Help

[spongebobdoc]

Hey everyone, I posted a WAMC a bit ago since I had no offers but I thankfully have gotten off my DO waitlist. I want to take this offer, but there’s two things I need help with:
I want to negotiate financial aid, how can I do this? This school doesn’t seem to keen on doing financial aid offers so would emailing the dean be a good shot? Who should I talk to after finishing
my FAFSA? (It’s like 70k tuition and I’m trying to cut costs and wanna do the best that I can)

Second…the school is Nova DO. Now I know it doesn’t have the best history and saw that @Goro specifically wasn’t behind this school in a post a few years back. When I interviewed there, the admin seemed great and I had no issues on the school. Have they changed? Are they better now? I know this is an extreme - is it still bad to the point of where I should reapply? I think I will end up pursuing internal medicine and probably nothing more, so I understand it’ll be hard to do neurosurgery or whatever. Thanks for the help!

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[candbgirl]

Congrats on an acceptance. I’m not sure how you plan to “negotiate” financial aid. Does this school give big bunches of financial aid? What do you have to bargain with-like where else have you been accepted? Is Nova DO a higher ranked school? That’s usually how you negotiate-/I’m accepted here, it’s ranked #5, I’d prefer to go to your school you are ranked #10, what can you do for me?
I really wouldn’t consider reapplying. What makes you think you’d be any more successful next year? Is Nova DO,still on @Goro's bad boy list?

 

[spongebobdoc]

Congrats on an acceptance. I’m not sure how you plan to “negotiate” financial aid. Does this school give big bunches of financial aid? What do you have to bargain with-like where else have you been accepted? Is Nova DO a higher ranked school? That’s usually how you negotiate-/I’m accepted here, it’s ranked #5, I’d prefer to go to your school you are ranked #10, what can you do for me?
I really wouldn’t consider reapplying. What makes you think you’d be any more successful next year? Is Nova DO,still on @Goro's bad boy list?

Thank you. Unfortunately this is my only acceptance, I meant maybe asking them if any aid was possible since the cost might be too high. They might just tell me to f off but it’s a thought. Yeah, it’s unfortunately on his bad boy list (saw it in a post a while back).
As for next cycle, I have upped my clinical hours a lot, have picked up a new leadership position at a service org and am doing new research that I think will lead to an abstract by April/May. Although I don’t think these were huge problems with my app, I have improved them nonetheless.
I don’t want to have to reapply unless Nova truly isn’t a great institution that will possibly hold me back for residency.

 

[chilly_md]

Nothing you can do. I don’t usually suggest this school for applicants choosing where to apply since it is very expensive once you add in the COL and their COMLEX scores once again went down. But you are from the state (hopefully already in commutable distance) and it is your only acceptance.

 

[spongebobdoc]

Nothing you can do. I don’t usually suggest this school for applicants choosing where to apply since it is very expensive once you add in the COL and their COMLEX scores once again went down. But you are from the state (hopefully already in commutable distance) and it is your only acceptance.

Yeah, I’m like 3-4 hours away so going home won’t be an issue since I can drive but I’ll have to find a cheap place to live which might be difficult.

 

[chilly_md]

Yeah, I’m like 3-4 hours away so going home won’t be an issue since I can drive but I’ll have to find a cheap place to live which might be difficult.

Yeah you’ll need a roommate then. It’s too late now, but LECOM Bradenton would have been the better in-state DO option since the tuition is much lower.

 

[spongebobdoc]

Yeah you’ll need a roommate then. It’s too late now, but LECOM Bradenton would have been the better in-state DO option since the tuition is much lower.

I would’ve applied there, but I haven’t heard good things there and thought Nova was a better DO.

 

[chilly_md]

I would’ve applied there, but I haven’t heard good things there and thought Nova was a better DO.

LECOM is better. It has had administration complaints too but they were worse at Nova and LECOM has better pass rates from what I recall.

PLSF is an option, though you will have to avoid HCA hospitals for residency and work.

 

[spongebobdoc]

LECOM is better. It has had administration complaints too but they were worse at Nova and LECOM has better pass rates from what I recall.

PLSF is an option, though you will have to avoid HCA hospitals for residency and work.

What’s PLSF?

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

PSLF* is Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Work at a nonprofit hospital or clinic for 10 years and your loans are forgiven.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

You can also apply for HPSP or NHSC or see if your state has scholarship or forgiveness programs. Lots of ways to deal with loans.

 

[spongebobdoc]

PSLF* is Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Work at a nonprofit hospital or clinic for 10 years and your loans are forgiven.

Interesting. Is this after the loans are taken on or can I count my time at a free clinic here? Is there a website I can read more about this?

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

Interesting. Is this after the loans are taken on or can I count my time at a free clinic here? Is there a website I can read more about this?

After loans are taken out, full time work. Residency counts so unless you get into an HCA or other for-profit program you'd have at least 3 years knocked off with training. Google it, it's a government program.

 

[spongebobdoc]

After loans are taken out, full time work. Residency counts so unless you get into an HCA or other for-profit program you'd have at least 3 years knocked off with training. Google it, it's a government program.

Thank you! I’ll check it out.

 

[Goro]

Congrats on an acceptance. I’m not sure how you plan to “negotiate” financial aid. Does this school give big bunches of financial aid? What do you have to bargain with-like where else have you been accepted? Is Nova DO a higher ranked school? That’s usually how you negotiate-/I’m accepted here, it’s ranked #5, I’d prefer to go to your school you are ranked #10, what can you do for me?
I really wouldn’t consider reapplying. What makes you think you’d be any more successful next year? Is Nova DO,still on @Goro's bad boy list?

Nova has improved their COMLEX pass rates over the past 1-2 years, so they are no longer on the Bad Boy list.

As it's your only acceptance, go and don't look back.

 

[chilly_md]

Nova has improved their COMLEX pass rates over the past 1-2 years, so they are no longer on the Bad Boy list.

As it's your only acceptance, go and don't look back.

They have maintained their Level 2 pass rates but Level 1 fell back down to 87 most recently:

Residency Match Data and COMLEX Level 3 Board Scores | NSU COM

NSU students are highly competitive in American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and military residency programs.

osteopathic.nova.edu

Thoughts? I've been excluding it from my lists still lately for most DO applicants.

 

[Goro]

They have maintained their Level 2 pass rates but Level 1 fell back down to 87 most recently:

Residency Match Data and COMLEX Level 3 Board Scores | NSU COM

NSU students are highly competitive in American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and military residency programs.

osteopathic.nova.edu

Thoughts? I've been excluding it from my lists still lately for most DO applicants.

2022 was a BAD year for the COMs, and some MD schools as well, for exam takers. We attribute this to schooling in the COVID years, and naiveté about boards being passed fail that year.


I could swear I saw data for the class of 23 takers that had the pass rate return back to their normal