Unique College Options Everywhere I Go

Much has been said about finding the perfect college, but what we really should focus on is finding the perfect college fit for each student individually.  That’s because no one college is the best fit for all students.  One student might want a small college with a photography darkroom and another student might want a local university with a stellar business school that they can commute to.  As an Educational Consultant, I visit many colleges and universities to learn more about their programs, offerings, and campuses so that I can share the information with my clients. Everywhere I go, I learn about interesting and unique programs that provide students with many choices! While I don’t have time to write about every college I visit, I want to take this opportunity to highlight a few more things my Florida travels have brought to light.

University of North Florida in Jacksonville - One of the prospective students on my tour was considering the American Sign Language/Interpreting Program, so we learned a lot about UNF’s top-notch offering in this area, including a living-learning community, an ASL lab, and degree options with majors, minors, and a masters level program.  UNF also has merit scholarships, including some designed to bring down tuition costs for out-of-state students. Their Honors College has a living-learning residence, yearly retreat, and their own honors core curriculum. Finally, the rains came and went on our tour and it reminded me that Florida often has a little rain and a lot of sunshine daily… and even on this campus, everyone should watch out for alligators!

Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale - I visited the main campus of this private university but they also have nine regional campuses - extended across FL, in Denver, CO, and Puerto Rico.  NSU offers flexible class formats (including evening, weekend, and online classes) to make it easier for students to complete their degree in the way that works best for them. With over 250 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs, I did notice the NSU health focus - optometry, dental medicine, pharmacy, osteopathic medicine, healthcare sciences, nursing, and allopathic medicine. Because of this I wasn’t surprised to find unique options like anesthesiologist assistant, audiologist, diagnostic medical sonographer and ultrasound technician.  I also loved learning about their ten-acre Oceanographic Campus with a state-of-the-art, 86,000-square-foot research facility and the Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research for students studying marine biology (BS), marine science (MS) and oceanography/marine biology (PhD); through research focusing on saving sea turtles, the impact of shark health on the ocean, and research in coral nursery.

Atlantis University in Miami - This small private for-profit university calls itself the “home of the non-conformists” and targets students who are freethinkers.  They have a career-minded approach, offering many job fairs and assistance with interview prep, creating a resume, researching companies, and networking with local employers.  A little over a year ago they started the Atlanteans Podcast and use the AU studio as a tool to enhance the student learning experience - giving students the opportunity to apply skills in journalism, marketing, sales, and more, while creating podcasts, sharing ideas, debating, and interviewing others. AU has both a residential campus and an online campus (via website, virtual campus, and social media), and offers instruction in both English and Spanish languages.

There are many colleges and universities available to students, depending on their interests and career goals.  Confident College Planning helps families uncover a variety of new options they may not have heard of and guides students all throughout the application process.  Contact me at nancy@confidentcollegeplanning.com for assistance – I would love to help you on your college planning journey!