Your daughter is very social ….but isn’t interested in a busy campus with events, speakers, active clubs, volunteer organizations, opportunities for leadership etc? And she is ok attending a school with a lot of commuters?
Will she have a car? I guess I am not fully understanding your daughter (not being snarky, being sincere). Can you explain what kind of experience she is looking for, given she will not be happy at a school with plenty of social activities?
Do students stay on campus during weekends, or do they go home? The students I know live there during the week and go home on the weekends (this is a small sample).
I am from Long Island and would never consider NYC to be an extension of the campus. Yes, students can go into the city…. but it can get costly and you need the time.
I would consider NYC to be an extension of the campus at schools such as Barnard etc… but not Hofstra.
I have no doubt that Hofstra students get internships in NYC, but so do students who attend schools elsewhere.
Hofstra can be a nice school for the right student.
I grew up in Queens in the 80s, and certainly, Hofstra had the reputation of being a commuter college then, but it has evolved. According to their site, about 40% of the undergrads are OOS, and about 20 are in-state but not LI. So not everyone is disappearing on the weekends.
It seems to check off some of the boxes from the original OP. Growing up in a DC suburb, the location would not be a big adjustment. My hesitation would be being among students who may not be academically as rigorous, but that’s only my two cents.
OOS typically means “border state” though, except for some OOS kids who come because they think it’s close to NYC. It’s less commuter than it used to be (still, only a about 40% freshmen live on campus, and 31% overall, which implies a lot of commuters that don’t live in “student villages” - to the best of my knowledge, Hempstead is not a college town nor an especially student-friendly town) and still “suitcase”, ie., students live on campus then leave over the weekend. While the college offers housing, it doesn’t guarantee it, even for freshmen. Academically, it’s much better than it used to.
OP is supposed to visit, I think, so they’ll make up their mind as to the environment and value.
I do believe that if one is interested in NYC, Pace (similar to Hofstra although very pricey) or Manhattan College would be better choices.
There are many parts of CT and NJ that are closer to Hofstra than most of New York State… I’d be curious to see how many kids in the OOS population are still within a quick “home for the weekend” distance. The kids from my town who have attended Hofstra (pre-Covid) come home on weekends or go a friend’s house in another suburb; they were solid B students in HS and were choosing between a non-flagship branch of the state U system or something comparable to that academically but private. Good results with employment afterwards- lots of teachers, analysts at insurance companies, entry level tech roles at banks in NYC.
Not an academically intense environment for the most part (which is not what these kids wanted) and not super competitive; high levels of faculty engagement, not a lot going on on weekends.
Just one person’s POV.
I did not intend to make this a debate on Hofstra yes, Pace and Manhatten College would give better access to NYC. However, I believe the OP wants a Hillel on campus, which I don’t think Manhatten College offers. According to US News, 89% of Hofstra students are on campus during the weekend for whatever it is worth.
Thanks everyone!
It does look from your responses that Hofstra should stay on the list and we need to visit it.
My daughter is a leader in one of local Jewish communities. She also attended some events in NYC and nationally, so she has friends all over the country. (She keeps in touch with everyone over apps, currently on the board or Hanukkah activities for the whole US…) She has in school several very close Jewish friends, and several non-Jewish. She does not need Greek life, but can join it. She does not need football games but will be happy to attend to hang with friends. She runs couple clubs in school. She does some sport and dancing. For her the most important are not activities on campus but soulmates. She will create activities for herself and friends. She can hang out with them taking pictures, fooling around, going to movies, walking etc. That is why for us I am afraid rural schools in OH will not work. She is big suburb girl. She is extremely outgoing person but only with her own crowd. It is hard to explain, but she is one of kids in school that everyone knows but she is not “popular” kid in that strange meaning. She is not seeking attention, she is kind of person who is happy to help everyone and right people appear around her. On the other hand if population is too small or wrong, right people may not be there…
Honestly, it doesn’t sound like your daughter is some kind of outlier, or so esoteric that there’s only a small slice of the student population that would be compatible.
I can’t keep up with this thread – are any LACs on the table? If so, what about Bates?
Keep in mind that kids get so much more than just their classes in college. Being surrounded by interesting, diverse, engaged kids that are going places is important to our family. It will be harder to find those kids at a commuter school, imho.
What you are describing is available schools small and large…and more likely at schools that are campus vs. city oriented - and more likely at campuses that build a community - i.e. these schools you describe in Ohio as not good - I think it’s the opposite of what you think (personally).
btw, many of which, are in towns - not the boonies. Oberlin, Wooster, etc.
You should absolutely check out Hofstra…but you also shouldn’t discount others.
Bates does not provide merit.
Yes we can come up with list of big schools with no problem. The issue is to find smaller non-public school not in the middle of nowhere with merit, Jewish life and no theological classes in the core on east cost within 8 hours from metro DC. I guess we have too many requirements…
with added requirement: strong enough academically to provide respected prep for MD/DO schools.
Look into Chatham (Pittsburgh) and Capital (Columbus), small and focused on health sciences.
Seems to me you have this:
Oberlin
Wooster
Ursinsus
Hobart/William Smith
Union
So many more you were given
These are all within 8 hours. They have Jewish life. They are not in the middle of nowhere.
You might also look at the Honors type colleges - for example, U of SC is the top in the country - and has a Jewish life…not vibrant like Charlestons…but not bad. Also 8 hours.
There are many schools that fit this bill. Map DC to Ohio - it’s surprisingly close.
If you open your mind to at least visiting places, you will find yourself surprised. Everyone is trying to give you ideas that work for what you’re describing - but you have to be open to them or you then go on your road which hopefully will work out for you.
We will visit soon.
She needs a school that will prepare her for the MCATs. She also needs a local environment where she can volunteer, etc. There’s a lot of stuff to do (hopefully it’s stuff you enjoy) and most premeds I know are pretty driven and energized and want to get involved. Some of it can be done at home during breaks.
Having time to “goof off” in the dorms, take silly pics, go for walks etc - that is certainly good for one’s mental health (which is very very important and should not be ignored), but most premed students that I know are extremely busy. Now, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be down time to be “silly” in the dorms with your friends (again, very important), but it does mean that much of her time will likely be consumed with other things (the goal, after all, is MD/DO school). You mentioned a few HS interests- will she continue in college?
Hope I make sense. I would visit Hofstra, but I would not discount many of the other suggestions, including the public schools.
The coursework she takes will give her info that is on the MCAT, but don’t expect a college to prepare her for the MCAT. She will need to do that test prep herself.
She will have to prepare for the MCATs through study and test prep- yes. But….I would pay attention to the course rigor (which might be perfect- I don’t know).
The mid 50% ACT is 24-31. It sounds like it attracts some students who are similar to this one- academically speaking. After thinking about this a little more, I actually think it will be fine (Hofstra has an early assurance program).
The bigger issue I have is with the social piece (and that includes a thriving campus, well attended clubs, volunteering etc). It was reported that this student doesn’t really need organized activities, clubs, events etc…she would not be happy on that type of campus, and that she is happy hanging out with friends having unstructured time. This is the part that confuses me…but she is the one applying to MD/DO school.
OP- has your daughter investigated what she needs (besides grades and scores) in order to be a successful applicant? Do you think she would enjoy participating in these activities (again, being sincere and not snarky)? She’s in HS- it’s possible that she hasn’t thought about the process yet.
She already volunteers in the local hospital, enjoys time there and very much appreciated by staff. She is kind of person that hard not to like once you know her: diligent, responsible, quick even with most boring and tedious assignments, attentive, caring and very good with people… No matter where she will end up, she is perfect for medical setting and working with patients one way or another. This is the reason I do not want to alter her dreams with another field at this point.
Good luck to your daughter!
If you are interested in getting a good overview about pre-med, read the posts in this thread from @blossom @twogirls @WayOutWestMom @2Devils @Creekland
Study this table from AAMA about GPA and MCAT
https://www.aamc.org/media/6091/download
So, imagine a 2 story auditorium with a full balcony with 1000
freshmen taking 1st quarter of general chem, with 40 quiz sections at a big flagship state school. Fast forward, 3rd quarter organic chem where maybe 120 are left. Then, you see the real
handful of grinds in pchem.
For every pre-med class. Then, you must DESTROY the MCAT.
This is not cut-throat. This is by design to weed out the best
candidates for med school as fast as possible.
Wherever you go, there you are.
Good luck.