Hi everyone: I am D1 student at NOVA, and this was my choice school ( I had 2 other acceptances) . I am happy here but be aware that we constantly study here and it is not the same as in undergrad, just memorizing material is not enough, there is a lot of deductive reasoning, analysing and concluding based on facts and how this knowledge applies in clinical setting. Yes, some people are shocked because of the amount we have to study and think but this is true for any dental school. And yes, some people are struggling (but maybe they are not studying enough or properly). Also some are complaining ( I think too much) that this is so much and quite often people stay in the library until 2am or 3am. Well, if your undergrad GPA was not high maybe you are not ready for a dental school and the amount of work needed here. I was prepared to study and work hard and now am able to get decent grades. But I think at the end I will have the required knowledge to pass the dental board exams. NOVA has this unique program where most of the theoretical subjects are in D1 and D2 so D3 and D4 concentrate on clinical work and that is what I like about this school. Get all the studying done in 2 years then practice to become a dentist in the last 2 years. I asked D4s and they all like this system..
Also the atmosphere here is very cooperative, everyone helps each other, people study in groups, share notes, we constantly post study material, etc.... If someone has a question, there are always others that are ready to post an answer. D2s help as well.
Linda Niessen, who is the dean, has an open door policy and if we have an issue we go to her and discuss it and present our point of view which is considered. dentalchik4lyf talks about a hostile environment here but I have not experienced it. I mean they will not "baby" you.
Last year I reached out to D4s from NYU, U Buffalo, A&M and they all said to me: "dental school is not easy, it is hard, you will have to study a lot, you will have no time for anything else" .
Also this schools invests in most recent technologies so we are learning on most modern dental equipment.
If NOVA is the only school you get accepted to then you should take it, however if you have more offers make a choice that suits you, talk to the current students, read the program schedule and be prepared to study a lot.
that is however only my point of view.
Good Luck to everyone.
First and foremost, I am a student at NSU CDM (
not a D1) and it is very sad that it has come to this to have to talk about my school in its current light. This SDN thread has exploded virally amongst us students in all classes and everyone has been on here to read about what we have all been experiencing. Now, I'm not going to say that cystinosis is falsifying what is going on, but what I will confirm is that what is going on is not in line with what that post claims. D1's have only been here for less than 2 months, they have no background information as to what led up to the current events and don't have the insight to understand everything at all levels.
I came to Nova for the environment that everyone knows it to be, friendly, collaborative and welcoming from the student to the faculty level. That environment is currently not how it was when I began, and mainly because of the administration. It is hostile, and that is not an exaggeration. The claims said before about the invasion of privacy, social media, etc, those are true. I cannot speak on behalf of the D1s because I am not in their class, but from what I've heard, they've had it rough, unnecessarily rough. The direction this school has been heading is not in a positive one. Students are unhappy, faculty are unhappy, and the events that have led up to today have been a talking point by people not even from Nova.
Addressing a few of the points cystinosis made. Dental school is in fact rigorous, and you do have to work hard and manage your time well. I agree entirely with that. However, I find it hard to believe that one can be "complaining too much" about consistent failing class averages. The point about "the atmosphere here is very cooperative, everyone helps each other, people study in groups, share notes, we constantly post study material, etc...." Don't make me laugh. If only you knew that this is exactly what got us in to the scandal we're currently in.
The poor direction this program is heading in is not entirely at fault of the
entire administration. Many faculty and administrators support the students and hear what needs to be said. However, the "open door policy" previously mentioned, cannot be further from the truth. If the students voices would have been heard, I wouldn't be here wasting my time on this post. Until major changes are made, it is sad to say that I doubt anything will change with the current environment. We have complained numerous times about the lack of faculty, about the lack of patients for the clinic, about the lack of access to our powerpoints and lecture recordings for so so long. Has anything changed you ask? The answer is no.
Students in all of the current classes have dropped or have been forcibly removed from leadership positions because of everything that has happened. No student governments, no class voice, and no way to communicate amongst each other without fear of being watched. "Private Facebook pages" and "group chats" are not allowed. Freedom of speech? Not in this private institution. I can go on all day but I'm probably getting near the word limit.
So as a pre-dent, you ask yourself about what kind of school you want to invest the education into that will carry you for the rest of your career. You need to be in a place that you will stay sane in, because 4 years is a long time, no matter where you go. Aside from the $450k hole you're digging yourself into. Be smart about your school choices, the questions you ask and the factors you consider. Do you think the faculty are going to say bad things about the school they work for? Absolutely not. Ask the students directly! I'm not saying don't come to Nova, I'm saying that if I was in your current position, and I had an offer elsewhere, I would take it. Unless things change, steer clear.
