Hofstra University

Date: Sep 30 2010
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
Even though I'm rating Hofstra negatively does NOT by any means that I think this is a terrible school. The faculty and classes are actually quite great, the campus is an arboretum so there are beautiful flowers, trees and statues everywhere you look. It's a 40 minute train ride from NYC, and it's VERY easy to get to and from the city at any time of day. Buses take you to the movies, the mall, the grocery store and a few other places on the weekends (Fri-Sun), and the dorm rooms (though some may have minor problems) are HUGE compared to most universities. I've had great success academically on campus, getting outside help from my professors and going to the various Writing and Career centers on campus, and getting recognition by getting invitations from Hofstra's Honors College and being inducted to Phi Eta Sigma, the 2nd oldest National Honor Society (based on your freshman grades) in the nation. All of these things may seem perfect to many people, but I can tell you that I am miserable here.

I came from a city of about 300,000 in New Hampshire, white girl middle class, and I had many friends from every kind of social group - and this was typical for where I lived. I was constantly busy with things like musical theater, yearbook club, and helping out at summer camps for kids. But at Hofstra University, expect to meet a lot of close-minded, cold-hearted people. I'm a sophomore this semester, but I can't handle it anymore. I thought about transferring last year, but thought I was just still adjusting or something. This isn't to say that you can't find a few great friends here, but I have made a total of 3 close friends here, and only 1 of which I'm able to see on a daily basis. And I know you might say that I didn't put myself out there and I didn't try hard enough, but believe me… I come from the "happiest state in the US" according to a recent survey, and even with my upbeat personality and never-rude personality, people just walk all over me and don't give me the time of day to get to know me or anything. (And I'm not one of those people that's "too" happy and upbeat, I just want to make sure you get the impression that I'm not a freak, i'm not emo, I'm not annoying, and I'm not a whore. I'm just an average preppy girl). Except for a few people that I've observed, everyone seems to get friends based on the level of slutty girl they are. If you're the most beautiful person in the world and you wear the best clothes (no matter if you're a bitch or the nicest girl on earth), this is the school for you because you'll have it made. But anything less, and you have to really work to get acceptance. I joined the ultimate frisbee team (they were all so cold and snooty that I quit after a month), I tried joining student council, and just recently I joined Phi Eta Sigma (who I haven't even had time to get to know the people yet, so I can't say much about them), and none of these clubs/organizations gave me any feeling of actually belonging, and certainly nobody friendly enough to give me the time to get to know them and be friends. I feel very alone here, and I'm transferring for next fall. Luckily, I have an internship at Walt Disney World next semester, otherwise I would probably drop out because I would NOT be able to take this for more than a few more months. Like I said before, there are many things that are great about this school. But unless you're model-quality beautiful, have a super out-going in your face personality to kind of force yourself on friends, or you can handle feeling alone and that works for you, I do not recommend coming here. A lot of people here are exactly that last person on the list, that they're very comfortable being alone and by themselves, and that's okay for them. To those people I say, come here, you'll love it. But if you love to have legitimate, close relationships that will last you a lifetime… save yourself the $50 or $60 application fee and do not apply here.