UF or NCF?

<p>No, the transportation wasn’t a huge factor. It mostly comes down to having her major. Yes, New College could probably put together something along the lines of an agricultural major, but UF is the 6th best agriculture school in the country, so it’s hard to say no to that. Unfortunately, with the exception of Cornell, all the top agriculture schools are large state universities. It’s tough because, yes, New College is more suited to her personality. Had she not gotten into UF, New College would have been her first choice.</p>

<p>NCF honestly seems like the place for her. It’s a very challenging, but rewarding type of school. I don’t know a single college/Uni that won’t accommodate those w ADD or any learning disablity. I’m pretty sure they all have testing centers and then go from there.</p>

<p>UF is a very large University, but I don’t see her enjoying it there. I go to FSU and I may seem UF bashing, but even if FSU was on her list I’d say take it off her list because they are much larger schools. It’s easy to get lost, and get frustrated w your peers.
UF is a very good school though, and at any large place you can always find your own group but it’ll take a lot of work on her part.
It would be less crazy trying to connect w kids at NCF as they all are a bit off beat but friendly. I also feel NCF kids seem more eager to expand their minds, but at the same time they do have fun. So it’s not all work and no play. The one thing I hear a lot about NCF is that it is a very small school so people get in on everyones business, so it may at times be High School-y, but then again there are professional businesses and corporations that have that same issue so it’s not like you can run away from all that.
There is not a focus on grades which may be a plus for her bc they look at quality of work and not just handing out subjective grades. If she plans on grad school then NCF is the place to be because they will prepare you for grad school and she’ll be 10 steps ahead by just attending a school like NCF.
NCF is a VERY tough school though. Many drop out after the first or second year. So it’s definitely something to think about especially if stress and anxiety management is a problem.</p>

<p>Sadly, she wants to go to UF. I think NCF is a good fit for her, and I have two friends whose kids go there and love it. One is graduating and just got a great grad assistant-ship at FIU. She just doesn’t seem to be able to get over the idea that UF was the highest ranked college that accepted her (Actually, UM was, but for the price difference, we will ignore that fact). People at school are congratulating her on getting to UF like it’s Harvard. And yes, she wants ag. I told her she should write a nice letter to the admissions person with whom we met, so that if UF turns out to be a huge disaster (which it might be), she will still have a foot in the door to transfer.</p>

<p>Hi Alex23 - I was wondering where your D would end up, congrats on UF as it is such a competitive admit and I am sure she will do really well there. I have yet to meet a UF student or alum who didn’t love their time there. Probably most important is that she is going where she wants to be, I’m sure that will contribute to their success. </p>

<p>My D ended up choosing NCF over pursuing her waitlists and the schools she was admitted to up north. I am really proud of her as she made a really prudent decision of valuing cost, value and learning over her long held belief that she belongs up north (and made that choice all on her own).</p>

<p>Best of luck to you and your daughter in the fall, this is my oldest and I have to tell you I felt some real emotional pangs when booking hotel rooms for move in day :(.</p>

<p>congrats to orange and alex’s d’s! Both schools are excellent and will provide wonderful college experiences. my d is graduating NCF in exactly a month, hard to believe how fast it goes. It’s nice to have a decision and start to move forward with their plans…</p>

<p>Thanks. Strangely, Orangecontrol, my daughter also always wanted to go to school up north, in New York and also considered Ithaca and Skidmore. (We vacation in the Adirondacks every year, and she loves it). She made the decision to stay instate because none of the SUNYs (which are actually fairly reasonable for OOS) had agriculture except for one SUNY in Cobleskill (right near where we vacation) which is specifically ONLY agriculture. I felt uncomfortable, and she agreed, with her going to a school that focuses ONLY on ag, in case she changed her mind. In other ways, that school would be great for her because it is very tiny, similar to NCF. If she is still as serious about ag in a year or two, I would consider having her apply to transfer.</p>

<p>Good luck to your daughter! This daugher is my older too, and I’m already thinking it was stupid not to have more kids. Can’t believe I’m four years from an empty nest!</p>

<p>@Alex23
NCF has a great reputation and many graduates go onto to get excellent jobs or get accepted to great Graduate schools that fit their field of study. NCF is way tougher than UF, FSU, USF, UCF…and I think every Uni in the state of FL if I’m not mistaken. It’s quite a demanding school, I mean it’s not Ivy League or anything, but it is very respectable and I find it way more impressive she got into NCF than UF or any other state school in FL tbh. I think it’s a shame that she is assuming UF would be better bc of its rank. Ranks are total BS to be honest, only UF students seem to focus on it so much. Each Uni is different and students should focus on what will suit their personal academic needs and will help them in the future, not on ranks.
NCF was a school I really wanted to go to, but it’s an honors college that requires so much and I know my work ethic is not up to par, so I passed on applying and opted for another state school.
Well good luck to your daughter, she seems like a smart young lady and I know she will excel at UF.</p>

<p>I don’t say this to bump this thread, but it was really helpful to me as a parent of a D considering NCF. It was very helpful to learn of its politics, grading, toughness, isolation, and sense of community. I hope you, your children, and the students and alums who responded are all doing very well wherever you are now.</p>

<p>It seems hard to find an informative thread about New College. We visited, and are still very undecided about what to think of it. It does seem like it would be easy to start feeling isolated there, and we wondered if perhaps the student body is a bit too ‘hippy’. Of course we only saw a about 10 students total while there, and what we feel we saw, doesn’t quite mesh with what we keep hearing. </p>

<p>We’re in a similar position. There is an awful lot to like at NCF, and my kid has a similar concern with “fit.” Before visiting we thought “I’ll bet the “everybody goes barefoot” comment is way overblown.” But it wasn’t that far fetched. Based on our visit over several days, our impression is that it is a pretty alternative place. Granted, we didn’t see a lot of students, even though we did some classroom visits too. </p>

<p>From our standpoint, being a few miles from downtown Sarasota is a slight disadvantage. You can’t just walk off campus and have many choices for cheap meals, coffee shops, or cinema. You have to jump on a bus (not hard, except maybe at night), or have a scooter or car. And the dining options on campus are pretty limited, so I can see wanting to get some cheap/different food nearby. But Sarasota is a great town, very beautiful, with lots of things to do once you get there.</p>

<p>Its a weird thing. If you go to the “Admitted Students” Dog and Pony Show–we didn’t at NCF–you might get a sense about who else might be in next year’s class, and whether the “alternative” vibe is really accurate (or likely to change a little with next year’s class). If you don’t, your impression is formed based on the 40-50 students you saw on campus during your visit. We walked in to the Ham Center (Student Union Building) as part of our 2:00 tour, and saw–maybe–ten to fifteen students. I was sort of shocked, and this registered with my kid. Next day we went into the Fitness center, which I thought very adequate for the size of NCF (Olympic size outdoor pool, racketball courts, weight room, room for treadmills and stair masters, etc…), and it had about seven-eight people in there working out. </p>

<p>I think one of the keys is to try to connect with some current students after your visit, and to question them about what you saw during your visit and how it compares to reality. NCF was very good about putting us in touch with some current and former students to answer our questions.</p>

<p>NCF strikes me as a place where the students are pretty friendly, pretty smart, very independent, and take their work seriously. I do think there is a lot of work, and that the Profs hold the students very accountable for that work. So it wouldn’t surprise me if part of the reason I don’t see a lot of students is because it was during their “work hours.” </p>

<p>We’re still visiting the other schools where my kid was admitted, so her mind isn’t yet made up. As a graduate of a large State Flagship University, I admit being utterly fascinated with what NCF has to offer in terms of an undergraduate education. </p>

<p>It’s looking increasingly likely that my son will go to NCF next year. It is his most affordable option, and he didn’t love some of the more selective, prestigious schools he got into (e.g. Tulane, et al) so much that he thinks they’d be worth paying more than twice as much to attend - especially when he has his eyes on law school down the road. I feared that NCF might be a little too “alternative” and “hipster” for him, but he was sufficiently impressed with what he heard and saw at the accepted students’ event to dispel those concerns. He just traveled solo to Oregon to attend an event at Willamette, where he also received a scholarship, but decided he’d prefer NCF. Pitzer would be his top choice, now, but they offered no aid, and NCF’s offer is just too good. He can afford a car, save for graduate school, and consider internships and overseas study if he goes to NCF; he will blow through all his savings (and a lot of ours), and will have to earn money during every available moment, at Pitzer. He does not fit the prevailing stereotype of NCF students: he is extremely practical. He likes the self-governing philosophy, which both Pitzer and NCF practice. He will benefit from the opportunity to build close personal relationships with professors and advisors. I don’t mind having an excuse to visit the Gulf Coast, either.</p>

<p>@deeppocket1, When we visited we experienced the same thing in that we didn’t see many students out and about…mid afternoon. The dining hall is only open specific hours, and was closed while we were there. A sandwich shop and the student run cafe were both open., but there were only a handful of student sitting in the dining hall.<br>
We stopped in at the student run cafe, and it, and the students there, seemed very ‘alternative’, but we saw a few students in passing that seemed more mainstream, and our tour guide seemed quirky, but not particularly alternative.
We felt that the buildings and campus just didn’t seem well maintained. It felt dirty, and the beige/cement color of the buildings does nothing to help the sort of dingy feeling. It was a beautiful day when we were there, so it wasn’t that. We had, however, just visited Eckerd college (private college), nearby, and it seemed so bright and cheerful, that the NCF campus paled in comparison. They emphasized that the campus is student led, and I wondered if it might be a bit too student led, as far as cleaning and maint. Did you see the room where they said they have club meetings? It looked like a 70s frat living room, stuffing coming out of the couch, etc. If we go back and find it looking much cleaner, it will probably bump toward the top of D’s list.
Touring the dorms, our tour guide talked about the WALLS (all night parties that take place every Friday and Sat night). She said they set up speakers in one of the outdoor areas next to the dorms, and a student volunteer stays up until 5 am to supervise? Not sure how that works. She said there are “wallternatives”…alternatives to the party…like hanging out playing games, watching movies.
I don’t remember hearing that there was a bus easily available to Sarasota. Did you see it? </p>