HOFSTRA OR SUNY BUFFALO???

[indecisive1724]

Please advise, very torn between the two.  I got into both off the wait list so no scholarship at either, but SUNY Buffalo would cost $25K less with in-state tuition ($15K vs. $40K).  I want to work in New York City after graduation and I cannot determine which school has a better job placement rate in NYC.  I understand they are generally both regional schools - their ranking is not too dissimilar SUNY Buff at 85 and Hofstra at 100, but I dot want to work in Long Island or Buffalo.  I did visit SUNY Buffalo and I have to say I found it very depressing, campus and city.

For me, I would forgo the $25K savings in tuition a year if attending Hofstra gave me a better chance of getting a job in New York City.  I have a few connections there, my boss teaches there part-time and has introduced me to the dean etc., for whatever that's worth.

Any advice about off-campus vs. on-campus living would be very helpful as well!  (I would live on-campus at SUNY and off-campus at Hofstra).

Thanks so much!

[bryan9584]

I'm not sure if the placement is any better, but there is an advantage to being closer to the city, especially when it comes to interviewing and networking. I also think there are more opportunities to do legal related work, albeit there are more law students competing for them.

Good thinking about living off campus at Hofstra, cause the dorms are nice, but a little institutional in my opinion. 

[Bogart]

Go with Hof if you want NYC.  Buff is an extremely regional school with over half of their graduates staying in Western NY.  If it were all about money than I would say Buff but since you stated that you could look past this then Hof is the clear winner.  The only thing good about SUNY Buffalo is that it is cheap. Good luck to you!

[RobWreck]

Since the job outlook isn't that great from either school, why would you want to pay full private school tuition for Hofstra when you can pay full public school tuition at Buffalo? I'm not familiar w/ Buffalo, but I am w/ Hofstra... if you don't want to work on Long Island, and you're determined to work in NYC, then you're going to have to be at the top of your class regardless of which school you attend. Might as well save on the tuition since Hofstra doesn't grant any significant advantage in achieving your stated goals.
Rob

PS: If you were willing to work on LI, then of course Hofstra would have much better local connections, but those connections don't reach very far outside of LI.