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I attended the med school experience in January and I thought the experience was preferable to a face to face interview. In the traditional interview, I have always felt like I have to kiss the interviewers' asses and cannot be myself.
The med school experience provided ample opportunity for the faculty to discover that we were not right for the program. The school observed us while we interacted with other applicants, current students, and faculty. This included two workshops (cardiorespiratory and suturing) in groups of 12. If someone did not have the countenance or social skills to be a medical student, it would have been picked up on during the day.
Regarding being selected, I'm sure that if there were problems with my LORs or PS, I would not have been selected.
Hi guys, I was debating posting about this, but for whatever reason, I decided to post my opinion on this subject.
For those that don't know, Nova has 2 types of "interviews" (though the 2nd type I will discuss does not involve any real interview).
The first type is just the typical med school interview day-they invite you to an interview, you get an orientation, tour, interview, blah blah, and then in the following weeks the admissions committee meets to decide whether to accept/reject/waitlist.
The 2nd type is what they refer to as "The Medical School Experience". Here is how this works-for those applicants who have a sufficiently high gpa and MCAT score, the decision is made to forego the standard interview process, and these applicants are invited to attend this special prorgram which essentially serves to "sell" the school to this subset of "high-stats" applicants. There is no interview for these applicants, and if you are invited to attend, the decision has essentially already been made to accept you. Nova recognizes that these applicants, due to their high stats, likely will have many choices regarding what school to attend, and a great number of these applicants are hoping to attend an MD school, but have applied to Nova and other DO schools as a "safety" in the event they are not accepted to an MD program. Nova uses this "Medical School Experience" day to attempt to draw in some of these applicants and convince them that Nova may be the better fit for them.
So....what is wrong with any of this? Well, not a whole lot to be honest, but there are a few problems and a bit of hypocrisy on the part of Nova.
The main problem is that there is NO interview. The decision has essentially already been made to accept those who are invited to this program and thus, no interview is conducted. Personally I can't see how ANY school can justify accepting an applicant without interviewing them. At this point, I'm certain we have all met students with great grades and MCAT scores, but upon speaking with them, it becomes instantly clear that they do not belong in medicine. Now obviously grades and MCAT scores are important, but they aren't the only important aspects. And that is what is so integral about the interview-it gives the school a chance to get a feel for the whole applicant beyond their numbers. An interview acts as a "final filter".
By foregoing the interview process, Nova is basically saying that provided your gpa and MCAT are high enough, they don't feel the need to know anything more about you.
Now where the hypocrisy comes in is that Nova, like all med schools (especially DO schools) insists that it looks at the "whole applicant" and is not solely concerned with numerical stats. It's well and good to say that, but this whole "medical school experience" program completely flies in the face of that assertion.
Given a sufficiently high gpa and MCAT, Nova will invite you to this program, forego an interview, and accept you without ever actually getting to know the applicant beyond their numbers.
Lastly, I freely admit that I attended the standard interview at Nova and was waitlisted. I know that will make many believe that I am bitter and perhaps a bit jealous of those who were lucky enough to be invited to the "med school experience" program. Fair enough-and initially I was bitter. However I have recently been accepted to my top choice which makes the fact that Nova waitlisted me irrelevant. Sure-an acceptance is always nice, but I hold absolutely NO grudge against Nova and still think it is an amazing school and I'm sure I would have been very happy had I ended up there. I just think that this policy of theirs is a terrible idea, and it runs completely contrary to the assertion that they look at the "whole applicant".
Anyone agree/disagree?
Yes, I understand this point, but from what I understand, this other information (PS, EC's etc), does not play a role in whether you are invited to the med school experience program. The way it was explained to me, if your gpa and MCAT are sufficiently high, this qualifies you to be invited to the med school experience. Now it is remotely possible I am mistaken about this, but the source of this information is someone who is in a position to know how these things work.
So, if is simply the gpa/MCAT which qualifies you for the med school experience, and if an invite to the med school experience essentially equals acceptance, then logic dictates that Nova will accept applicants solely based on gpa/MCAT.
I'm not sure this is actually right- the "not making up for a year of an attending's salary" part. If they're effectively giving you 40k (PER YEAR), and by the time you pay it back it's likely to be closer to 80 or 100k (again, per year), then you're more than making up for that year of attending salary. 100k+ is a great salary to be paid, but much of this is going to a) loans, b) taxes, c) living expenses, etc.While I'm not sure about scholarships, they do offer a pre-clinical fellowship in OMM that you do for a year between your normal 2nd and 3rd years. In return for you doing that and helping out in the OMM labs, they pay for your third and fourth years. Of course, your savings aren't equivalent to that missed year of attending salary, so it doesn't ultimately work out in your favor financially, it's an option if you want to learn a little extra and are terrified of $300,000+ in debt. I thought they may have mentioned another pre-clinical fellowship, but I can't say for sure.
Hi guys, I was debating posting about this, but for whatever reason, I decided to post my opinion on this subject.
For those that don't know, Nova has 2 types of "interviews" (though the 2nd type I will discuss does not involve any real interview).
The first type is just the typical med school interview day-they invite you to an interview, you get an orientation, tour, interview, blah blah, and then in the following weeks the admissions committee meets to decide whether to accept/reject/waitlist.
The 2nd type is what they refer to as "The Medical School Experience". Here is how this works-for those applicants who have a sufficiently high gpa and MCAT score, the decision is made to forego the standard interview process, and these applicants are invited to attend this special prorgram which essentially serves to "sell" the school to this subset of "high-stats" applicants. There is no interview for these applicants, and if you are invited to attend, the decision has essentially already been made to accept you. Nova recognizes that these applicants, due to their high stats, likely will have many choices regarding what school to attend, and a great number of these applicants are hoping to attend an MD school, but have applied to Nova and other DO schools as a "safety" in the event they are not accepted to an MD program. Nova uses this "Medical School Experience" day to attempt to draw in some of these applicants and convince them that Nova may be the better fit for them.
So....what is wrong with any of this? Well, not a whole lot to be honest, but there are a few problems and a bit of hypocrisy on the part of Nova.
The main problem is that there is NO interview. The decision has essentially already been made to accept those who are invited to this program and thus, no interview is conducted. Personally I can't see how ANY school can justify accepting an applicant without interviewing them. At this point, I'm certain we have all met students with great grades and MCAT scores, but upon speaking with them, it becomes instantly clear that they do not belong in medicine. Now obviously grades and MCAT scores are important, but they aren't the only important aspects. And that is what is so integral about the interview-it gives the school a chance to get a feel for the whole applicant beyond their numbers. An interview acts as a "final filter".
By foregoing the interview process, Nova is basically saying that provided your gpa and MCAT are high enough, they don't feel the need to know anything more about you.
Now where the hypocrisy comes in is that Nova, like all med schools (especially DO schools) insists that it looks at the "whole applicant" and is not solely concerned with numerical stats. It's well and good to say that, but this whole "medical school experience" program completely flies in the face of that assertion.
Given a sufficiently high gpa and MCAT, Nova will invite you to this program, forego an interview, and accept you without ever actually getting to know the applicant beyond their numbers.
Lastly, I freely admit that I attended the standard interview at Nova and was waitlisted. I know that will make many believe that I am bitter and perhaps a bit jealous of those who were lucky enough to be invited to the "med school experience" program. Fair enough-and initially I was bitter. However I have recently been accepted to my top choice which makes the fact that Nova waitlisted me irrelevant. Sure-an acceptance is always nice, but I hold absolutely NO grudge against Nova and still think it is an amazing school and I'm sure I would have been very happy had I ended up there. I just think that this policy of theirs is a terrible idea, and it runs completely contrary to the assertion that they look at the "whole applicant".
Anyone agree/disagree?
maybe this is a dumb question, but why does everybody say provisionally accepted, rather than just accepted? is this just a Nova thing? is there some other requirement that needs to be fulfilled after an acceptance?
Just confirmed an email for the Medical school interview experience program. My high mcat happens to be a 24P and my high gpa is a 3.56. Got 120 hours of shadowing but tons of volunteer work. Coupled with being a high school wrestling coach (leadership/teamwork experience), I think that my EC's are definitely what got me here. On a separate note, does anyone know what to wear to this interview? I've worn suits to all my other ones but this seems more like an interactive event than an interview. Finally, if I am accepted (based on what everyone is saying, I guess I already am), which school would one go to between Touro Nevada and Nova? I've already been accepted at Touro NV and loved it but I've heard a lot of good things about NOVA. Can anyone give me the pros/cons for each?
Just confirmed an email for the Medical school interview experience program. My high mcat happens to be a 24P and my high gpa is a 3.56. Got 120 hours of shadowing but tons of volunteer work. Coupled with being a high school wrestling coach (leadership/teamwork experience), I think that my EC's are definitely what got me here. On a separate note, does anyone know what to wear to this interview? I've worn suits to all my other ones but this seems more like an interactive event than an interview. Finally, if I am accepted (based on what everyone is saying, I guess I already am), which school would one go to between Touro Nevada and Nova? I've already been accepted at Touro NV and loved it but I've heard a lot of good things about NOVA. Can anyone give me the pros/cons for each?
Just confirmed an email for the Medical school interview experience program. My high mcat happens to be a 24P and my high gpa is a 3.56. Got 120 hours of shadowing but tons of volunteer work. Coupled with being a high school wrestling coach (leadership/teamwork experience), I think that my EC's are definitely what got me here. On a separate note, does anyone know what to wear to this interview? I've worn suits to all my other ones but this seems more like an interactive event than an interview. Finally, if I am accepted (based on what everyone is saying, I guess I already am), which school would one go to between Touro Nevada and Nova? I've already been accepted at Touro NV and loved it but I've heard a lot of good things about NOVA. Can anyone give me the pros/cons for each?
Hey Munchyman, yeah, I'm from San Diego. Got good vibes from the people in Fla, so I can't wait to get out there and check it out. Am a little sad leaving La Jolla, Chargers, and my hometown, but se la vie. Gotta keep on truckin'!
Does anyone have the 2011-2012 academic calendar for nova?
Having this would solve a lot of my problems....
heres what they have posted thus far for the academic calender...actual schedules don't come out until summer typically for M1 students
View attachment 16051
Hi guys...when does (ballpark dates) orientation/class start in the fall? And when is the first tuition payments etc. due?
the reason I ask is that I am on waitlists, and am a little confused about how it works. I will be no longer eligible for a waitlist after attending an orientation at Nova, correct?
Orientation is concurrent with the first week of classes, starting august 8th. See 3 posts above for the detailed calendar for 2011-2012.
Seeing as how you will have already begun attending class by the time orientation rolls around at NSU and by implication will already have registered, then yes. You'd be ineligible for that waitlist.
Considering you will have already made living arrangements and a substantial financial commitment though, why would you want to take that slot anyway?
What are your thoughts on the driving environment/commute to school? Any ballpark figures on the cost of car at school? Are there any neighborhoods that facilitate walking to school? Thoughts on public transport? I know it seems silly (especially since a car will probably be necessary for clinical rotations here or really any school), but driving and the associated factors are a big concern for me in my decision with Nova. Thanks in advance!
I haven't driven in a while because I completed my undergrad in a city with a good public transport system and when I would come home, I live in the boondocks, so driving was pretty stress-free/easy.
I'm a little nervous about driving in SoFL because I've heard there are aggressive drivers. When I visited, it didn't seem as though Fort Lauderdale was a very pedestrian-friendly city. What are your thoughts on the driving environment/commute to school? Any ballpark figures on the cost of car at school? Are there any neighborhoods that facilitate walking to school? Thoughts on public transport? I know it seems silly (especially since a car will probably be necessary for clinical rotations here or really any school), but driving and the associated factors are a big concern for me in my decision with Nova. Thanks in advance!
anyone have an idea on decision turn around time? I interviewed 1/27 and i cant stop checking webstar/email
Mantis,
I had to make the choice between these two schools last year. I wound up choosing Nova. Both allow you to do all of your clinical rotations close to where you will be moving for school, and both give you roughly the same amount of time of electives in your 4th year. Both cost roughly the same (I think Touro-NV was a touch more expensive when I looked at it last year, but not by a large margin). I'll detail some differences I noticed below:
Testing: Touro-NV does do block testing (a week of tests every 6 weeks in all subjects). Nova tends to spread it out (though there will be times you have multiple tests a week).
Weather: Hot and dry vs hot and humid.
M1 Summer break: Touro gives you about 3 months off. Nova you get ~5 weeks (Memorial Day to the 4th of July).
Research: Neither place offers a ton of research, but Nova does offer a research fellowship between the M2 and M3 years. We've also received a few e-mails throughout the year from faculty and staff about opportunities to get involved in different research projects.
In the end, the most important thing is where YOU feel like you will do best. This was the biggest factor to me in deciding to go to Nova over Touro-NV (though I enjoyed Touro-NV and feel like I would have loved attending there).
Any further questions, feel free to ask me here. If there are specific pros/cons you'd like me to comment on, I'd be glad to. Just let me know. Best of luck!
Congrats on the med school experience, I enjoyed it when I went. I wore a suit, as did everyone else who came on Jan. 7th. I would suggest that you do not make it known that you have the impression that you are "in" while you are there. I believed them when they said they were watching us to see if we fit or not, because during my day I could see people who did not fit without even talking to them. Good luck.
Hey Mantis,
I just confirmed the interview experience program too! I'm going to wear a suit. Even though there's no traditional interview we will be meeting with faculty and staff, so professional attire seems like the right choice. I'm super excited for this; it actually seems like it's going to be a fun day with the lecture and patient simulation activity 🙂
Thanks, I appreciate your help. I'm gonna go in with an open mind and just see which feels right. Thanks again!
Thanks! That's what I'll do. Any idea about the how soon they respond to people in this program? I heard that it's faster than the traditional turn-around time.
Hey xgalaxy00,
Yeah, it sounds like it'll be an awesome day. Pretty excited about the patient simulators. I interview on March 4th, how about you?
Thanks! That's what I'll do. Any idea about the how soon they respond to people in this program? I heard that it's faster than the traditional turn-around time.
They told us that we would hear back in a week and we did. I got an e-mail the week after I went. They did tell us when we asked at the end of the day, so when it looks like they are winding down just ask real quick.
Hey xgalaxy00,
Yeah, it sounds like it'll be an awesome day. Pretty excited about the patient simulators. I interview on March 4th, how about you?
Hey folks.. This is my first post, and seeing as im interviewing on Tuesday (15th) I thought I'd just drop a line and thank the lot of you for the variety of insights and advice pertaining to Nova. I just picked up a suit and tie, and now all i have to do is wear the thing with a smile on my face. Anyone else getting a little tingly in the toes as the date approaches?
Smithy - I'll be there on the 15th too! Can't wait. Where you coming from?
I'm coming from balmy Upstate NY (home of snow!) 😛
Does anyone know if they are filled yet? & if the interviews coming up are just for waitlist spots?
Does anyone know if they are filled yet? & if the interviews coming up are just for waitlist spots?
When I interviewed on 1/6 the M1's who gave us the tour told us that the class usually filled up by January, so any interviews past January will probably be for wait list. This being said, do not give up hope!
The waitlist isn't a death sentence, there are plenty of current students who were pulled from the waitlist. I know it sucks waiting but don't lose hope!