Hofstra University
Reviews

Really Depends.

As far as drinking in the dorms, it really varies on where you are. In first-year housing, everyone's underage, so the school is a bit more on top of drinking in those dorms. Once you get to the towers and other areas that house people of all ages, they're pretty chill as long as you keep the noise level to a somewhat reasonable level. Outside of the dorms, students just have to be smart. If you're walking on campus with a "water bottle" and acting fairly normal, they'll just act like you're drinking crystal light (couch cough. But, if you're being an obnoxious, belligerent drunk, they might just stop and question you about the red juice reeking of vodka in your water bottle.

Dorms Facilities Are Fairly Average/Typical for College. Many Options.

Hofstra has many different types of dorm set-ups from which you can choose. There are the standard singles, doubles, triples and quads in the towers which offer communal bathrooms (and the towers are NOT nearly as bad as some people make them out to be). Then, there are a few different types of suite options. You can live in a single, double or I think even triple within a suite, which is always composed of two rooms and a bathroom. The majority of suites also have lounges, but there are some that do not (and they are cheaper). No matter where you are though, the dorms are fairly spacious which is definitely a plus.

You Won't Be Bored

The Roosevelt Field Mall is close by, and is one of the largest malls in the country. Also there is the movie theater, NYC is a train ticket away and bars to go to if you're into drinking. There's never a dull moment on the weekends unless you're stuck on campus

Curriculum

The Hofstra curriculum is very good. I am in the Radio, Television, Video, and Film program. The programs offers plenty of hands on work, and trains you for a job in the real world. The are a number of facilities that are geared to the department so that a student can get experience in the field. They even require that a internship be completed for graduation.

Okay but Lacks Good Service

The places around campus are over priced. The food isn't that good. The servers are not very friendly. I found hair, bugs, and plastic in my meals. Towards the end of the semister I went to Subway for all my meals.

Guidos

There's diversity but the majority of this school is guidos and guidettes. Ed Hardy and Uggs boots are EVERYWHERE

Anything Is Everywhere

Public safety, campus police, look the other way with weed and more or less everything else (or they're really stupid). Everyone smokes on campus- out on the fields and in the dorms. You can find just about anything on this campus and sometimes that coke you're looking for comes from your RA. Hempstead is a horrible drug town, if you can't find it on campus it's down the road.

The Social Scene

One of the reasons why I chose Hofstra is because I personally do not drink alcohol, and the school does a great job at separating academics and social life. We have fraternities and sororities, but the houses are not located very close to campus and the local campus bars are off campus as well, allowing teens to be irresponsible off campus and not affect other students in a negative manner.

Better Than Average

Nightlife is for all students 18 and up whether you want to go to the bar, a club or a local house party. Music is usually good at all three, but house parties are susceptible to being shut down by the cops which could make them a waste of your money. Usually able to hit up more than one option in a night though.

A Place for Everyone

Hofstra is very diverse, despite what rumors may float around, and that's why I love it here. There are your typical guidos and guidettes, but there are so many other types of people that go to this school, and that keeps it always interesting. There are artistic kids, very driven kids, athletes, dancers, hipsters; you name the group, it's here at Hofstra.

Honors Housing

I live in the Honors Housing on campus and it is amazing! There is carpeted floor and it is really spacious. There is a lot of social meetings so you meet everyone on your floor and make friends with them quickly

Party Time

Nightlife is very active and exciting for anyone 18 and over

Hofstra Is Pretty Diverse but the Students Are Rich as Hell

As a black student at Hofstra University, I have never felt any sort of racism directed at me and the campus (while majority white) is surprising diverse. I've also never had any issues with other students based on religious, political beliefs, and sexual orientation.

However, as someone from a working class family, it can be pretty unfortable being around students whose parents can afford to pay full tuition and randomly give their kids $300-$600 when they need money and then watch as they throw it around like it's nothing or completely waste it (especially kids who are failing like three classes a semester and their parents pay the entire tuition).

Alright

The financial department here is AWFUL! I almost had to withdraw. I owe 3,000 dollars and i was unable to eat on campus bc the idiots shut everything off on me while in attendance

A Swipe, It Really Is So Simple.

They are really strict about people having their Hofstra Cards and swiping every time they enter the building. I get the importance of it, but the punishment for forgetting your ID is pretty ridiculous. You can get a summons if you don't it. It seems a little crazy to me.

What Athletics?

School spirit is very low. The team performance is not very good thus causing declining student participation and involvement during games. The quality of coverage for the sports is good, particularly from the school's radio station WRHU. However, turnout is low for games and most students do not go to any Hofstra athletics game throughout their whole Hofstra career.

Train Station Support

One of the major draws of Hofstra University is the proximity to New York City, which is a mere 30 miles away. However, getting there by the bus' schedule takes two hours just to walk out of Penn Station. The pick up and drop-off times are completely unreliable, although I've been willing to always make the sacrifice just to get out of Hempstead. There have been COUNTLESS times that I have arrived at Mineola Station approximately quarter of the hour, I call Public Safety to see if the bus has already left and I hear: The bus only comes 30 minutes after every hour, you have to wait 45 minutes (even though the security/seating station is closed). I have taken the audacity to ask: "Would Public Safety be willing to come pick a few of Hofstra's students here waiting, I'm sorry, our train just arrived." And I have literally heard, "Sorry. They are busy with other transportation," i.e. picking up under-age drunk students who behave reckless on campus and at the bars surrounding campus.

This is been the most frustrating part, especially at night, wondering whether I'm going to ever get a ride home.

Be Careful Past Sunset

Hofstra University is located in a sketchy part of Long Island, where if you turn left out of campus, you'll see a beautiful park. But, if you turn right, you will be entering a poverty-stricken area where gang fights and violence is common. Beware, because that's where all the college bars are.

Good Food Awful Service

The food and workers are supplied by Lackmann Culinary Services. Nobody checks up on the workers, but the food is delicious. I'd have to say it's probably one of the best campus foods I've ever tried and I've been to a fair amount of schools. The issue is the that everybody that works there is incredibly rude and is incapable of successfully doing their jobs. They close early (not fifteen minutes early, an hour early, sometimes two) without permission and without providing options for the students. Nobody checks to make sure they're still open. They're constantly on their phone, ignoring people. Many of them talk about the students in spanish to each other with the student standing right there. It's absurd seeing as that's a college campus and the majority of the students know at least a minimal amount of spanish. I completely understand every comment they make about me. There's this concept called customer satisfaction. It's what most restaurants and successful businesses work in accordance to. That is the absolutely last concern of any of these employees. The school also decided it would be a good idea to give extremely limited hours for the dining places on campus during exams. Now i don't know about most students, but I definitely need extra flexible hours during the exam period. It's absurd.

Girls Make the School Worthwhile

You’ll find all sorts of people at Hofstra: city boys, ravers, rednecks, and lots of good ol’ country boys,greeks, muscle heads. The girls are pretty much just sorority girls, athletes. They are incredibly hot, for the most part. If you aren’t from around here, it’ll take a little while to get used to the Long island/New york accent.

Same Price Better Food

Near my college are the usual fastfood establishments, 2 malls with eateries and a variety of diners. In comparison to the food on campus you get better tasting food and it is cheaper or the same price. If you cook the grocery stores are cheaper than buying on campus.

On the Surface

Everything about life at Hofstra is just on the surface; begin to look a little deeper and you'll rarely find any substance. Most of the programs and events, even the security feels shallow, like it's mainly for show for the rich parents of the students that go here. The classes are for the most part embarrassingly easy and the students in general are of below-average intelligence. However, those with initiative can make the most of their experience and really learn from the better professors and the many speakers and programs held here.

I definitely got what I came here...

I definitely got what I came here for; I’m a television major, and the School of Communication here is fantastic. I’ve done a bunch of video work both for the school and for other companies. I still have a semester left before I graduate, but I feel like I’m already done. I’ve already accomplished everything here that I wanted to.

I wouldn’t change anything that’s...

I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened since I decided to come here. There are lots of good people here, both in the student body and the faculty and staff. I’ve been able to make a lot of good connections that should help me after graduation. Of course, like any place, it has its downside; some of the dorms are in pretty ratty condition. It gets cold and incredibly windy in the winter, and there isn’t really a good sports team to cheer for. On the upside though, we have things like the academics, the nightlife is supreme, and we’re right next to the greatest city in the world.

Hofstra has its ups and downs, and...

Hofstra has its ups and downs, and it can be extreme on both sides. One of the most exciting times I’ve had here was during my freshman year. We would party in the Netherlands courtyard every night once the weather was nice. We’d have live music, football, Frisbee, and just an overall mecca of social activity. All of the good friends I’ve made here are the ones that I met my first year. After freshman year, it’s all downhill; things get way more serious and complicated. Classes become more important, and you won’t have nearly the amount of free time that you once did. I’d say that Hofstra has prepared me for life past graduation; my professors have been great over the years, and on a scale of one to ten, I would give it a seven.