Hey everyone; I got into Hofstra a while ago, and am now considering it sincerely as an option for next year. I went on a campus visit last week and got a big dose of all of the pros for Hofstra. I was wondering if someone (some people?) could contribute some cons to consider.
Cost.
The surrounding area is horrible.
Hempstead does still leave a lot to be desired.
Additionally, there is a fairly large weekend commuter population (i.e. leave for home after classes are done on Fridays).
Did you get accepted anywhere else? @TheAmazing777
Well…if you want to go the BS/MD route with a guarantee in admission to medical,school…then Hofstra is your choice.
But you got better financial deals from MUCH better schools.
UConn is a major flagship research university that gave you a FULL ride. I can’t imagine picking Hofstra over UConn…unless your medical school admission is guaranteed, and you are absolutely positive you want tombe a doctor.
I am also wondering if @TheAmazing777 has any other acceptances. Hofstra is very expensive and I agree that the campus most likely clears out on the weekends.
Yup, Hempstead is an awful neighborhood. I don’t think Hofstra is in the worst part if it, though. I used to work in one of the worst parts. Very high crime, including shootings. Plus if you don’t have a car, getting around Long Island is pretty tough.
I used to live on Long Island and in the town of Uniondale right next to Hempstead. Hempstead is a very bad area. Like the poster above said. Very high crime, shootings and MS-13 gangs. There are really nice areas a couple of towns away but the school itself is in a bad area. I would not send my kid there.
Post 5 has his other acceptances…as they are mostly much better schools,than Hofstra. But if he is a guaranteed admit to,the med school…that could make a difference.
He has a FULL RIDE to UConn which is a far better school than Hofstra.
And less expensive undergrad at UVA and Emory.
Some cons include: bad neighborhood, mediocre reputation, big commuter population, expensive, little school spirit. That said if it is your best affordable option I go and make the most of the opportunity for a 4 year college education.
Average academically, terrible surroundings, mostly commuter, highly overpriced, hardly any school spirit, rather weak retention rates, students at the school have the reputation for being superficial airheads.
I got into Hofstra two years ago, but never really seriously considered it and chose to go elsewhere a bit farther from home. Cannot at all see why on earth it should even be considered amongst better financial deals from FAR better Us such as UConn and UVA. This should be a super easy decision.
Because it is also an admit to medical school. That has value.
The OP has a FULL RIDE…all costs paid…to UConn. And he has better aid offers from UVA and Emory. All are excellent choices.
There is nothing less costly than a full free ride @happy1
But if this is auto admit to medical school…guaranteed (I’m not familiar with this program…)…and he is SURE beyond a doubt that he wants to go to medical,school…then Hofstra has some value.
Of course, he could also apply to medical schools for matriculation after undergrad.
I will,say…if he changes majors…and decides med school is not his cup of tea, he might regret not choosing one of his other options.
Here is the link…admission to the med school is only guaranteed if the applicant maintains a 3.6 GPA every term , and scores above the 80th %ile on the MCAT…not exactly automatic.
I didn’t see the OP’s old posts about full ride to UConn & med school at Hofstra.
But I do know Hofstra has a fairly new med school and that is is associated with Northwell (formerly North Shore Hospital/Long Island Jewish Hospital ) which is an excellent hospital. So I would say that if the OP is 100% sure he/she wants med school and has some kind of “in” to med school at Hofstra and feels confident that he/she can meet those standards set forth (admittedly not a guaranteed by any means, but seems to at least provide an “edge” to get in) it is certainly an option worth considering. For a pure undergrad experience (if the med school is not considered) a free ride at UConn would be preferable in my book.
It’s not as well regarded as other schools in the tri-state area.
The medical school admission is conditional on earning a 3.6 overall and science GPA every year, with no repeats and no grades lower than B in science and C in non-science, and 80th percentile MCAT score (509 new, 31 old).
https://www.hofstra.edu/admission/adm_4plus4.html
According to https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf , applicants with a 3.60-3.79 GPA and 506-509 MCAT had a 48.8% admission rate to medical school. However, maintaining a 3.6 overall and science GPA every year probably means that the student needs to keep a somewhat higher than 3.6 overall and science GPA to have a buffer against one “bad” grade.
This means that one can look at the following cases:
a. Student earns a GPA and MCAT significantly higher than 3.6 / 509. Then s/he is likely to get into medical school the regular way. In this case, whether being in the Hofstra 4+4 program or one of the other schools is better depends on the cost of the medical school that s/he gets into the regular way.
b. Student earns a GPA and MCAT just enough to stay in the Hofstra 4+4 program. Then his/her chance of medical school the regular way is only fair, and is more likely to have limited options, likely resulting in higher cost. In this case, it may be better to be in the Hofstra 4+4 program.
c. Student fails to maintain the GPA and MCAT to stay in the Hofstra 4+4 program. In this case, it is probably better to be in one of the other schools that costs less and/or is probably “better” in other ways.
d. Student decides not to go to medical school (even if his/her GPA and MCAT are enough to stay in the Hofstra 4+4 program). In this case, it is probably better to be in one of the other schools that costs less and/or is probably “better” in other ways.
Considering all that, if OP’s able to meet those requirements, s/he’s likely to be eligible to be admitted to many more other medical schools…including better tiers with connections to topflight teaching hospitals for internships/residencies.
In that light, if I were OP, I’d take the free-ride to UConn.
The guaranteed admit to med school usually comes with a qualifier such as a minimum score on the MCAT – so, not all free sailing. That said, med schools are so horribly difficult to get into at all, that a med school guarantee is well worth the misery of Hostra.
As noted above…the acceptance to Hofstra medical,school is ONLY if,this student maintains a 3.6 or higher undergrad GPA, AND scores above the 80th %ile of MCAT scores.