.....overall it has been a very good experience. I was accepted into a number of other programs (funded and unfunded) that were rated higher on those posted rankings, but they weren't as good of a fit for what I wanted. I think fit is really important. Everyone has their own criteria....I was concerned with some of the average completion rates of some of the PhD and PsyD programs, as well as having access to solid training in my areas of interest (in addition to another 5-6 things).
I just missed out on a couple of my top choices, but the year-long wait to re-apply to those programs wasn't worth the funding difference (which is definitely a consideration for most, but I'm going back into consulting, so the $ wasn't a big deal for me; I should have it paid off in ~5-7 years.)
I think the Nova training is excellent, and I think overall it produces very good clinicians. We do well overall with placement %, with most of the misses due to the stragglers that should have been weeded out. I'd like to see more consistency from top to bottom, but as someone in the top %, I'm happy with my training.
The biggest knock (besides poor funding) is the size....which in some areas really helps, but in others it hinders. They are cutting the incoming classes each year (as of last year), which is a step in the right direction. If I had my druthers, I'd cut the bottom 20% of the class now, and reduce each year. I've utilized the larger faculty, and have already setup some opportunities down the road (both research and professionally)...so the size helped me in that regard.
There is a large base of research here (both PsyD and PhD), and you can get access to some great projects. I've done research in a couple of areas, and have been able to present at major conferences and publish. Because there are PhDs and PsyDs in the program, I think it encourages research across the board. For the PsyD, there is a required directed study (that functions like a dissertation) that all students are required to complete, so if you want to avoid doing research as a PsyD (which I think is a HUGE mistake), I'd look elsewhere.
Nova also has an on-site clinic that hosts a range of faculty run programs, and it provides a major source of research and practicum placements for our students; on and off site practicum experiences are available. The on-site clinic allows for students to more easily balance classes and seeing patients. Off-site experiences (what i've done) offer a range of placements in the field which include mental health centers, hospitals, prisons, etc.
With the Vail model (PsyD), there are very few fully funded programs, so cost should be considered. PhD programs get most of the funding because of the research grants, though while pursuing your PsyD there are still opportunities for TA, grad assistant, and scholarships.
I'm taking a less traditional path, so I'm not limited to just clinical or academic work. I had a career in business, so I'm going back into the business world and will be doing mostly business consulting and executive coaching. My clinical interests will still be pursued, just not as my primary focus.
In retrospect, I wish I would have found SDN sooner.
😉...since I have found out about some great PhD programs that I didn't even consider when I initially applied to clinical programs back in '03.
*another post copied below*
To update that a bit (since it was written 8-9 months ago) I'll add......
Looking back on my experiences at Nova I think I would recommend the program to some people, and not to others. Clinical training is excellent, and based on feedback I've gotten from post-docs, licensed clinicians, and training directors.....NSU does a very good job with clinical training. I know training can vary by your supervisor, so I'm not going to say it is great across the board, but students pretty much know how each practicum site rates (because of student evaluation forms from the last few years), so you try and match yourself up with a site that fits what you want. Speaking of matching, it does pretty well every year during the match process, always above the national average. I think last year was 87% (with the other 13% having options after match, but declining. Since I'm doing internship now, I've been picking the brains of some of the upper-level administration that I know, and I feel pretty comfortable going into this process).
As for the research.....I think as Psy.D's go, the research opportunities are above average because of also having a Ph.D. program here (which is
ranked 9th in the US on total average publications, but the larger faculty inflates that number, so take that with a grain of salt). IMHO they need more large grant work, in addition to the smaller research projects that go on. I've talked to some profs who have some nice grants proposals in the works, so hopefully they come to fruition.
One of my biggest complaints is the lack of easily available teaching positions with the undergrad or at another local uni/comm college. There are opportunities, but there isn't a formalized process to place people, and it is a PITA to find positions. There are plentiful TA positions, but they personally didn't really meet my need for wanting to teach teach, and not grade papers and teach on occasion.
Another complaint is obviously funding. It isn't cheap to live in S. FL, and they don't have enough funding for the students. Living down here was great (minus Wilma and a couple other hurricanes), but they need to do better. They said they are working on it, but that is a common complaint by most everyone. As I mentioned in my previous post, the money isn't as big of a problem for me because I have options outside of traditional psych jobs, but if you want to work in a community mental health center, or just work part time....I wouldn't recommend Nova.
