able to do well in medical school, NSU really does satisfy those criteria.

Good Luck in whatever you decide! :luck:👍
 
CuttinEmUp thank you, I do appreciate your insight. It is good to hear that about a school that I have very strong feelings for. Also, I actually enjoyed my tour of the GYM (i was a Kinesiology major), and my tour guides were very nice. 🙂 Perhaps I will see some of ya'll next year
 
Where are you getting your USMLE information? I was told something completely different. Admin told us not to take it, because our school does not do well on the USMLE. Our COMLEX scores are only average, and our COMLEX passing rate is slightly above average. I know a lot of people who failed the USMLE, and I know very few from our school who did alright on it. No DO school publishes what their average USMLE and COMLEX scores are unless they are stellar. I was well acquainted with the student government members, and they were the ones who told me our scores. Despite what people tell you, it can hurt you to have to do so many months of rurals. If you are not looking for something competitive, it is just more months to pass the time. Most medical schools get one month of anesthesia, radiology, neurology, cardiology, not us at Nova though. We get tons of internal medicine and tons of rurals.
 
novado said:
Where are you getting your USMLE information? I was told something completely different. Admin told us not to take it, because our school does not do well on the USMLE. Our COMLEX scores are only average, and our COMLEX passing rate is slightly above average. I know a lot of people who failed the USMLE, and I know very few from our school who did alright on it. No DO school publishes what their average USMLE and COMLEX scores are unless they are stellar. I was well acquainted with the student government members, and they were the ones who told me our scores. Despite what people tell you, it can hurt you to have to do so many months of rurals. If you are not looking for something competitive, it is just more months to pass the time. Most medical schools get one month of anesthesia, radiology, neurology, cardiology, not us at Nova though. We get tons of internal medicine and tons of rurals.
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While I won't be one on here to stick up for NSU on things like Admin and rotation bs. There are many things that I would change about that school. I will say you are wrong about board prep. I don't know who you got your info from, but our class as far as the ones I know, did very well on boards. People who took the USMLE, at least my friends, did very well myself included. I think most of this is a factor of the students, they defintely don't hold your hand here, matter of fact if they could do it online or increase the class size to 1000 they would, but the school gives you what you need.
 
misery said:
Your in the wrong profession, sound like nursing school would suit you better. All jokes aside, your gonna have a f*&*ing horrendous schedule where ever you go for the first two years. Just come with your running shoes on.
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wow thats really hillarious.. i was simply making a comment that i wasnt crazy about the structuring of that schedule, thats all.. i know its like that on one level or another everywhere. Most schools however have tests every other week, with more material on each test. At least ur able to enjoy one weekend night or two a month out.

anyway, i understand that that is the last thing i should be worrying about when considering schools. but its still on the list, just because its far down doesnt mean im forbidden from asking about it. In fact, I think you should take it as a compliment to your school that i have to go that far down the list to find a criticism about the school.


anyway, i find all three schools im considering to be extremely close (nsu vs kcumb vs western comp), and im having a very difficult time narrowing one down from the other. Im prob going to list all my criteria and rank them and figure out which school is best for the most important criteria.



does anyone here have a copy of nsu's most recent match list for residencies? i can only seem to find match list for internships.
 
disgruntled nova student... take with bottle of salt :laugh:

novado said:
Where are you getting your USMLE information? I was told something completely different. Admin told us not to take it, because our school does not do well on the USMLE. Our COMLEX scores are only average, and our COMLEX passing rate is slightly above average. I know a lot of people who failed the USMLE, and I know very few from our school who did alright on it. No DO school publishes what their average USMLE and COMLEX scores are unless they are stellar. I was well acquainted with the student government members, and they were the ones who told me our scores. Despite what people tell you, it can hurt you to have to do so many months of rurals. If you are not looking for something competitive, it is just more months to pass the time. Most medical schools get one month of anesthesia, radiology, neurology, cardiology, not us at Nova though. We get tons of internal medicine and tons of rurals.
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novado said:
Despite what people tell you, it can hurt you to have to do so many months of rurals. If you are not looking for something competitive, it is just more months to pass the time. Most medical schools get one month of anesthesia, radiology, neurology, cardiology, not us at Nova though. We get tons of internal medicine and tons of rurals.
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Yeah, but you can do all of those or whatever else strikes your fancy as electives, right?
 
The people I heard of bragging/discussing about their USMLE scores did not realize that a 2 digit 85 on USMLE is not the percentile. That translates into decent, but not great score. Just letting you know, I heard my data directly from the SGA president at the time who had a long discussion with the dean. She also told me that the our COMLEX scores (the actual numbers) are below the national average (but I did not want to have to put school down too much), but the passing rate is above the national average. So you are right, the school gives you ONLY what you need, nothing else. They give you enough to pass, but not enough to do well on the boards. Yes, we got discounted Kaplan boards (which is a huge bonus), but not much else. Yes, it is possible to do well on the boards, just as it is possible at almost any medical schools. Nova does not set you up to succeed, you have to succeed despite the cards dealt to you by Nova. I did well on the USMLE and COMLEX, matched very well into a competitive allo program, despite Nova's lack of help. You can do whatever electives you want, it just cannot be more than 2 months in the same field. That can really set you back if you want something competitive in which doing away rotations could highly benefit you.

But, remember....grain of salt. There is no need to listen to what recent grads have to say. I guess you will understand one day when you finally graduate.
 
Fin-Nor said:
disgruntled nova student... take with bottle of salt :laugh:
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I'm not disgruntled, I hope that is not what you all have taken from my post. I was merely saying, there are things I would change, but talk to anyone at any school and they will tell you that. Nova is an ok school, I'm very happy with my board scores and feel like I got a solid education. How much is due to them and me, that I can't answer, I put a lot of effort in. Our school gives you what you need to do well, the rest is up to you, I don't know how much that differs at other schools.

To the above poster, I know what you are talking about with the two digit score. Some people are freakin' idiots and open their mouth when they shouldn't. The scores that I was referring to were all above 220, most above 230. So yeah I think we did alright. These were my friends, and like they say, birds of a feather.....
 
misery said:
I'm not disgruntled, I hope that is not what you all have taken from my post. I was merely saying, there are things I would change, but talk to anyone at any school and they will tell you that. Nova is an ok school, I'm very happy with my board scores and feel like I got a solid education. How much is due to them and me, that I can't answer, I put a lot of effort in. Our school gives you what you need to do well, the rest is up to you, I don't know how much that differs at other schools.
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I believe the poster was specifically addressing novado and not you.
 
I won't get into anything other than the what the OP was asking about. The admissions and financial aid departments are very disorganized here at Nova. But, the academics have been very organized and very strong. The Dean is awesome, and I wish he was there for your interview. He is on a lot of state wide boards and committees and has been gone a lot this year, but he still tries to show up and talk to us when he can. From what I have heard, Nova 3rd and 4th years kick ass on rotations, and our board scores have been high. Of course, as I pointed out the last time I brought this up and someone still lambasted me, I have heard that from people at Nova, who may be biased.
 
Can anyone comment on the Rotation sites NOVA offers
 
http://medicine.nova.edu/academics/clinical/core_rotation_sites.html


I think the list is actually missing a few but it gives you a good idea. Most of the sites are great, but I have heard bad things about westchester. I can only speak for Florida Hospital, which was amazing. With Florida Hospital, you work at both the large main campus in Orlando and the smaller branch in east Orlando (where the Family Practice Residency is based) so you get the best of both worlds (large hospital/small hospital). They really take you in and treat you like family. Didactics are great - daily lectures for the residents, which you are invited to and also lectures twice a week for the medical students. Every attending I had loved to teach and would usually do at least a thirty minute lecture on something daily. You get a lot of freedom to see patients, write notes, perform procedures, but you have a lot of supervision so you dont feel like you are on your own. I loved it. I heard that Broward was great as far as didactics and procedures/freedom to see patients but some people said that they felt like they kinda got thrown in there and had to sink or swim. Broward is known to be tough site but you will come out strong. I think all of the sites prepare you well for internship. .


The Georgia/Alabama track is pretty cool. You have a lot of options about where you go and can jump around if you want. For your electives, you can go whereever you want.

I hear some students talking about schools that literally let you go whereever you want. This is b/c you have to set up your own rotations. Some of my friends from these schools complained about how hard it was and that they didnt get much didatics as some places. In my opinion, it is better to stick with the good sized places that are used to having students and therefore have programs for them. Just be aware of this.
 
I agree and wanted to thank you for commenting on my post. I've been having a hard time finding good information about clinical rotations at any of the schools I have been accepted to. As of right now I'm leaning toward NOVA over AZCOM. I just don't know much about Florida hospitals specifically for trauma and burns.
 
Just to rebut what was said earlier. I took both steps of USMLE and COMLEX as a Nova student. I scored a 99 (the highest possible two digit score) on both steps of USMLE and nearly identical on COMLEX (actually a little lower on level 2).

You can always compare yourself to the average student, but I agree with hoodyhoo in that medical school is entirely what you make of it. I feel like I actually perform better than most medical students with whom I have rotated, but I think that reflects my efforts over 4 years.

There are strengths and weaknesses to the curriculum, as with any other school, but we undoubtedly get exposed to the same information and resources as any other students. Its up to you to make the most of it.
 
AUdacious said:
I have heard bad things about westchester.
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Sorry to go a bit off topic but I felt a need to further support that claim. A close friend of mine worked there for a few years and never had a single positive thing to say about the place. It really was a miserable experience for the guy. :/
 
I am a 1st year EM resident that graduated from NSU last year...... I was thoroughly prepared for residency at an allopathic institution.... Do not let all those admission hang-ups steer you away... NSU is a great school in a great location... As far as osteopathic schools, I know my peers and myself were on many occasions superior to our allopathic counterparts clinically..... PM me with any ?s , as I do not come to this forum frequently....

Later......

Kasanova
 
jzeidenb said:
thanks for the breakdown, that cleared some things up..

im trying really hard not to base my decision on the 'social scene/weather' bc im gonna be in the library so much i wont notice it. I am also from upstate ny, i dont think kc weather will be a big deal for me, and like you said, kc allows u to rotate to a lot of places, i can always go to fl for my 3rd and 4th yrs.

i think my concerns about nova was that test every monday deal startin in oct.. i mean a test every other week is fine, but med school is hard enough, i hate the idea of having an exam on every single monday.
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To your first comment. i hate hearing this. Yes, you will be in the library quite a bit. But you will in fact have time for outside activities. thus, location is important. unless you have a schizoid personality.

As for your 2nd comment. I believe most schools are like this. You will just have to face the fact that this will be your life for a couple years and that Monday nights will be your weekend. Sometimes there are weeks off from tests.
 
I just noticed this thread, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents. I'm a third year student at Nova (although, FYI, the admin really wants to be called NSU now).

First, yes the tour was probably a little wierd if they took you to the gym. You see they just built this new student center (that does have a gym) which they are very proud of and like to show off like a new mom. It is kinda nice. There's a food court type area, and a bar (the Flight Deck) with student priced beer on tap-- 2 bucks for Blue Moon, also there is a sports med clinic in the back, and on the second floor there is a great place to study.
I don't know why they would take you to the library though. It's big and fancy, but no one really goes there, it's on the main campus and we have our own library in the health professions division that's got everything you need. Anyway, who knows, the administration is a little kooky. I was SGA secretary my first year so I had to work with them far more closely than anyone normally would, and it wasn't too bad.

Second, Rotations, Nova as a bunch of different sights across Florida and you rank them and we have a little lottery. I ranked Broward first and I got it, most people get their first choice (of course there is always a few that get screwed and end up at Westchester). So yes you have to do your 3rd year in Florida (unless you want to go to AL or GA), and we have 3 required rural rotations 4th year (which seems a bit excessive) but one of them is a selective and you can do it in Poland or Alaska or wherever. I'm doing my 2 required rurals in Orlando Correctional Facility (don't worry I chose to go to prison).

Anyway, I would chose Nova again. I doubt any school runs perfectly, and I think most students start off giddy and hopeful, and end up disgruntled and burnt out--such is med school.
 
I'm a second year at NSU and love it. I honestly think that it is a fantastic educational experience. The faculty are awesome. The school is beautiful. I feel well prepared for the boards, and honestly have nothing but good experiences from NSU.
Let me know if you have any specific questions, I will be happy to answer. 😀
 
I have a few questions about the course load at NOVA. How much free time do you guys have, what is your class pass rate, and just how hard is it? I know these are very vague questions and completely subjective, but still it would be nice for incoming students to get a feel for the schedule and intensity of the school. Thanks.
 
Nova is a great school and personally, I feel that I perform best there because of the mutilple resources they have. Only one question though. I do not want to find a residency in FL nor do I want to practice there. I've learned that the best way to land a residency spot somewhere you want to be is to do a rotation there. If I want to match into a spot and practice in a different state that is located other than the "south," would it be tough to do so considering nova's clinical spots are mostly located in FL and one or two in AL and GA?
 
danzman said:
I have a few questions about the course load at NOVA. How much free time do you guys have, what is your class pass rate, and just how hard is it? I know these are very vague questions and completely subjective, but still it would be nice for incoming students to get a feel for the schedule and intensity of the school. Thanks.
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this is a very tough question to answer. for some the first two years are very difficult and for others they weren't too bad. First year is not too bad. I had no biochem/anatomy/physio background and I did fine. I don't exactly remember the test schedule but I do remember the first month there is only one exam. Also I think you have your good and bad months. Some months will be filled with 4-5 exams and some with less. Maybe a current first or second year can answer this better.

Second year in my opinion was more difficult because the amount of material was much greater. It was pretty standard second year to have a test every single monday with the ocassional monday off every few months. Overall I thought 2nd year was very tough and a struggle to get through. However you have much support because everyone around you feels the same way.

Some in my class thought 2nd year was more difficult but a lot more interesting. Also there were a few who thought 2nd year was actually easier. so again, it's a tough question to answer. The great thing about 2nd year is that is cuts off early and you get ample time to study for your boards unlike many other schools. We also have annoying and sometimes tough standardized patient exams. As annoying as they were(and trust me I F****** hated them) they prepare you well for the COMLEX PE.

you can PM me if you have any specific Q's. laterrr
 
Patel1268 said:
Nova is a great school and personally, I feel that I perform best there because of the mutilple resources they have. Only one question though. I do not want to find a residency in FL nor do I want to practice there. I've learned that the best way to land a residency spot somewhere you want to be is to do a rotation there. If I want to match into a spot and practice in a different state that is located other than the "south," would it be tough to do so considering nova's clinical spots are mostly located in FL and one or two in AL and GA?
Click to expand...

Not at all. You have about 5 months of electives in fourth year, for which you can go anywhere in the country, and do an away rotation. I don't have the link for the match list right now, but plenty of people have matched into residencies that are not affiliated with NSU, and are not in the 'south'
 
danzman said:
I have a few questions about the course load at NOVA. How much free time do you guys have, what is your class pass rate, and just how hard is it? I know these are very vague questions and completely subjective, but still it would be nice for incoming students to get a feel for the schedule and intensity of the school. Thanks.
Click to expand...

As far as the pass rate I can tell you that our class started in the 220's and now we have 211. some dropped out, some transferred, and some were held back one year.

Our comlex pass rate is above average I believe. Again you will find huge variation with this. There were many in my class that rocked the boards and there were some that didn't do well or didn't pass. In the end it depends more on the individual and the effort you put into it.
 
Hey thanks a ton for the info. It looks as though I will be starting at NOVA in the fall and am trying to find out all that I can about the school and the area. Thanks again...
 
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