By Dabari Morgan
Student satisfaction at the University has not improved, according to the Princeton Review’s latest survey.
According to the 2007 edition of The Best 361 Colleges, the University ranked fifth for students dissatisfied with financial aid, rising above the previous eighth place ranking, as well as 10th for least happy students, up from 18th place. This past month, the Princeton Review resurveyed the University. The school placed 17th for little race/class interaction and 18th for poor “town-gown relations.” Town-gown relations refers to how well students get along with the community that surrounds the campus.
Robert Franek, author of The Best 361 Colleges, asserts that the surveys are based “100 percent [on] student opinion.” Rankings for this edition were based on surveys of “115,000 [undergraduate] students overall,” with a target response of a “little over 10 percent at each of the colleges.”
Princeton Review officially resurvey students at each school at least “once every three years” and publishes its findings “once per academic year, usually in August.” The survey features more than 80 questions and is divided into several sections including: “About Yourself,” “Your School’s Academics/Administration,” “Students” and “Life at Your School.”
“Hofstra University has been featured [by the Review] for the past 15 years,” Franek said.
The Review covers 361 out of 3500 American colleges and universities.
Melissa Connolly, vice president for University Relations, commented in regards to the Review’s ratings. She said that the method the Review uses “is suspect” and criticized the way the Review surveys the University.
She talked about the improvements the University is making in regards to the financial aid department. She said the “$100 million capital campaign,” launched in May, will help “increase student scholarships,” which she points out “is one of the president’s primary concerns.” She talked about the improvements that have been made to make customer service “friendly.” She also said the University community has found the results “insulting.”
“Students have come to me wanting to campaign against the Princeton Review,” Connolly said.
Students at the University had mixed reactions to the survey. Regarding financial aid, some students agreed with the findings. Some students said they need more financial aid, while others said they were happy with their aid.
Concerning the Least Happy Students ranking, some students say “Hofstra sucks,” while others say, “I love it here.” One student said, “If you don’t like it here, it’s your own damn fault.”
The rating that attracted a lot of responses was the race and class relations. There was a conflict between groups of students in regards to the issues. Some students claimed that students are “separated.” Students regarded some people as “anti-social” and “rude.”
Another student replied, “There are cliques.”
One African-American student said, “Blacks only know blacks.”
Other students went on to say there “is no diversity,” while others who oppose the allegations claimed that “Hofstra is very diverse” and that “classes are filled with students of different races.”
The Princeton Review ranks Universities, and publishes the results in its college admissions guide.