By Jenica Chandran, Staff Writer
For many students, the fall semester is just beginning. For the medical students of Hofstra and North Shore LIJ’s School of Medicine, classes have been in session for well over a month. The School of Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of 40 students (20 women and 20 men) through its doors on Aug. 1. Though it has only been a little over a month, the 48,000 square-foot school, located on Hofstra’s North Campus in the former Jets training facility, has already gained the attention of students, faculty and the surrounding community alike.
There has been a lot of positive feedback regarding the School of Medicine joining Hofstra’s eight other schools. Dr. Labiento, who is part of the Department of Health Professions and Kinesiology at Hofstra said, “As an alumnus of Hofstra University, I am very proud of the direction Hofstra University is taking in the fields of medicine. There is a great need for caring medical practitioners, and I believe that The School of Medicine’s focus addresses the caring, practitioner aspect, as well as the rigorous school.”
The hype surrounding the medical school, as well as the expected competitiveness of the medical student admissions pool, has not only impacted aspiring pre-medical students, but faculty as well. Dr. Vandana Bindra, who is part of the Chemistry Department faculty pool at Hofstra, has noticed a steady increase in enrollment in the Chemistry Department, since medical schools generally require a minimum two years of enrollment in chemistry. “I can attest that the opening of the medical school has steadily been affecting enrollment in general and organic chemistry over the last couple of years already,” she said. “This year the jump was even steeper. For example, last year at the start of the fall semester, the enrollment number for the general chemistry course was at 316, and this year at the same time the number is at