<p>In response to the concern SebmaFSX put up, I really don't think that your preference in the hard sciences is going to hurt you at all in New College. NCF happens to be exceptional in the social sciences, so if you concentrate in economics in conjunction with the hard sciences (they offer interdepartmental majors here), your focus on hard science will be a major asset to the college as well as your application for the grad school where it stands out amongst the many fine students who've made it through the NCF curriculum. I contemplate to apply as a transfer student myself (physics and psychology major most likely). A bit unsettling about the low retention rate though... the students there seem so incredibly friendly and yet intense about intellectual/political issues!</p>
<p>"Just because Stanford has a huge Hispanic population doesn't mean you should expect flamenco dancers or even a lot of fluent Spanish speakers"</p>
<p>As a second generation US raised Hispanic--you are so right. I do like a good plate of rice and beans though--preferably Cajun style.</p>
<p>I think the substellar retention rate is due to the thesis you're gunna have 2 write</p>
<p>I know the thesis overwhelms many students.. but that's the final year of the college experience. That doesn't explain say.. 20% of all first-years not returning a second year. Besides, it's kinda crazy to drop out during Thesis year... I mean transferring academic contracts into conventional credits sounds tricky if not generative of total skeptism and almost all colleges would have an academic residency requirement making you stay atleast another 2 years! All that tuition money.. (especially for the out-of-staters)</p>
<p>NCF is a gem if you find it; even most of Florida residents have not heard of it/don't consider it. But apparently, graduate schools like it, if you dedicate yourself. There are no grades, only written evaluations, but I've talked to some people who currently attend, and they like that kind of thing. It's mad liberal, though, meaning not so much politically (even though it is that too), but socially, like UC-Berkley's past reputation. If you're that type of person, go for it.</p>
<p>Mad liberal? I visit the school often and while most people are left-leaning not everyone is extreme and I don't think that a right-leaning person would feel too out-of-place there. There are also a lot of libertarians, in fact that is probaby the majority.</p>
<p>Well If your not gunna have any exams I imagine that the workload must be colossal...I've heard from people who attended that a LOT of people transfer when the thesis approches not nessesarily the last year...Also as someone else mentioned this does not attract the traditional student i imagine many people feel lost...personally I don't think that should be a factor when applying to college...less social life, less distraction more time for whats really important...well thats just my take...It must be a good university to make the feeder list (#30)</p>
<p>I think someone already said this but, the New College workload prepares you to write a thesis by senior year. My brother had to write a 30 page essay at the end of his first year in an introductory course. I doubt that there are many good students there who cannot handle the thesis when it comes along and must transfer because of it.</p>
<p>What did your brother study and where did he go 2 grad school?</p>
<p>My brother is currently a sophmore studying math and philosophy. He plans to go to law school.</p>
<p>EDIT: actually they don't call them "sophmores" there, they call them "second years"</p>
<p>Just a point of clarification, New College has exams, labs, papers, etc as all colleges do. The final summative evaluation, however, is done as a narrative. The professors use the exams, labs, paper evaluations (reported numerically or narratively as appropriate) to write these final narratives. The New College viewbook has some good examples of narrative evaluations. Much richer than receiving a letter grade - can identify talents even if the test scores may be average but also can identify "needs to improve" areas for the A student. Students also fail if they do not fulfill the course objectives. The most useful formative as well as summative evaluations are those that help students develop their own reflective thinking skills and become honest self-evaluators and skillful goal-setters.</p>
<p>Whoa Davida87!!!</p>
<p>You jumped from A to Z with your response to the earlier statement about diversity. What I took from the earlier statement was the opinion that the writer wanted to be exposed to folks who may have different qualities to offer a classmate. Why do some folks just overreact to discussions of the intrinsic interest many people have in meeting folks who are different from themselves?</p>
<p>And what I'm saying is that the amount of difference found in an americanized hispanic person and another white person is the same amount of difference found between the same white person and another white person so that strictly <em>racial</em> diversity should not be a deciding factor when looking at colleges.</p>
<p>Well for many it is, I think on USNEWS they say if they considers minority status or not...</p>