Hofstra University

Date: Oct 02 2010
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
To preface this review, just know that I have only been here for a month, but I am still going to give my opinion of what I think so far.

As a senior in high school, I used this site frequently to decide what would be the best college for me to attend. I am a Public Relations major, and that major is not offered at a lot of schools. That's how I ended up at Hofstra University.

People: What I immediately noticed coming to this school was that many, many people go out to the bars near the school. These bars will serve underage kids. I don't know how they have not been shut down. Pretty much all the students care about is drinking. So, if you're like me and don't drink a lot, then you may want to be prepared to not make many friends.

I have not had one intelligent conversation since I started school here. These kids are mostly rich snobs from New York or New Jersey and all they care about is partying and smoking weed, and little else.

Education: The programs seem to be a work in progress. For example, when you are visiting the school, they will brag that their communications program is state-of-the-art, and that they are so connected to outside firms in NYC. This is only partially true. Yes, the professors do have incredible connections to internships, but their actual programs need work. They are very old-school and need a lot of improvement. I am currently taking a Journalism course where we ONLY do print, and nothing else.

Location: Hofstra is located in Hempstead, NY, aka the ghetto armpit of Long Island. Yes, the campus is beautiful, but the surroundings are atrocious. Garden City, the town next door, is nice. The mall there is very big and there are many high-end stores, so if you're into shopping, that's a plus. New York City is a train ride away and it's very easy to get there, you just need to find people that have money and want to go with you, which can be tricky.

Extra-Curricular Activities: Hofstra has a few EC's related to Public Relations. There is PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) and their new on-campus firm PRestige, which handles on-campus and off-campus clients. These programs are pretty established in the school, and joining them is a good way to make friends and get connected in your major. They come out with a newsletter every semester called "We are Comm" which looks like a middle-schooler designed and wrote it. Interested in journalism? Don't write for the Chronicle (Hofstra's campus paper). They don't know how to edit, and they will never make you a better writer. Overall, the EC's are, at best, average. You can put it on your resume, but it probably won't make a hell of an impression.

Bottom Line: If you are a PR major like me, look elsewhere. There are other schools such as BU or NYU or USC (I know these are hard to get into, but worst-case scenario, you can transfer in, like I plan to) that have much better programs that will get you a great job. If you want to make friends that aren't drunk 24/7, Hofstra is not for you.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I CAN SAY, AND IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE PLEASE READ THIS: As a freshman I wish I had listened to the negative posts on here and taken them to heart instead of just brushing them off. I regret my decision to go to Hofstra, and I agree with all of the negative posts. If you are a senior and thinking about going to Hofstra, please, please read ALL of the comments (positive and negative) and really make an informed decision. DO NOT let the school's propaganda get to you. Think before you decide.