Speak Up for Hofstra!

sngnyrslp
Wed, 18 May 2011 13:33:19 +0000

Hi everyone! I’m a current Hofstra Junior and I want to take a second to chime in on what a bunch of people’s concerns seem to be on this thread. I’ve been here for three years now so I would say I definitely have a lot of answers. I’m a dual major in PR and Creative Writing with a Marketing minor. I’m not from Long Island, and my parents moved down to SC when I graduated high school so I really live on campus. I can tell you that I’ve never felt unsafe at Hofstra. Public safety is a constant presence on campus. They’re knowledgeable, well-trained, and extremely friendly and helpful. As someone said earlier, the residential side of campus is locked at night and Public Safety officers are stationed at every gate. I often babysit until really late at night and when I swipe my ID to get back on campus at two in the morning, the Public Safety officer (who, by now, recognizes me and my car), is always smiling and telling me to have a nice night. When I walk to Dutch Treats (our 24-hour convenience store on campus), I never ever feel unsafe even when it’s late at night. Hempstead is not full of mansions and gated communities, that is true. But it’s not a crime-ridden slum, either. I think sometimes people assume that a lower-class neighborhood is automatically full of dangerous criminals, but that’s a stereotype and it’s not something I see as true for the area around Hofstra. However, even if you disagree, and you don’t like the look of Hempstead, there’s definitely no reason to go wandering through the town. There’s so much going on on campus all the time that there really isn’t any reason to leave.
As far as academics go, I love the learning environment here. My professors are knowledgeable, helpful, and interesting. I haven’t loved every class I’ve taken. Some of them were boring because they were classes I need to take but ones I’m not extremely interested in. But that’s life, not everything is fun all of the time, and I learned a lot in those classes and often, discovered an interest in the subject matter that I wouldn’t have otherwise explored. Even in classes I wasn’t really excited about, the professors did their best to make the material relevant and interesting.
I’m a member of the Honors College here, and I will say that HUHC really isn’t all that much extra work. I took a lot of honors, AP, and college-level classes while in high school, and HUHC is no more difficult. If anything, it’s a little easier because there’s so much more free time in my day to study and do homework. Being in HUHC doesn’t mean I have to take extra courses. Culture and Expression is the only HUHC-specific course set and those classes count towards distribution (core classes) requirements. After C&E, I got to decide which classes I took for honors credit, and they were all classes I was taking anyway for my major. So I’ve gotten the chance to get to know professors in a one-on-one setting through Honors Options and have had the chance to dig deeper in my areas of interest, reading an extra book or doing a little extra research in a class I’m already very interested in. Plus, HUHC has a fantastic support system and a really great community of peers. I really love being a part of it.
Hofstra’s campus IS close to New York City. I’ve had the chance to go into the city six times this semester, for interviews, concerts, hockey games, and class trips (my Honors seminar class went to see the Tenement Museum and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory building). The only reason I haven’t been into the city more is because I’ve had a seriously busy schedule this semester. I’m involved in six clubs, and I was also interning this semester at the Nassau Coalition Against Domestic Violence (which my faculty adviser for my PR major helped me get).
You can tell by my comment that I love it here. I get frustrated when people try to make Hofstra seem like this awful place, because I honestly think that college, no matter where you go, is what you make of it. I’ve had a fantastic experience the past three years. I’ve made great friends (Oh, and to niknak120, I’m not a partier either. I don’t drink at all, and I was also worried that college would be all drinking and partying and that I would have a hard time making friends. I promise college isn’t like the movies. People make friends through student clubs and organizations, at events and performances, and in their classes. I’ve met some amazing people who I know will become life-long friends, and I met them all because we have shared interests and ended up in the same clubs). I hope that those of you who have read this thread and are reading my post will come see for yourselves what Hofstra can offer you rather than listening to a few bitter people. The vast majority of Hofstra students love it here. Otherwise, why would we be here?
Anyway, I hope that cleared some stuff up for some people. I’d be happy to answer other questions if you have any :)