Northern Virginia Community College

Date: Apr 20 2009
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
As I high-school senior, I enrolled in two American history courses at NOVA over the school year. I therefore have limited experience with the academics of NOVA. The courses I took were essentially just high-school classes, maybe even simplified a little bit. My professor, Dr. Alford, is an amazing teacher in addition to being a stand-up comic. While Dr. Alford does a great job teaching his material, he obviously has to tailor his classes to the school demographic. If you are attending NOVA only to save money or because you are a high-achieving international student, you should consider the honors option.

The Annandale campus is ugly to an extreme. It reminds me of an industrial park. The buildings are bare and old, with cinder-block architecture being a common interior accent. At the same time, perhaps the college funnels its resources into the academic programs.

People generally just show up to class and leave or hang out with their friends. There isn't really a very friendly or open social atmosphere here. The college does have a few clubs, which I have not looked into. Things may be better if you join a club or sport. A significant portion of the students smoke all across the campus.

The library is kind of confusing, with some numbers seeming to just suddenly vanish from the rows of shelves. The college does not do a good job maintaining its facilities. All of the public computers on campus are obsolete or plagued with probems. The computers in the computer lab take 10 minutes to start up. The scanners make a horrible screeching sound as they move across the glass plate, which makes you feel kind of awkward in a room full of people. Many of the computers break down and are never fixed. In the mad scramble for spots at a computer station after class, you need to learn which ones work and which ones do not. I would guess that maybe 1 out of every 10 computers on campus is broken, and has been broken for the whole year. Furthermore, these computers are never removed or identified as being broken, so the system is very confusing.

In most of the guy's bathrooms,the doors to the stalls are installed backwards. This means that the only way you can use the stall is to squeeze in between the wall and the toilet and swing the door shut. The only positive aspect of this is that these stalls are not used as often, so they tend to be cleaner if you are willing to squeeze in there.

Bottom line: From my experience, NOVA provides high-school level classes with few opportunities for students. If you have to attend this school to save money, try the honors option to make the best of it. If you are an international student, this college may meet your needs. NOVA is cheap, which is a bonus since not all American universities offer financial aid to international students. If English is your second language, NOVA can provide an easier setting to adapt to learning in American English. If you have to attend NOVA because of grades, you can make the best of it and transfer eventually. I would not recommend attending here in order to save money if you have the financial means and grades to attend somewhere else.