^^^^That may be true but I’d suggest making your college decision based on what a school currently “is” not what it might become – what a school is at this point in time will shape your college experience. And for every college that does move up in the ranks, there are many more that hope to but don’t.
Hofstra alum here, very familiar with that area and campus. It is a school on the rise and spends lots of money improving campus, facilities, and programs. Has a great law school and a new medical school, as well.
Around 4,000-5,000 students on campus. Of those students, most are around on weekends and involved in school activities/clubs/greek life. Yes, there are thousands more students who commute- but the Residence Halls there are nice and you can find a great niche there.
It is VERY close to NYC- the Hofstra bus will drop you at the train station 5 minutes away and it’s a quick and cheap ride right into midtown Manhattan. This is a huge selling point if you’re interested in securing an internship at some point in your college career- opportunity in a huge city at your fingertips. (In fact head to the top floor lounges of the “tower” residence halls and you can see the NY skyline.)
Is Hempstead, NY safe? Well, don’t get drunk and wander down the street with your Rolex…but hopefully you have the good sense not to do that anywhere. Heading in the other direction, East Meadow, Levittown, etc are very nice and safe towns.
Hofstra is also close to Jones Beach, Nassau Coliseum, and lots of great shopping and entertainment. Long Island has a ton of traffic, but all of New York does.
I’m not a Hofstra cheerleader by any stretch- but it’s a great choice for a lot of majors (Business, Education, Pre-law and Pre-Med, and Communications). It also has a lot to offer students, and the campus itself is gorgeous. (Dutch festival in the spring = tulips everywhere!)
Good luck with your decision!
@mamaedefamilia USC and Northeastern aren’t even in the same class tbh.
You should be careful about calling a group of students “unintelligent”.
There’s only one school with intelligent students as far as LBad seems to be concerned. Wouldn’t put a whole lot of stock into it.
@happy1 Well, I did say “it has a ways to go.” 
@LBad96 I didn’t say they were in the same class. I’m merely stating that both USC and NE have become much more competitive in comparison to where they were, and both did so in a relatively short span of time. Many students with high stats get denied from both, if the threads here on CC are any indication.
For the record, I am not a Hofstra cheerleader, nor am I trying to assert that it is currently in the same league as Temple. Just trying to pass on some information that I thought might be helpful to the OP.
@TomSrOfBoston I didn’t mean academically unintelligent. I meant that some, according to student reviews, tend to be airheads.
@bodangles I do praise other schools, you know. If you weren’t so selective and actually bothered to read more of my posting history, you would have seen that as well.
@LBad96 So with no direct knowledge and based solely on student reviews you read you are calling Hofstra students “airheads”. That is arrogance.
@TomSrOfBoston I didn’t say I had those views myself, nor did I in any way insinuate that ALL Hofstra students were airheads. That’s what I heard - quite a few of them were. Student reviews have merit and base if a lot of them say the same thing, you know. In addition to the fact that I know a young man who was about to transfer to Hofstra once upon a time (from Quinnipiac), but he cited the aforementioned reason as to why he eventually decided against it. He also said that a lot of students tend to be stuck up because they come from money (rich private school on Long Island) - THAT probably would not be too far from the truth.
And no, not every single student at my own school is a genius, either, because I know that’s what you’re about to say next.
mamaedefamilia (post #19) Advice: Never listen to anyone who says that an area or a school is “up and coming”. Been there…done that…it did’n!
Hofstra started out as more of a commuter school. It used to be one big piece of concrete with high rise dorms with room the size of matchboxes. They have since tried to improve the aesthetics with a good deal of sculptures and plants. But the effect didn’t change much since it is still overwhelmingly concrete and since the area is so flat, the concrete still dominates. It is better than a SUNY but is not a beautiful campus. It is not an intellectual campus. Students who go to Hofstra tend to be wealthy and to seek a diploma but academics rarely has a central place in the lives of the students attending Hofstra. And it is expensive. So it tends to attract students from upper middle class households who don’t focus on scholarship or academics. On the other hand, attention is paid to teaching undergraduates. So the teaching level is also a lot better than you’d find in one of the 4 SUNY University Centers. And so are the resources. Students actually fit into the classrooms, can enroll in classes and instructors don’t have to use those big stone tablets.
It is true that schools “pull” for certain types of students. Most high school seniors who are intellectually oriented would probably not view Hofstra as their first choice. It tends not to have an intellectual climate.
Adding onto that, if a school is “trying” to be up and coming, that means it’s a VERY average school. Hofstra is a VERY average university.
I’d go with Temple. Stronger academically, more diverse, more interesting environment with Philadelphia within easy reach (compared to NYC which is nearby but requires a bit of planning - not as easy as Philly for Temple).
@LBad96 what are your “tiers” of universities and within them - staying on point where do you place Temple and Hofstra.
@ClarinetDad16 my tiers are Elite (5 stars), Excellent (4.5 stars), Highly Respectable (4 stars), Risers (3.5 stars), and Respectable (3 stars). Temple is in the Risers tier, Hofstra is in the Respectable tier.
Academics at hofstra are definitely not top notch. I wouldn’t say they’re bad just very average. I go there often because of their cheerleading program and everyone I’ve ever met there seemed very nice. The area isn’t too bad. It’s not a quiet little suburb but it’s not a crazy bad neighborhood either. It is an easy commute to the city from there, about 45 min car ride too. I don’t think it’s a “pretty neighborhood” but I know a lot of people who really like it there.
That’s what I read. The area didn’t look bad when I went there, it looked like a typical suburban area
I got a huge grant from Quinnipiac & oyher financial aid so it will be around the same price as Hofstra.
Quinnipiac vs Temple?(Out of State)
Which is a better school overall? Which is a better school for Computer Science?
It seems like QU has higher rankings but Temple reviews are better.
Visit each campus and see where you feel at home. Talk to students and also observe the culture. Can you see yourself living there for 4 years?
I visited Hofstra and Temple. Still difficult to choose. Still gotta visit Quinnipiac though
I would visit and go with your preference between QU and Temple. We looked at both schools and my S preferred the size of QU and his friend preferred the vibe of Temple (although both ended up elsewhere in the end). The schools are very different (mid-sized, suburban, private v large, urban, public) so hopefully after visiting one will stick out as the right place for you.