<p>I don't know if there are any NCF alum on here, but I have a quick question. It seems to be that there are mixed feelings ont he prestige of NCF. Some people hold it highly while others have told me its a total BS school...</p>
<p>Do you have any thoughts or comments on this? I have visited and was extremely impressed with the school. Does this "reputation" come from the past?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your responses! :)</p>
<p>Parent here-I’ve never heard anyone refer to NCF as a BS school, but since it’s a small school, you will find there are people who have never heard of it. Among academia, NCF is highly regarded and many grads are able to gain admittance to elite post grad programs. NCF has the largest number of Fullbright Scholars per capita and ranks highly on many of the college ratings. So, if it’s academic prestige you seek, NCF has it. If you’re going for name recognition among the masses, try UF or an Ivy.</p>
<p>Maybe dissonate is being influenced by a dunce populist radio talk show host’s recently-published book which lists NCF as the Number Two most dangerous liberal-leaning schools in the country.</p>
<p>If you read the radio talker’s one-paragraph rationale for his rating, you see his critique of NCF consists solely of an objection to NCF’s narrative evaluation system. Importantly, his critique is a wholly uninformed caricature of NCF’s actual narrative evaluation system.</p>
<p>In addition to this guy’s clear lack of understanding of how NCF’s evaluative system works, the radio talker guy is either totally ignorant of or intentionally fails to disclose that NCF’s academic program is wholly and intensionally unique; specifically, such pertinent facts as that NCF requires a senior thesis, a senior baccalaureate exam, and three independent study projects in order to graduate.</p>
<p>With all due respect that one radio talking head, who would NCF graduates prefer to impress: those who aspire to the gravitas of the local McDonald’s manager or those who make professional and graduate school admissions decisions?</p>
<p>Sorry if I hit a sour nerve. I have NO idea what radio host you are talking about. I have mainly been speaking to parents with college age students in Florida… I guess one or two of them knows a lazy kid who is at NCF.</p>
<p>Could you go there and graduate without doing much of anything?</p>
<p>I don’t know how it’s possible to go there and graduate without doing much of anything. First of all, in order to graduate, you must complete a senior thesis and defend it verbally against a committee of professors and peers. This is not some short paper and a token appearance before a group of friends…the thesis is a year-long, intensively researched book (I don’t think there are any shorter than 150 pages, except for some that include original art). The thesis student must then defend their work to their professors and peers. I have heard of students not graduating due to not successfully making it through this process.</p>
<p>There are, however, every year students who decide to go to New College because they think it will be easy without grades and are there to party. Those students rarely make it past the first year, let alone the first semester. To “SAT” your contract at NCF each semester, you must not only pass your classes, but must also convince your adviser that you are working hard to meet your personal goals. I’m sure that there are some advisers who are easier than others and some classes that are not too difficult to pass, but there’s no way you could spend 4 years, or even 1 for that matter, without having to put some effort into your studies. Maybe the “lazy kids” just give the impression of being lazy, but really do the work when they have to.</p>
<p>The radio host Senior’s Dad is referring to is Glenn Beck. He named NCF as one of the country’s most dangerous colleges or something like that because they don’t give letter grades…pure ignorance on Beck’s part saying that with knowing nothing about how difficult the academics are there nor the accomplishments of NCF’s grads.</p>