UF vs. Nova

[Bill Nye]

Alright, so I was accepted to both and am now trying to decide where to go. Anyone who attends either of these schools or is going to be attending in the fall your input is greatly appreciated. For UF, I'd be going to a distance site (st.pete) and for Nova I'd be attending the main campus in FtL. I'd have to move to go to either one so relocating is not a factor in my decision. UF is the clear choice for financial purposes, and it looks to have a stronger curriculum. However, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with the distance education site and the idea of watching lectures online. For Nova, I feel that I would have a more fulfilling education b/c I'd be attending class everyday and would have interaction with students from other health professions. However, Nova would cost me 10k more/year in tuition. Another thing is that I earned my undergrad degree from UF and I know that UF grads are looked pretty highly upon, so that's something else I'm considering.

I know the whole "school vs. school" thing has been beaten to death, but I would really value some input.

Thanks

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[ethyl]

I'm biased because I was accepted to UF's Orlando site. I had to choose between a school I absolutely loved up north and UF. In the end, the financial benefit of only paying 8-10k in tuition a year compared to 20k a year won me over. I'm a UCF'er too, so staying in Orlando should have been a no brainer for me.

My initial worry was the learning experience too. My other pharmacy school choice (Wingate) had brand spanking new facilities, whereas the Orlando distant site facility pictures couldn't compare. In the end, I think watching lectures online whenever we want will be equal or better (at least convenience wise) than being in Gainesville... I hope things will be great so long as we get in a good clique of dedicated people to work and study with.

 

[imperial frog]

The ability to view or review lectures whenever you want is a real benefit. As long as you don't let them slide and have a build up of more than a week you shouldn't have a problem with them. The interesting thing is that even at the Gainesville campus where you can attend lectures, it seems as if the majority of the students wind up watching them online because of the convienience.

 

[JackFruitLover]

Go to UF if you are going to save $10,000, you can't beat that deal.

 

[dgroulx]

Can you post Nova's board passing rate by year? UF has their's posted on their web site. Their rate dropped in 2005 (along with everyone else) when the NAPLEX changed. UF went from a 99%-100% pass rate every year to 95.97% pass rate for that year. The state pass rate in 2005 was 91.15% and the national pass rate was 92.86%. Since UF's rate was normally 100% until last year, how does Nova "always have a higher pass rate" than UF?

As for a distance site:
Yes, the lectures are on-line. You go to campus for all your interactive classes, lab sessions, etc. By year three, you are on campus every day. St. Pete has a dedicated pharmacy building, next to a UF dental building. It has built in video-conferencing. There are several active pharmacy organizations, a sports club and tons of social activities to enjoy. It looks and feels like a regular, but small, college campus. You can get football tickets and sit in the pharmacy block. I believe you will have all the social interaction you will need.

 

[Trancelucent1]

Can you post Nova's board passing rate by year? UF has their's posted on their web site. Their rate dropped in 2005 (along with everyone else) when the NAPLEX changed. UF went from a 99%-100% pass rate every year to 95.97% pass rate for that year. The state pass rate in 2005 was 91.15% and the national pass rate was 92.86%. Since UF's rate was normally 100% until last year, how does Nova "always have a higher pass rate" than UF?

As for a distance site:
Yes, the lectures are on-line. You go to campus for all your interactive classes, lab sessions, etc. By year three, you are on campus every day. St. Pete has a dedicated pharmacy building, next to a UF dental building. It has built in video-conferencing. There are several active pharmacy organizations, a sports club and tons of social activities to enjoy. It looks and feels like a regular, but small, college campus. You can get football tickets and sit in the pharmacy block. I believe you will have all the social interaction you will need.

I agree with what everyone has said about UF's distance education. I love being able to watch lectures in my pajamas! I was very apprehensive when I started and thought I'd try to switch campuses my second year. Well I'm still here and I absolutely love it. We have a quite social campus and there's always something to do (if you have the time). I also feel like there's a greater opportunity to be involved in clubs b/c we are a smaller campus and you have a bigger impact. I love it here! Also the distance campuses usually have higher test averages than in Gainesville. I think that's because you have to be more disciplined.

Also, I'm curious about Nova's stronger curriculum? Every preceptor that I have spoken with has preferred UF students over any other students from Florida schools. Apparently they feel like the UF students are more prepared. I personally have worked with 3 or 4 students from Nova and PBA during my practicum rotation. Some really knew their stuff but a few seemed to be lacking on very common drug ix and such. Everytime our preceptor would ask a question, I usually knew the answer. That's not at all putting down Nova or other FL schools, I just feel like UF might gear more towards the Clinical aspects of pharmacy. My roommate (who's also in Pharmacy school) has a friend at Nova who's finishing their second year. She said that when she talks to them it seems like they're not nearly as busy as we are and our tests seem more difficult. I'm not at all knocking Nova, this is just from my experience. I think it's laughable that someone says our pass rates are consistenly lower than Nova's when we were 100%. Both schools have always had pretty good pass rates. Good luck to you wherever you go. For me, it wasn't even an option as I only applied to and was only willing to go to UF.

 

[kellia]

I feel that it's a definite plus to have the lectures online. No matter what comes up, and things do, you will NEVER miss a class. Also, there's the benefit of being able to speed up the lectures- you can turn a 50minute class into 25 minutes. While I take notes, I mark down the times of the lectures so that I can easily review topics I need clarification on later. Another plus.

The down side is that sometimes it's hard to get help/answers from the professors in Gainesville. Email/phone calls can only take you so far. I'm the type of person that has to have person to person contact with my professors to clear up any discrepancies. I find that this aspect of the program is hurting me a little- but only a little. Overall, it is a very tough program. Affordable. Convenient. I feel lucky to be part of this program.

 

[Bill Nye]

Nova has always had a higher board passing rate than UF. I don't know where you got the idea that UF's curriculum is stronger.

I got this "idea" from the fact that UF has consistently had 100% pass rates on the NAPLEX and has also been higher than both the state and national averages. Also, I looked at the curricula for both schools and read course descriptions.

Anyway, the only thing I was uneasy about with UF was the online lectures...but ya'll seem to really enjoy being at the distance sites, which puts my mind at ease. UF it is.

Thanks

 

[JackFruitLover]

Sorry, I apologize. I heard from someone that UF's pharmacy's passing rate was in the low 90's. I found it hard to believe that UF's passing rate was lower than Nova's, but I thought it could be true because Nova requires P4 students to take a NAPLEX prep course. But obviously I was wrong and I sincerely regret saying that statement. Anyways according to NSU's college of pharmacy web site, Nova's NAPLEX passing rate was 100% for 2004.

 

[imperial frog]

I agree with what everyone has said about UF's distance education. I love being able to watch lectures in my pajamas!

I've got pictures...you don't wear pajamas.

 

[cdpiano27]

Both are great schools. But go to UF. They are more research based than NOVA and cheaper.

Even if you live in South Florida, and can commute to Nova, I would still move to Gainesville or a distant site because UF College of Pharmacy is simply a better school because of more resources.

 

[Trancelucent1]

I've got pictures...you don't wear pajamas.

LOL...I told you never to talk about that

 

[LBS615]

I went to UF undergrad...loved it, but I was also younger. I am now at Nova ..it's curriculum is very challenging...they do always have around a 100% NAPLEX passing rate..they do a lot of research. The money you pay is because of the beautiful facilities we have. The health professions division have their own building/campus- the classrooms are nice..we all have microphones at our seats so we can converse with the other sites. I did not want to go back to UF after being there for four years...the town is small and can get routine. There is so much to do in South Florida. I did not even apply to UF..and I know I could have gotten in..alum, 98 on the PCAT BS degree-3.5 w/honors, MS degree-3.3, worked in a hospital for 3 years. I wanted to go to Nova but I also wanted to remain in SoFla. The decision is up to you. No school is better than the other..and when you get a job it really does not matter too much where you went as long as you do well. Good Luck..you will enjoy either school, but..if money is an issue- go to UF.

 

[cdpiano27]

Well, if you live within commuting distance of the West Palm Beach or Davie campus and do not live within commuting distance of one of the UF campuses, they will be about even in cost, since you are not paying for living expenses at NOVA but you are at UF.

They are both great pharmacy schools. The only thing is that at UF they have the joint PHD program which Nova does not have yet, but one of the pharmaceutics professors told me that they were going to add a PhD program very soon. Is this correct?

Does anyone know of Nova adding a PhD program in pharmacy? This is NOT the PharmD but the research degree to go into teaching and research. Could anyone find out?

Also, I do not think that they have a joint PharmD / MBA program although there IS an MBA program at Nova. So I do not see why something could not be worked out since there is already an MBA program there that has been around for a while.

So I think that Nova should start the dual PharmD/PhD and PharmD/MBA programs quite soon. This would be really good for them and everyone else interested in research or business based careers.

And it is true, there is not much in Gainesville.

 

[JackFruitLover]

Well, if you live within commuting distance of the West Palm Beach or Davie campus and do not live within commuting distance of one of the UF campuses, they will be about even in cost, since you are not paying for living expenses at NOVA but you are at UF.

They are both great pharmacy schools. The only thing is that at UF they have the joint PHD program which Nova does not have yet, but one of the pharmaceutics professors told me that they were going to add a PhD program very soon. Is this correct?

Does anyone know of Nova adding a PhD program in pharmacy? This is NOT the PharmD but the research degree to go into teaching and research. Could anyone find out?

Also, I do not think that they have a joint PharmD / MBA program although there IS an MBA program at Nova. So I do not see why something could not be worked out since there is already an MBA program there that has been around for a while.

So I think that Nova should start the dual PharmD/PhD and PharmD/MBA programs quite soon. This would be really good for them and everyone else interested in research or business based careers.

And it is true, there is not much in Gainesville.

I talked to the dean of Nova's pharmacy school and he said they will definitely start a pharmD/phD soon. I'm not sure when they will start it though. There is a joint PharmD/MBA program at Nova.

 

[JackFruitLover]

Well, if you live within commuting distance of the West Palm Beach or Davie campus and do not live within commuting distance of one of the UF campuses, they will be about even in cost, since you are not paying for living expenses at NOVA but you are at UF.

They are both great pharmacy schools. The only thing is that at UF they have the joint PHD program which Nova does not have yet, but one of the pharmaceutics professors told me that they were going to add a PhD program very soon. Is this correct?

Does anyone know of Nova adding a PhD program in pharmacy? This is NOT the PharmD but the research degree to go into teaching and research. Could anyone find out?

Also, I do not think that they have a joint PharmD / MBA program although there IS an MBA program at Nova. So I do not see why something could not be worked out since there is already an MBA program there that has been around for a while.

So I think that Nova should start the dual PharmD/PhD and PharmD/MBA programs quite soon. This would be really good for them and everyone else interested in research or business based careers.

And it is true, there is not much in Gainesville.

I talked to the dean of Nova's pharmacy school and he said they will definitely start a pharmD/phD soon. I'm not sure when they will start it though. Currently, there is a joint PharmD/MBA program at Nova.

 

[voskoboy]

Well we have gotten off track from what this topic is really about...Bill Nye never said anything about joint programs, nor about the lifestyle in Gainesville. In fact, he must move to St.Petersburg if UF is the choice for distance education. As a general overview, UF is looked slightly higher than Nova, but in reality, you must do good on your own. You can be a waste of space and the fact that you graduate for UF or FAMU won't make a difference.
All in all, if you are comfortable with distance education, then save the money. If you want the whole experience with all other health professions, goto Nova. You'll get what you pay for. Remember, money isn't everything. You don't want to regret a decision for the rest of your life to save 40K in tuition that you'll have about many years to spread that over and repay.

 

[Bill Nye]

Ya, I've decided to go with UF. Like I said in my original post, I will earn my BS from UF this semester, so I have been in Gainesville for the past four years. I picked the St.Pete campus as my first choice on the application because I am tired of Gainesville and have friends/family in the Tampa area. The only thing I was worried about with UF was the online lectures, but after talking to some pharmacy administrators here on campus and reading posts from some other gators at the distance sites, I'm not concerned anymore. UF is the flagship university of the state and I look forward to continuing my education at UF.

 

[LBS615]

I would NEVER go to a site that does online or telecast courses- I hate it when I have a professor lecturing from a distance site..it is harder to concentrate...I like the live experience better. They have proven data at Nova that the students at Davie do better on exams than the distance sites (I have gotten this info from alum, as well as recently from a professor). But good luck..enjoy, and Go Gators.

 

[Trancelucent1]

Our distance sites at UF actually do better than the Gainesville campus. When you watch the lectures you can see that only 10 people show up maybe 20 on a good day, that's out of 130 students. That's interesting data from Nova but I can tell you it's different at UF. We've had professors tell us that the distance sites do better on exams. I think it's because it requires more discipline. Many of our classes include case studies and presentations so we definately interact on campus a lot. I've never felt like I'm missing out and I was the most skeptical about the program. I think it's a really hard program to explain to someone and no one really knows how it is until they experience it first hand.

 

[dgroulx]

Our distance sites at UF actually do better than the Gainesville campus. When you watch the lectures you can see that only 10 people show up maybe 20 on a good day, that's out of 130 students. That's interesting data from Nova but I can tell you it's different at UF. We've had professors tell us that the distance sites do better on exams. I think it's because it requires more discipline. Many of our classes include case studies and presentations so we definately interact on campus a lot. I've never felt like I'm missing out and I was the most skeptical about the program. I think it's a really hard program to explain to someone and no one really knows how it is until they experience it first hand.

I agree. The distance sites out perform the Gainesville campus consistantly. We score better on exams and have a higher percentage of students in Rho Chi.

We had a live lecture at St. Pete that was taped and then shown on-line to other classes. I didn't get any more out of that live lecture than a taped one, except that I couldn't play at 2x speed so I got fidgety. We did have a good turn out to watch it though.

Once you are in year 3, there aren't many lectures to watch online. It is mainly application of knowledge and you are on campus every day. For instance, when you are assigned a case with a transplant patient, your preceptor leading that discussion will be a local expert in transplant pharmacy. The distance campuses have strong ties to the pharmacy community in their area. These pharmacists are glad to share their knowledge.