Yes. You are correct. This is where we are at this point. I am concerned that BS program at Nova is weak and it sounds that DO program has some issues.
But to play devilās advocate - what if thatās her only chance at med school? They are clearly placing doctors.
Not saying itās the right choice but it certainly creates a path. I hope you are able to get there as well for a visit.
One thing someone can answer for me so I can learn - itās a private school so why would there be a different in-state tuition ?
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Thatās the wrong school. Thatās the allopathic (MD) school.
Hereās osteopathic (DO) med school
https://osteopathic.nova.edu/admissions/tuition-fees.html
Nova Southeastern is one 2 universities that host both a MD and DO med school. (Rowan in NJ is the other.)
And the answer to cost differential between in-state and OOS residents is that the Florida state government provides state funding to Nova that helps defray the cost of educating Florida residents.
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For people who asked, the percentage residency match at NSU:
Residency Match Rate- Osteopathic Medical Schools. It is OK, 97.4% (average for 4 years).
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I guess Iād ask where is the concern? It shows for 2022 214 of 214. Interesting Iād not heard of many of the other schools. Learning a lot on this thread.
Residency Match Data and COMLEX Level 3 Board Scores | NSU COM (nova.edu)
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The reason why I asked if she likes Nova for undergrad is because I think I saw that she can apply to other medical schools while still maintaining her DO spot. Is that correct? If she is accepted elsewhere then she would be at Nova for 4 years.
Of course she has to like the school, and she really has to like it enough to stay for 8 years in case it is her only acceptance.
What do you mean that Nova is weak for the BS? Their DO students seem to be doing OK. Is there any data on non DO students getting into medical school, or BS/DO students who also applied elsewhere?
There are many students who take the MCAT onceā¦and donāt feel the results are high enough. They do take the time to study again and retakeā¦and then apply to medical school. Taking a gap year isnāt that worst thing in the world. Students can gain valuable hands on patient experience during that time, significant shadowing, and volunteer work. Many do things like get EMT, MA or CNA certifications so they can work during this gap year as well.
The average age for starting medical school is mid twenties, so clearly a good number of people do not start right after undergrad.
If your daughter likes Nova, then go for it. If she doesnāt make the MCAT cut off to stay there, then taking that year to really beef up her application and retake the MCAT could be just fine.
She doesnāt need to give up being a doctor!
ETAā¦regarding costsā¦Iām not sure they are going to be less anywhere else.
You do have a choice about undergrad school. Regarding medical schoolā¦if you choose Nova, you are probably all set. If not, really, you donāt get a choice about medical schoolsā¦you go,where you are accepted. And you really donāt get a choice about where you do your residencyā¦the student does a rank order listā¦and the choice is made by an algorithm. We know kids who got their 4,5,6ā¦or last choices on their rank order lists. But they matched and thatās what mattered. Some had to relocate to places that were not anywhere near where they had ever lived before.
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For those that want to pursue medicine, Clemson also has a 3/4 year program. It would be 3 years at Clemson and 4years at Medical University of South Carolina.
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I think NOVA DO program is fine. Its stats not stella but reasonable. (NSU DO is on some black lists online that recommend to avoid it if possible. ) DD can apply out. However, that may be difficult if rigor of NSU is not enough. I understand that all students need to study and MCAT is very difficult long test. I do not understand why students from other schools with high GPA can do well on MCAT and NSU has a lot of students who fail to get required 502 to stay with BS/DO. (Strangely enough NSU is quite open about it.) I do not believe that is due to level of students initially. All applicants who were at interviews were smart top student. That leads me to believe that something is wrong with the program.
I would argue that the student base at an Nova Southeastern is lower than other schools - but not bad.
But itās less about rigor and more about - kids that get into top schools for undergrad (i.e. high grades and especially test scores) are by and large the same kids who will get better test scores for grad school - whether they go to Nova, U of Miami, UMD, or Harvard.
This is why when you look at Harvard Law and Medicine, you find hundreds of colleges represented, including many you wouldnāt deem of high quality.
So if your student is a top student with a top SAT/ACT, theyāre likely going to do better than the student who is there with the 22 ACT or no ACT, etc when it comes time to grad school admission.
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If I remember correctly, the OPās daughter has not taken the SAT or ACT. So unfortunately, no real-life metric for standardized testing ability. But as a strong student, hopefully she will do well on the MCAT when that time comes.
I knew she was TO - but didnāt know if that was due to a lower score than desired or simply not taking the test.
For grad school predictability alone, I think all students should take testsā¦so they know better for next time. I did way better on the GMAT than SAT - but learned you could study whereas I didnāt know before.
Today many grad schools - even top b schools like UNC - are waiving the test. So thereās that too 
I guess not med school though.
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Congratulations on your Daughterās multiple acceptances and scholarships. This is a long thread, but I think I remember that your Daughter attends a large public high school. I know all kids are different. However, just from our own experience with our S20 at a relatively large LAC, 3000-plus students on a non-walkable suburban campus, it started feeling small for him. This was one of the main reasons he ended up transferring to a bigger school.
We also know two students from big public high schools at both Juniata and Muhlenberg who had great experiences, but by Junior year, the schools started feeling small to them. I donāt know anything about Rhodes, but maybe because it is more urban that there is a lot more beyond the campus. Our veteran college counselor said that our son would be happy he chose the LAC as a freshman from a comfort level. Still, by the second semester of his sophomore year, he probably would be happier at the much larger urban school that was his second choice, and she was right.
Sorry. It is incorrect statement.
She applied TO to most schools due to deadlines but there is no way to apply to DOs programs without SAT. She has not top but OK SAT. Due to many circumstances outside of her control (COVID, sickness on exam dates that did not allow early testing and accidental death in immediate family in fall) she could not do better.
Her one seating SAT is 1390 and combined 1430(with Math 750). So she arrived exactly where I predicted around 1400.
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You are probably correct. That is why she wanted 5-6k school. There were very few that fit our search requirements.
However, she also does not want 400 student Chem classes like at UMD. There is no perfect world. She also understands that she has bigger chance to go to med school through smaller college due to enormous competition at big schools. Since at this point medical school is the goal for her (not for me), she is fine with LACs.
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She was not applying test optional to Nova (score was submitted for DO program)or Cincinnati. Also H&W Smith had unofficial score and Muhlenberg. We planned to send score to Juniata but never did.
I believe all the rest were TO.
Iām sure you mean āfail to do as wellā. The MCAT is not a test you pass or fail. You get a score which correlates with a %ile ranking. But you donāt āfailā the MCAT. You might not do as well as you need to do for a better shot at medical schoolā¦but itās not pass/fail.
However, many other tests medical school students take ARE pass failā¦like the Step tests, and their board exams.
@WayOutWestMom am I correct?
I meant fail to get required 502 to stay with BS/DO at Nova. I have corrected above post for clarity.
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This isnāt correct. Once admitted, hardly anyone is weeded out of medical school. There was only one in my medical school class of 100+, and he had been admitted due to āconnectionsā; he never would have been admitted on his own.
Itās true that there are a few who do not initially match, but typically that is due to choosing a competitive specialty when they donāt have the stats, or when they arenāt willing to consider a program outside their preferred geographic region. Just like for high school students, medical students need a āsafetyā when it comes to residency.