OK, I've noticed there doesn't seem to be much discussion here concerning Hofstra. Why? D was accepted (and received nice and unexpected money!). We would love to know more. I have read lots of good things but there seems to be some not so great things too (as with just about any college one may search). The worst of them all is the constant hammering about Hofstra's location, that it is near a really bad area on Long Island. Comments? I'd especially like to hear from current students/parents as well as students/parents that will begin in Fall 2011. We are out of state, therefore we won't be visiting until March (accepted students day). As a parent, SAFETY is FIRST on my list, no matter what school we are looking at!
As an added note, after D was accepted, one of her closest friends checked out their website and she applied too. They both are excited about the proximity to NYC, the large variety of majors offered, the med school and so much more. It's kind of odd since applying to HU was almost an afterthought but now they are both anxious to visit. Both have applied RD to a few other schools also (not all in NY). D has already received acceptances to 2 in state schools as well, so I am concerned that she arms herself with the facts in order to make an informed decission. So, speak up for Hofstra! Tell us some good stuff about Hofstra! There are enough negative people out there that are quick to mouth off, I'd like to hear from positive people that love Hofstra and can tell us, and other potential students reading this, what is great about Hofstra???? Thanks!
I am currently a freshman at Hofstra University. I commute to the school, and am a Long Islander, so hopefully I can offer you some insight to the much maligned neighborhoods of Hempstead and Uniondale. First off, I could have attended a state school for a bit more than I am paying at Hofstra and dormed, but I decided to bite the bullet and commute because of the reputation and prestige of going to a private school such as Hofstra, and the potential connections that can be made, especially since quite a few who attend come from wealthy backrounds. After my first semester, I am very pleased with Hofstra, and all the resources it has to offer, from its stellar fitness facillities, recreation fields, clubs, to its support networks (i.e. career center, advisement, financial aid) and array of decorated, comepetent professors. The school recently dissolved its rather successful football program(which has produced NFL players and coaches alike) in a controversial move, but in its wake is opening the much anticipated med. school in 2011, and I personally thinks this marks a shift in Hofstra's trajectory, putting a greater emphasis on academics, and trying to renew its status as the "ivy league of Long Island" and perhaps become on par with schools such as NYU and Fordham. The school is well known for its drama, business, accounting and comunications programs, but unlike other schools, the plethora of other majors it offers are also excellent choices, with many departments boasting pre-eminent professors and plentiful internship opportunities. The vast amount of majors also enables many to pick up second majors or additional minors or skills, which can give that "edge" that Hofstra seems to brag about in all of its advertisements. With regards to the campus itself, it is intersected by a major turnpike, as well as two other roads. A series of unispans solve the problem of crossing the turnpike, and the others roads are manageable (oak street divides the Netherlands from student center, and california avenue cuts through the academic side of campus). Its actually quite beautiful, especially the academic side, which I think is an aboratorium. Hofstra also has some of the largest dorms of any school I visited, whether you're in the towers or Netherlands.
Now for the surrounding communties. Long Island is a diverse collections of towns, where you literally can be walking down a street with million dollar mansions and park-like properties, and right around the corner enter a "ghetto." (see Garden City-Hempstead). Hofstra, though technically in Hempstead, is not in the heart of it, and is actually partially in Uniondale, which itself is not a desirable community on the Island, but a step above Hempstead. There are petty crimes occasionally around the campus (and you are promptly notified by email), but the victims are asking for it by wandering the shady side-streets of Hempstead after getting wasted at one of the bars on the Hofstra strip. There is no crime on campus at all, and after 9PM, you have to swipe in to even get access to the residential side of campus, and there is public safety everwhere. Hofstra has quite a few students who even live in the off-campus unofficial "frat-houses" in the "ghettoes" of Hempstead and Uniondale, so its not like you're gonna get knifed if walk outside. Just be smart, if you're a girl maybe invest in a little pepper spray, don't walk alone off-campus, and if you're gonna have a little fun at McHebes or Dizzys, make sure you stay on the Turnpike when walking and go back to your dorm.
In terms of its proximity to NYC, a 25 mile distance, one can hop on the LIRR and be in Penn Station in no time, and the possibilites are endless in the city, from jobs to internships to entertainment. Its alot better than going to some school in the middle of nowhere. Freshman can also have cars on campus, so you can get a job if you want at one of the stores at the Roosevelt Field mall, or in one of the surrounding towns to the east, such as East Meadow or Levittown (which are middle-class towns). Hofstra also has the blue beetle bus which provides transportation to the local supermarkets, malls, and train station. It'll even pick you up late at night from the station after a night of fun in the city.
I don't know what kind of financial aid package you're daughter is getting, and Hofstra is expensive, but if its within reach, it's a great place where you'll get that well-respected Hofstra degree. I know this was long, but hopefully it makes up for apparent apathy in this forum. If you any further questions, feel free to ask
I'm not saying that it is on the level of NYU right now, but within time it could easily be, especially if it becomes more selective with its applicants. It is without doubt one of the best, if not the best university on Long Island, and amongst the best private universities in New York State, hands down.
Mugwump30
thanks so much for this information. Can you tell me what is your major? do you know anyone in the engineering program? do you know anything about the honors college? My D was accepted with generous merit aide. She was offered admission into the honors college as well. Thanks in advance.
Hofstra University should not even be considered a private university. I've seen public universities with much stronger level of education (Practically half of the SUNYs, including Geneseo, Stony Brook, and Binghamton). I live in Nassau County Long Island, and I've been to Hofstra multiple times (Math competitions, Football games, all that good stuff). And honestly, I have absolutely no idea why people choose Hofstra University. It's expensive, and there are much better places for people to attend.
A senior I know was recently accepted into Hofstra University. She was ecstatic because it was her first choice. I know she was capable of so much more. She had 2080 SAT and 32 ACT. She was amazing at the Alto Saxophone, and I know she would've easily been accepted into Binghamton, at a much less pricey cost. But people in Long Island have some sort of cult knowledge that Hofstra is this amazing place. But really, it's not.
I would love to hear from students not someone who visited the campus for a football game. Since my daughter's acceptance letter came I have been nothing but impressed with the admissions staff at Hofstra. We have received phone calls and personal letters from them. Other colleges she applied to were still sending "please apply" emails.
@CalvinTBOD You haven't even attended the school and are basing your assumptions on the typical stereotypes often applied to it. I'm from Nassau County too, and Hofstra is always portrayed jokingly by the locals as being this guido haven where the Hofstra red lurks...its just urban legend thats part of the fabric of Long Island, nothing more, and you should know that. Sure it has its share of slutty girls and party animals, but you're gonna tell me that kids up in the SUNYS like Cortland, Albany, and even Binghamton, don't screw around and drink just as much if not more? It gets depressing up there in the winter. I'm not knocking SUNY, and I agree that Binghamton and Geneseo are great schools too, but there are in the boondocks. Hofstra's 25 miles from the city where there are jobs and internships everywhere. You can't have an internship in the city and go to class at the same time in Binghamton. At Hofstra, you can. Does the Governor of New York come to Binghamton? Are presidential debates held at Geneseo? I think not. And apparently Hofstra is giving out massive merit scholarships this year, I bet your senior friend got at least 20 grand if not more. Not too shabby. If Hofstra's affordable for someone, and they want to go, then why not? Plus if you're from out of state, SUNYs cost about the same as Hofstra.
@ Gammat. I do know of people in the engineering program, and it might not be the most popular major on campus, but it seems to be growing. The honors college is a whole other story now. I was invited to it myself, but I choose not to accept because in my opinion college is hard enough as it is, so why do all this extra work just to get the "honors" stamp on you're diploma. And I dont even think they offer more scholarship money to do honors college (but that could be different now). More productive things could be done with that time, like an sport or extracurricular, or even picking up another major. Honor's college basically involves a class called C&E for freshman year, and it involves a ton of reading and writing, on top of the other 4 classes that most take a semester, where in some of them additional assignments must be done to get honors credit for the class. C&E could kill a GPA, but if you're D's one of those types that always needs to challenge themselves and gets bored in regular class, then honors college might be for her. She could always try it for a semester, and drop it later on, so don't let my advice discourage her if she's on the fence about it.
Thanks so much! I appreciate your reply, my D has a big decision to make about her future in a few short months. Its good to get as much info as possible.
I just want to jump in here as another parent of an accepted senior, to tell you of my experiences.
My son is ranked 2nd in his class of a very prestigious, college-prep Catholic high school in NYC. His SAT was a 2240 and his ACT was a 32. He is going in with 36 college credits from SUNY Albany and St John's University under his belt. He has been awarded a Trustee's scholarship, and was accepted into the Hofstra Honors College.
I do not say all this to brag, but to demonstrate to the naysayers that my Ivy League material son (yes, we have the accpetance letters to prove it) has chosen Hofstra University as one of his top two choices.
Why? Well, my son is going into Forensic Science, and Hofstra has one of the very few nationally recognized programs for Forensic Science. When we went for our first visit, we had a private, one-on-one tour with the head of the forensic science dept, and toured every lab....we made a point of trying to do this at every college we visited, Hofstra accomodated us without batting an eyelash!
We toured a number of schools, and met a number of the biggest names in forensic science personally. But of all the fancy buildings, and labs, Hofstra was one of only two that impressed my son. The labs at Hofstra are not for show, they are used daily by students, the equipment gets used by students, and they are able to learn hands on.
Of all the schools he applied to, only Hofstra has reached out and made personal relationships with my son. He has spoken to admissions officers as well as the Honors dean almost weekly since December. Now that's a dedicated and interested university.
Say what you want about the neighborhood; but if you visited some of the top schools in the country, you would know that most are surrounded by undesirable neighborhoods. At least at Hofstra, my son has a chance of getting to an Islanders/Rangers hockey game or a concert now and then, with Nassau Coliseum right in their backyard.
OP whatever your daughter decides, best of luck to her. See you March 6th at Accepted Students Day
I've had the same personal experience with Hofstra. My D is also a Trustee scholar and was invited into the Honors College with similar stats.(2290 SAT, National Merit finalist, 4.0 UW GPA.) She has received several personal phone calls from the honors college dean and admissions counselors. We have been so impressed with Hofstra so far, We are very much looking forward to attending the Accepted students day on March 6!
Just wanted to get back to this thread since I started it...didn't have much to add until D and I went to the accepted student day last Saturday. I'm going to do a seperate thread on our visit for anyone next year looking for that type of info (I know those were helpful to us during this college journey).
Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments about Hofstra. After our visit, D is sure that Hofstra is where she wants to be. The campus just felt right to her, the other kids and faculty/staff we encountered were wonderful and she loves the multitude of choices she has in regards to majors/minors, as well activities outside of the classroom. We are looking forward to fall!
I am currently a residential student at Hofstra University. At Hofstra I have already had some of the best experiences of my life. I have made some friends who I would do anything for and who would do the same for me. Hofstra is a beautiful campus. For those how haven't visited or who have, Hofstra is a nationally registered arboretum. Any plant that you can possibly imagine is grown on campus. Also every spring there is a tulip planted for every freshman. The tulips however, are a special breed only found at Hofstra and is thus named the Hofstra tulip and is blue and yellow in color. In regards to campus safety, I have never felt endangered or threatened at any time. Public Safety is amazing at their job and if there is any emergency they will respond in huge numbers and within 30 seconds. There is also an escort service for when it is late at night and raining or just feeling uncomfortable for any reason. There are a numerous amount of blue lights placed about campus and there is the emergency number which is given out during new student orientation. In regards to the area of Hempstead, there is really no reason to venture into the town of Hempstead. The only thing that is down there is a CVS and if you need to go there are others in Garden City and Westbury that are much nicer. The areas of Westbury and Garden City have soo much to do and being approximately 40 minutes outside NYC makes sure that students are never bored. I wouldn't trade my experiences at Hofstra for anything!!!
