High Point - Any Liberals There?

<p>My son, a junior in Mississippi, has spent the last several summers as a camper/counselor at a camp outside Asheville, and he has decided he "needs" to go to college in or near the North Carolina mountains so he can kayak and hike in his spare time. We took a NC college tour last summer, and he really liked App State and Guilford. He has a 3.79 GPA, a 26 on the ACT (he's only taken it once and expects to pick up a few points this year), and wants to major in physics. </p>

<p>While in North Carolina, we visited High Point Country Club. What a beautiful campus! My son has mentioned High Point a couple of times since then, but I don't think it would be a good fit for him. He's a very liberal guy, and I don't get the sense he would find many kindred spirits at HPU. In fact, I saw a video on You Tube of a High Point graduation where Lee Greenwood sang "Proud to Be an American" while a trained eagle circled the wildly cheering crowd. While that might inspire some to go out and achieve greatness, I don't think my son would be motivated by such things. When I look at the list of speakers who come to campus, it looks like they have conservative Supreme Court justices (Scalia and Thomas), CEO types, and motivational speakers. </p>

<p>Is there anything liberal/progressive/radical about High Point? It seems like a friendly place and a fine school, but I'm concerned my son will be frustrated by the lack of ideological/political diversity. Would App State or Guilford provide a more "liberal" environment (he just wants diversity of viewpoints - he's not interested in a place where everyone thinks just like he does). Thanks.</p>

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<p>Nope.</p>

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<p>High Point and Guilford are both two hours from the mountains. While that sounds reachable, it means that the mountains are only accessible with considerable advance planning, the dedication of an entire day, and considerable cost. You son would go there a couple times and then the commute would be such a deterrent that he probably wouldn’t keep it up. App State is in the mountains and it’s a better school all around than HPU or Guilford.</p>

<p>Definitely Appalachian. Lots of kids from our high school attend ASU and love it.
UNC Asheville and Western Carolina Univ. could also be possibilities.</p>