<p>I recently applied to Hofstra, mainly because I was sent a free application. I don't know anything about the campus or the classes, so if there is anyone out there who is a student or parent or alumni, please let me know how life at Hofstra is.</p>
<p>I am a parent of a current sophomore. Hofstra has come a long, long way. Like any other school, life on campus is what you make of it. My son has made friends and found academic discipline that he did not have in high school, mostly through a professor he liked. He does not like some of the Long Island "natives", but the campus is beautiful and the proximity to NYC is great.</p>
<p>Dorm life is fine. He found out that with even a little bit of effort, you can shine in classes and more effort can really make a student stand out. Social life is okay;like any campus, there are good and bad aspects - you have to figure it out and find your niche. The rap on Hofstra is that it was a commuter school - everyone left for the weekends. That is far from true now, although there are some kids that leave there are more that stay. There also is a frat and sorority system for those that want it. </p>
<p>Hofstra is making a serious and seemingly successful effort to move into the more academically competitive ranks. Its a good school and will be a great place to be as the profile continues to build nationally.</p>
<p>If your looking to go somewhere that has a lot of people living on campus don't go to Hofstra. I live 25 minutes from campus. Its basically a commuter school for rich kids. It is a nice school though.</p>
<p>My older son was a solid B student with solid ECs. He applied there. They offered him the honor's college and a 13k scholarship 2 years ago. The school's president sent the nicest letter to him that let him know that out of thousands of applications my son's was felt to be one of the strongest that they had received that year. My son decided to go elsewhere. He wanted to be further from home. I did not push Hofstra because the criteria to keep the aid was a 3.0 and climbed to a 3.2. I really thought that there was a chance of his loosing merit aid. Their financial aid is not that great. I looked at the numbers some time ago, but they definitely gap a lot for need based aid.</p>
<p>I disagree. My son is from CT and has lots of friends that live on campus from all over.</p>
<p>I can't speak to the need-based aid, but my son lost his 13K merit award after the first year. Frankly, he probably deserved it. He's working hard and expect to have a 3.2 by the end of fall term and re-apply for merit aid. I'm not holding my breath.</p>
<p>Interesting. My son has been getting stuff from them, but I know very little about the school.</p>
<p>EhNonymous, this is what I anticipated would happen. I am sorry, but I was not willing to lose nearly 40k over the 3 years for my son's adjustment to college life, too much partying freshman year, etc. This is why I did not push the school. For the student who would definitely keep that scholarship, I thought Hofstra was a very good financial deal. For the student's family if the aid was lost, well, it would have been meant an extra $1100/mos. without financial aid, and not a bill I'd want (I know some might be stafford's, but still).</p>
<p>D is a current freshman at Hofstra and received a $15K Presidential Scholarship. She has to maintain a 3.0 each year and we made it very clear early on that unless she keeps the scholarship, then we could not afford for her to stay there. After a "rocky" first month, she has adjusted very well and seems pretty happy. She loves being close to NYC and has taken advantage of it fully. Since the beginning of the semester, she has seen around 10 Broadway shows, usually paying no more than the $25-30 price for student rush. She was very happy the strike ended this week! Some kids like to shop - she likes to see shows!!</p>
<p>As far as academics, it seems that her classes are challenging and engaging. She has decided to change her major to Undecided for 2nd semester, as she is not quite sure what she wants to do yet. Her roommate does go home every weekend, but it appears that many kids do stay on campus. Although many students are from Long Island, she has many friends that are from outside the tri-state area, and the New England representation is growing each year. She has a work-study job on campus, too, that gives her spending money each week. </p>
<p>As with every school, there are some minor things that she is not happy with but is dealing. She has found her niche and has made some nice friends with the same interests. She decided not to join too many clubs/activities first semester as she needed the time to acclimate herself, but hopes to do so next semester. Classes are ending in about 1 1/2 weeks with finals to follow, and then she will be home until the end of January. </p>
<p>One nice thing that Hofstra does offer is a January intersession with lots of opportunities to take classes on campus and off, with many programs offered for study abroad for the 5 weeks. She did not take advantage of it this year, but may do so in the future. Also, the Residence Halls stay open over breaks, so students can stay on campus if they have internships in the city or if they just want to go back earlier.</p>
<p>So, overall, it has been a great start to her college career and we feel that Hofstra has been a great "match" for her.</p>