The skinny on Nova.
I'm ABD from Nova. So of course I may not be representative of the typical
Nova student. But I don't think I'm atypical either. Unlike some Clinical
Psych programs, it "farms" students through. By this I am talking about
their overly large student body. I think that, for my academic year, there
was a class size of about 75 or so, meaning that there was an active student
population of around 600 or so. Since it's a Masters en route, program,
there is quite a bit of diversity among the students. We had
Bachelors-level students, who had NO idea about psychology beyond what they
picked up on college. We had Masters-level students who had varying amounts
of clinical experience. We had MSWs, etc. You get the idea. The problem
with that is that it makes faculty mentorship virtually impossible for the
staff. I found that, students easily "fell through the cracks." Especially
those who had the least amount of preparation. Which would be expected when
accepting BA/BS-level students. You can imagine the stress on the faculty,
which of course affected the students. I also found that SOME faculty
advisors resented being consulted for anything.
On the other hand, I think they do a good job of managing the large student
body when providing for the students' academic needs. The classes were,
overall, very good. The clinical training, though is a matter of luck.
Although the Broward and Miami Dade areas are very big, with a number of
potentially appropriate settings, having to place around 200-300 students in
effective clinical environments can be disastrous for some students. I also
found that, out of four total practicum placements that I had (I chose an
extra one beyond the required 3), one placement was absolutely excellent (in
terms of supervision and opportunity). Unfortunately, that faculty member
in charge of that program has moved on. However, for the other placements,
I received and/or witnessed supervision that ranged from sarcastic and
insulting to disinterested. Basically, I felt that we were really "on our
own" quite a bit in terms of supervision and support.
I don't think you'll get accurate stats from Nova in terms of program
completion. But, after all is said. It was a basically good, albeit
overcrowded, program. Also, I think that it is easier to be accepted into
Nova. I also feel that, even though it is "double" the work. People with a
Masters would tend to do better (i.e., finish) because they may have a clear
sense of their goal in Psych. Nova Reps. May deny this but, as a former
student, my personal opinion is that the Program is still geared to those
with a more extensive background in the discipline.
Of course, this may have improved in the past few years.
The value of my input? Am I biased/bitter? I hope not. I don't blame Nova
at all. I hope I have been accurate and as fair as possible. I would
probably have chosen to finish if the Hurricane (Andrew) hadn't radically
affected my personal life. I'm ABD for about 5 years - Overtime. Oh well, I
am still involved in the discipline. I work in the I/O Psych. environment
(workplace violence training), I adjunct teach a number of psych. Courses
at the local community colleges. In addition, I teach "College
Success/Freshman Experience" courses, I hope that I can help students make
more informed grad. School choices than I did. And I'm eventually going to
finish the Ph.D but without a clinical emphasis.
Haydee Gelpi
DHHS/FOH Florida Satellite
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Sylvester [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 12:31 PM
To: TIPS
Subject: Nova Southeastern U.
What's the skinny on Nova U?
Would you recommend to students?
I also have questions about Webster U.
Michael Sylvester,PhD
Daytona Beach,Florida
