By Madison Watts, 10th grader at Greenwich Academy, and Dionte Green Younger, 10th grader at Brien McMahon High School
We had the pleasure of visiting the welcoming Norfolk State University (NSU) campus, home to 13 NCAA Division 1 sports titles. NSU is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) located in Norfolk, VA.
Our group is participating in Carver’s 50th Annual Spring College Tour. This was our final school to visit on the five-day tour which was cut short from the traditional ten days due to the pandemic, i.e., the other prospective schools for this year’s tour were not accepting group tour requests.
We were enthusiastically greeted by our tour guides, one of whom was Dejanah Lorthe, a Carver college student who is a junior at NSU majoring in Pre-Medicine. We were eager to get her perspective and hear first-hand how she navigated her way from Norwalk schools to the college classroom. Petite in stature, you could at a glance mistake Dejanah for still being a high schooler. We enjoyed Dejanah’s message about perseverance and creating a plan that supports your goals. She was already a certified EMT while in high school.
Dejanah is the recipient of the Athena Scholarship awarded by Carver. This is a $10,000 per year scholarship for four consecutive years. She explained that her dream school was originally Howard University which was influenced by a Carver college tour visit years ago. However, the financial aid package was not ideal. She wanted to avoid graduating from college with high loan debt. Carver's staff was influential in helping her consider Norfolk State University. The Athena Scholarship, NSU’s strong pre-med program, and total school costs made NSU the best choice. Dejanah will be taking the Medical College Admission Test (M-CAT) soon and we’re sure that she will nail it!
The NSU campus sits on 134 acres and has 31 buildings with plans for more expansion. There are 5,400 students enrolled and a 16-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is 17 students. The tuition for an in-state student is $21,000 and $33,000 for an out-of-state student. NSU is committed to the success of its students; 93% of the student body receives financial aid.
Currently, admission to NSU requires your school transcript and the SAT and/or ACT is optional. The application deadline is February 1st. The average grade point average for admission is a 3.0. The current acceptance rate of 91% ranks in the top 20 of HBCU’s.
Students at NSU have access to a variety of academic supports. Every student has the assistance and encouragement they need to be successful. We liked the three-story Student Center’s game room and gym facilities.
The university offers organized and informal co-curricular activities including student organizations, intramural activities, and student publications. Major campus facilities include a 30,000-seat football stadium, an African art museum, and a multi-purpose performing arts center. The Spartan “Legion” Marching Band is well known. Sororities and fraternities are a big part of the school culture.
The school being located so close to the beach makes it especially appealing to us.
