Give It to Me Straight

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hofstra University
1

<p>Okay, here's the deal.</p>

<p>I applied and was accepted to Hofstra and loved a lot about the school. However, there's been one concern...</p>

<p>...at the risk of sounding pretentious/biased (I'm not, I promise) there is a stereotype that Long Island people can be kind of mean and stuck-up, and that that's the case at Hofstra. I've known lots of LI people who fit this stereotype and I even had a prof who was from Long Island, she was Jewish, who referred to them as "my people...and they're horrible."</p>

<p>So what's the deal with Hofstra kids? What are they <em>really</em> like?</p>

<p>I'm also not too into partying/drinking. I won't be hitting up the bars off campus, I'll be getting into religious activities and sticking with mostly innocuous activities. I'm also right of center politically.</p>

<p>Will I easily find a niche here, or is Hofstra a bad idea for me? What do y'all think?</p>

2

<p>Hi! I just completed my Hofstra undergraduate degree in May and I’ve decided to stick around for graduate school too because I so enjoyed my first four years!</p>

<p>Let me begin by congratulating you on your acceptance! Hofstra is a selective institution and it’s an honor to be admitted!</p>

<p>Okay, on to your question - “what’s the deal with Hofstra kids?” First, there is no such thing as a stereotypical Hofstra student. Of the 8,000 undergraduate students, not one is the same. They are diverse in terms of interest (academic and extracurricular), geographic location, and culture. </p>

<p>Interest - With over 150 majors to choose from, students are studying all sorts of topics from biomedical engineering to global studies to finance to sustainability. What’s more, it’s not uncommon to find students double majoring or minoring. I majored in philosophy and religion and minored in English. I had friends and classmates from every one of the six schools and I’ll tell you there was never a dull moment at the lunch or dinner table in the cafe! Discussions were so interesting because of the many perspectives. I loved that I could see my friends perform in shows without being a drama major or watch them present their research without spending time in the lab. There are over 200 clubs and organizations on campus ranging from fraternities and sororities to pre-professional to community service to intramural sports to social. In the time that I was an undergraduate, the two most fun additions were Hofstra Quidditch and Hofstra vs. Zombies - gotta love college!</p>

<p>Geographic - Students come from all over the country and beyond. My first roommate was from California and other girls in my hall were from Massachusetts, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware - you name it! Over the course of my four years, I also met students from Thailand, China, Singapore, Kenya, Brazil, Malaysia, India, and more! Sitting in class or in the common room with students from so many different places really challenged the way I think about the world. This was especially true around the time of the Presidential Debate when so many of us were discussing politics and foreign policy. Speaking of which, we have a number of political clubs including College Democrats, College Republicans, and Hofstra Students for Liberty (Hofstra Libertarians).</p>

<p>Culture - When students come from so many places - city, suburbs, rural - and so many parts of the world, they bring their ideas and traditions with them. While Jewish life is represented on campus with an awesome Hillel and the most friendly rabbis, it is by no means the only religious life you’ll find. On the second floor of the Student Center is the Interfaith Center with Interfaith Chaplains representing the Islam, Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism. Additionally, there is a Secular Student Alliance, Yoga Club, and multiple service organizations. Plus, you could always take courses in the Religion Department (I liked the professors so much I declared it as one of my majors). In fact, the Religion Department sent me and two other students to a summer conference hosted by the Interfaith Youth Core. There we met students from every faith and non-faith tradition you could possibly imagine and we spoke about promoting spiritual/religious tolerance and engagement on college campuses throughout the country. </p>

<p>So now, I want to tell you that I was not and am still not “into partying/drinking” and I never had a problem keeping very busy! Truly, there is always something to do! Free movies on the weekends, plays, festivals, guest speakers, trips into NYC, sports games, club events, you name it! If you or one of your friends has a car, you can explore Long Island. There are actually some really cool towns like Huntington and Freeport and Northport. And, if you don’t have access to a car, you can hop on Hofstra’s 24/7 shuttle bus and take a train into NYC - the city that never sleeps! </p>

<p>I have no doubt you will find your niche at Hofstra! All you have to do is attend club meetings and events and reach out to the other students in your class. I promise everyone wonders the same thing before they arrive at school!</p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck! Remember, you can’t make a mistake so long as you get involved and make those four years count! Happy searching!</p>

3

<p>I’m a Long Island junior who lives pretty close to Hofstra and I am thinking about applying there. Honestly, the Long Island stereotypes of the obnoxious people are only a select few hence the stereotype. Sure some of my peers fit it, but my good friends are nothing like that. It’s not everyone and I can assure you that you will find people that you fit in with and don’t fit the stereotype. If you look for it, there’s a lot to do on Long Island to keep you busy.</p>

4

<p>What’s funny is that as someone Jewish from Long Island, I don’t even consider Hofstra a particularly Jewish school. So much for stereotypes.</p>

5

<p>According to the Hillel website for undergrads Hofstra is approx. 15% Jewish. So since 85% of Hofstra’s student population doesn’t even identify as Jewish, I would say your information is inaccurate and quite biased.</p>