School Spotlight: New College of Florida

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school! School Spotlight: New College of Florida Sarasota, FL You’re a passionate intellectual who happens to think a little outside of the box. You crave a liberal arts college with lots of hands-on attention, and a creative (not cutthroat) approach to learning. You want to chart your own academic path, not have one handed to you. If any of these sentences resonate with you, consider the New College of Florida. As one of the 44 “Colleges That Change Lives,” NCF is Florida’s public honors college, attracting strong students from around the world. 80 percent of the College’s 830 students are Florida residents, but the mid-Atlantic and other southern states are well-represented, too. So what makes NCF so unique? Pretty much everything! At the start of each semester, all students sign contracts stating which academic activities (courses, internships, independent projects, etc.) they will pursue that term, helping students plan their long- and short-term goals. Written narratives replace traditional letter grades here, and all students complete a senior thesis prior to graduation. Among the nearly 40 areas of concentrations available at NCF, you’ll find several options that are rare among liberal arts colleges, including applied mathematics, biopsychology, marine biology, and public policy. Fun fact: the beautiful shores of Lido Beach are located a quick 15-minute drive from campus!  Image Credit: Top, Courtesy of New College of Florida