2014-2015 Hofstra University Application Thread

[RWTL]

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Just got back from physical therapy to find an II in my inbox! Great way to start the morning. The dates have filled up very quickly; the email said they start around December. The calendar already had December and January completely booked- nothing until February. Very excited to hear more about this school. Complete mid-late August, 3.5x/35, IS.

 

[SoonToBeDrG]

Alright, questions for any MS/locals! I'm interviewing Dec. 8th and am thinking of flying in Saturday the 6th and departing sometime Tuesday the 9th. I'm fortunate enough to be able to take two days off of work so I'm trying to make the most of my flight from California and experience some of the city. Any suggestions?

 

[NYCdude]

Alright, questions for any MS/locals! I'm interviewing Dec. 8th and am thinking of flying in Saturday the 6th and departing sometime Tuesday the 9th. I'm fortunate enough to be able to take two days off of work so I'm trying to make the most of my flight from California and experience some of the city. Any suggestions?

If you must go to Times Square, only go once. That place is a cesspool. Try out as many different types of cuisine as you can.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

Alright, questions for any MS/locals! I'm interviewing Dec. 8th and am thinking of flying in Saturday the 6th and departing sometime Tuesday the 9th. I'm fortunate enough to be able to take two days off of work so I'm trying to make the most of my flight from California and experience some of the city. Any suggestions?

December is one of the best times in NY. Walk down from central park and 5th ave, down to the Rockefeller Center ice rink/christmas tree, looking at the amazing winter window displays on both sides.

Go to the top of empire state building during the day. We new yorkers will tell you its a waste of time and money, but its something you wont forget so #yolo.

But New york is not so much a place you go seeee (a la Venice), its more of a place you go doo. Met museum of art, broadway shows, random good food in the east village, bar hopping etc.

I love new york.

 

[Falconclaw]

I just got an interview invite from them. Does anyone know how many people applied there last year, and how many were offered interviews? I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Premixis]

I just got an interview invite from them. Does anyone know how many people applied there last year, and how many were offered interviews? I'd really appreciate it!

Roughly 5500 applied, and about 700 were interviewed.

 

[galaxies_3]

I just got an interview invite from them. Does anyone know how many people applied there last year, and how many were offered interviews? I'd really appreciate it!

Congrats! Do you mind telling us when you were complete?

 

[Falconclaw]

Congrats! Do you mind telling us when you were complete?

Sure! It was on Sept 3, which is a pretty quick turn around time. My interview is in February. This is the first school I heard back from, so it was definitely a nice bit of news 🙂

 

[Bbqchickenman]

Sure! It was on Sept 3, which is a pretty quick turn around time. My interview is in February. This is the first school I heard back from, so it was definitely a nice bit of news 🙂

Congrats, what are your stats?

 

[Falconclaw]

Congrats, what are your stats?

3.69 GPA, 3.55 sGPA, 32 MCAT. Not too great, but I guess it worked out for this one

 

[unnumzaan]

II this morning! OOS, complete early August. LizzyM 73. Dates were all in February.

 

[EndoAdduct]

II this morning! OOS, complete early August. LizzyM 73. Dates were all in February.

Congrats! Did you check the portal or did you get it via email?

 

[unnumzaan]

Congrats! Did you check the portal or did you get it via email?

Email

 

[OrbitalOverload]

So which airport is the best to fly into for Hofstra?

LaGuardia Airport and JFK are both in Queens. Either should serve your purpose well. LaGuardia might be a few minutes closer to Manhasset.

 

[mik30102]

Do JFK without question.

 

[FFH]

The AirTran at JFK will take you to an LIRR stop. So yeah.

 

[bionerd20]

Nevermind - saw my question already answered!

 

[Osteoth]

Anyone know the easiest way to travel from Philly to Hofstra on a BoltBus? There are 3 different stops right next to each other in the city...

 

[yunsenb]

II this morning! OOS, complete early August. LizzyM 73. Dates were all in February.

I was complete around late July with similar LizyzM score and haven't heard anything yet. It must have been driving you crazy too!

 

[Bound2Scratch]

Complete mid July and heard nothing. Anyone else in the same situation?

 

[unnumzaan]

I was complete around late July with similar LizyzM score and haven't heard anything yet. It must have been driving you crazy too!

A little bit haha. I added Hofstra after going through mdapps of past applicants with similar stats (California, MCAT heavy 72-74) to mine and seeing Hofstra pop up a lot. I was getting a little offended that those peeps got an invite and I didn't >__> Here's to hoping you hear back too!

 

[sunrider]

MS3 at hofstra here. I am sure as you guys apply, you are curious about Step1 score. Our class did very well. Better than last year's. 100% pass rate with average of 238.

Curriculum is designed for students to learn and we don't focus too much on step1 studying, but the result is still awesome.


Good luck with your applications!

 

[unnumzaan]

MS3 at hofstra here. I am sure as you guys apply, you are curious about Step1 score. Our class did very well. Better than last year's. 100% pass rate with average of 238.

Curriculum is designed for students to learn and we don't focus too much on step1 studying, but the result is still awesome.


Good luck with your applications!

Wow that's awesome, way to go. That's right up there with top 20 schools. What factors specifically do you think contributed to your class's success with step 1?

 

[EndoAdduct]

MS3 at hofstra here. I am sure as you guys apply, you are curious about Step1 score. Our class did very well. Better than last year's. 100% pass rate with average of 238.

Curriculum is designed for students to learn and we don't focus too much on step1 studying, but the result is still awesome.


Good luck with your applications!

Congrats and thanks for sharing! Is there a national database the equivalent of MSAR for all medical school's Step 1 scores?

 

[Bbqchickenman]

Wow that's awesome, way to go. That's right up there with top 20 schools. What factors specifically do you think contributed to your class's success with step 1?

Im gonna guess its because hofstra cherry picks students based on high mcat scores (for a brand new school in NY), combined with a strong curriculum. Their goal seems to be having well prepped, good test takers bumping up hofstra's stats until this new med school on the block is considered top 20.

 

[unnumzaan]

Im gonna guess its because hofstra cherry picks students based on high mcat scores (for a brand new school in NY), combined with a strong curriculum. Their goal seems to be having well prepped, good test takers bumping up hofstra's stats until this new med school on the block is considered top 20.

I have no beef with that, sign me up captain!

 

[kthxbai]

Im gonna guess its because hofstra cherry picks students based on high mcat scores (for a brand new school in NY), combined with a strong curriculum. Their goal seems to be having well prepped, good test takers bumping up hofstra's stats until this new med school on the block is considered top 20.

I got one of the first IIs with an MCAT of 32. I'm still convinced it's more than numbers alone.

Gotta say, I'm kinda tired of posting this here.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

I got one of the first IIs with an MCAT of 32. I'm still convinced it's more than numbers alone.

Gotta say, I'm kinda tired of posting this here.

Except that 32 is right up their alley. Avg is like 33 last i remember, which is pretty high for a 3 yr old school. Curious to see if it goes up this year..

 

[VeggieDoc32]

Can any current students comment on financial aid for this school? How are they with giving scholarships?

 

[IamLeTired]

I got one of the first IIs with an MCAT of 32. I'm still convinced it's more than numbers alone.

Gotta say, I'm kinda tired of posting this here.

Yuuuup. I got a first round II with <32. Average GPA as well

 

[TrixTheCat]

Can any current students comment on financial aid for this school? How are they with giving scholarships?

Our financial aid is very good I'd say. The office of financial aid is in our building so it's very easy to hop in and talk to them. They will sit and listen to you and work with you. I am a current 2nd year and I would say the majority of my class got some kind of scholarship aid. It might not have been a lot but every little bit helps. In addition to which, there is an North Shore loan which I think everyone has the option to accept. This is usually sizable though the amount varies. It carries a 5% interest rate but interest does not start accruing for 8 years after you take the loan, which would be when most people have finished their residency.

 

[VeggieDoc32]

Our financial aid is very good I'd say. The office of financial aid is in our building so it's very easy to hop in and talk to them. They will sit and listen to you and work with you. I am a current 2nd year and I would say the majority of my class got some kind of scholarship aid. It might not have been a lot but every little bit helps. In addition to which, there is an North Shore loan which I think everyone has the option to accept. This is usually sizable though the amount varies. It carries a 5% interest rate but interest does not start accruing for 8 years after you take the loan, which would be when most people have finished their residency.

Wow that's great! The near $50k tuition was looking a little scary in terms of loans/debts, but this is awesome insight. Thanks so much.

 

[kthxbai]

Except that 32 is right up their alley. Avg is like 33 last i remember, which is pretty high for a 3 yr old school. Curious to see if it goes up this year..

Still not a high MCAT, which means the aforementioned premise doesn't stick.

 

[tick_tock400]

So I'm reading that Hofstra's average Step scores are so high…does this mean that the curriculum is really exceptional and/or that students just study a lot? I'm guessing it's a combination of both but I would love to get a current student's input about what they feel the workload at Hofstra is like!

 

[member271]

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[member271]

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[tick_tock400]

This school seems incredibly exceptional, but for a few other questions if people don't mind answering (thank you guys so much for the previous answers!), but would you consider this school diverse? Does the "J" in the "LIJ" part of the school's name affect students at all-- like is there a religious bent to this school here? And are students incredibly enthusiastic/energetic about this school?

I've just interviewed at a few places so far where diversity seemed a little bit absent and students seemed incredibly stressed/not too enthusiastic about their school which is why I'm wondering. But thank you again!

 

[unnumzaan]

Oh also, this. Almost everyone I've talked to is on at least 15k in scholarship and many of us got the full NS-LIJ loan which is 10k. So, yes. It's a big number, but the school is owned 50% by one of the biggest healthcare systems in the US. They have quite a sizable war chest from which they can throw money at us, and they're very willing to do so.

Are those numbers per year or one time?

 

[EndoAdduct]

II just now! So excited for this school!

Complete early September. LizzyM 70.

 

[member271]

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[VeggieDoc32]

Per year. Scholarship is predominantly determined by parental income and number of siblings in college and is re-evaluated yearly (basically, what you get first year ends up being the very least that you'll get, from what Fin Aid has told us). The school is also phenomenal about working with you on understanding what you're signing up for. They require counseling with the Fin Aid office and semi-regular meetings to discuss your funding of med school. Starting in (I think) third year, they start prepping you for repayment and that process. NS-LIJ loan, like was said above, is given out to pretty much everyone. Max of 10k/year, 8 year grace period, and they're working on finalizing the terms of [what is supposed to be 100%] forgiveness if you choose to work within NS-LIJ post-residency (including if you leave to go to elsewhere for residency but return here to practice).

So around $25k with loans and scholarship money? That other 25k just has to come out of pocket then I'm guessing?

 

[member271]

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[unnumzaan]

I mean, at minimum. Personally, I'm on 26/yr in scholarship and another 10 in NS LIJ loan. The total COA is typically about 20k higher than tuition (universal truth if you're paying living expenses with loans), so I ended up taking ~35 in federal loans for first year. My projected total repayment amount was something like 130 for federal and another 40 for NS LIJ.

I just also want to tell you that you should not pick a school based on its price tag. Go where you'll be happiest. I know that contradicts what 70% of people on SDN will say, but is a couple thousand dollars really worth you being miserable for four years? Life's too short for that noise.

Thanks for these posts, I'm getting totally psyched to visit now. One more question: MSAR has Hofstra's non-tuition costs listed very highly (27k other, 5k insurance) vs nearby schools (Stony Brook is at 23k other, 2k insurance and Downstate is at 22k other 4k insurance). Are Hofstra's reported high costs justified?

 

[tick_tock400]

This school seems freaking amazing! Thank you guys for so many in depth responses!

 

[VeggieDoc32]

I mean, at minimum. Personally, I'm on 26/yr in scholarship and another 10 in NS LIJ loan. The total COA is typically about 20k higher than tuition (universal truth if you're paying living expenses with loans), so I ended up taking ~35 in federal loans for first year. My projected total repayment amount was something like 130 for federal and another 40 for NS LIJ.

I just also want to tell you that you should not pick a school based on its price tag. Go where you'll be happiest. I know that contradicts what 70% of people on SDN will say, but is a couple thousand dollars really worth you being miserable for four years? Life's too short for that noise.

Thanks! I suppose you're right, but financials are also important to consider. In my opinion, I'd go to my second or third choice school if offered good financial scholarship.

That being said, Hofstra is definitely a top choice school for me and I hope things go favorably this cycle (they have been so far with that II)!

 

[TrixTheCat]

Thanks for these posts, I'm getting totally psyched to visit now. One more question: MSAR has Hofstra's non-tuition costs listed very highly (27k other, 5k insurance) vs nearby schools (Stony Brook is at 23k other, 2k insurance and Downstate is at 22k other 4k insurance). Are Hofstra's reported high costs justified?

I haven't looked at the MSAR in a loong time so I don't know what they mean by those other prices. One thing to remember though is that both Downstate and Stonybrook are state schools. Hofstra is a private school. There will be a difference in tuition and fees based off that fact alone.

 

[unnumzaan]

I haven't looked at the MSAR in a loong time so I don't know what they mean by those other prices. One thing to remember though is that both Downstate and Stonybrook are state schools. Hofstra is a private school. There will be a difference in tuition and fees based off that fact alone.

I think the number I listed are outside of that. The current MSAR lists "tuition and fees", "other", and "health insurance". So I guess my question was if the cost of living, transportation, and health insurance quotes were appropriately highly.

Edit: For another data point, NYU and Cornell both cite "other (living, transportation, etc.)" as ~19k. Might have something to do with subsidized student housing?

 

[elizabetts]

Anyone know the easiest way to travel from Philly to Hofstra on a BoltBus? There are 3 different stops right next to each other in the city...

You should take LIRR to get to Hofstra, so the closest BoltBus stop is the Midtown West stop at 33rd st. You can take LIRR from Penn Station to Hempstead.

 

[EndoAdduct]

You should take LIRR to get to Hofstra, so the closest BoltBus stop is the Midtown West stop at 33rd st. You can take LIRR from Penn Station to Hempstead.

Do you know if there will be taxis at the Hempstead LIRR early in the morning? The interview is at 8am and the school still requires a short drive from the train station. Thank you!

 

[member271]

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