Yes, Elon is a fine school and I have helped a lot of kids apply there. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
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Where I am going with this, as you asked, is to point out that apparently HPU is not solely rich white preppy kids, given its demographics. Some of last year’s grads were admitted to medical school, law schools, and work at the Big 4 accounting firms. I am not a fan of the university, but the criticism of it on this site is just silly.
Demographically, Sarah Lawrence is similar-25% POC and 65% of students graduate in 4 years.
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We get emails all time asking my D to apply for no application fee ( limited time only). I do know kids who graduated there and a couple in school and I hear they are very happy with the experience.
Mostly it appears to appeal to upper middle class student who don’t have stellar grades but still can be successful in life with softer skills, especially in business where book intelligence vs common sense smart are equally as important.
If my kid was an average student, I would definitely consider it - 4 years of country club like setting where practical life skills are placed above grueling classes doesn’t sound all that to bad to me (if affordable) - it works for a certain type of kid/family.
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ha ha - i’m not pushing them - i was intrigued by that they ran ads hence I brought up the chat.
I was wanting to see CDS to see how many earn scholarships, etc. Their stats per se aren’t bad and they have a good ranking (in their US News category). I’m all about cost, etc.
When we visited - was a drive through - covid - like Wake Forest and Richmond they said if we didn’t have a visit scheduled, we couldn’t get out of the car - but they had the students name written electronically on the parking lot spot - so I knew it was Disneyland.
I wonder if people actually go to class and get educated 
I’m sure it’s legit but does seem over the top. Their placement shows strong - what they show.
You’re actually making me quite curious to actually go and visit High Point. Of course, I have too little vacation time to make a visit just to see it, but if I’m in the area, I may have to.
We could start a whole thread about reasonably well known private colleges with fairly low four year grad rates.
In HPU’s favor, it isn’t terribly expensive for a private U. Or at least, it’s a lot less than $80k a year, which is common at highly selective colleges these days. And they seem to award about 40% of freshmen some kind of scholarship, which is also not a bad thing.
There were a few nuggets in this thread from the spring: High Point University stats vs opinion
In particular, the appointment of the new Dean of the law school raised a few eyebrows. https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/high-point/high-point-universitys-new-law-school-dean-reportedly-helped-trump-fight-2020-election-results/
I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole in trying to find out more about Qubein. His supporters have a lot of faith in him, clearly, as the university received $100 million in donations and has been expanding like crazy. I acknowledge that generous scholarships will make a difference to a lot of students. Given their aggressive expansion and advertising blitz, it won’t be surprising if it does become a better university at some point.
I’m with you on this! Now I’m so curious.
My knowledge of HPU is limited to hearsay and what I’ve read on CC. Are our perceptions up to date? Is HPU trying to improve its reputation and are they doing so successfully? It sounds like the Disneyworld reputation is still accurate to some extent, but I wonder if the academics are improving… or not. Is it moving toward a recommendation for the “3.0 student”, especially one interested in southern LACs?
Just musing. But based on the info in this thread we may all be learning more about HPU over the next few years.
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Maybe it’s the next Elon.
It wasn’t long ago that Elon wasn’t a known commodity.
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my friend who went there had a 1/2 scholarship for the first 2 years, and a full ride for the last 3 years (he got an extra year for covid, as did most athletes). He is, IMO, the typical HPU student - a B average from a very good public high school, in school to play his sport, majored in business or communications or something he can use in sports, wealthy grandparents who could pay for anything not covered.
It worked out well for him (covid actually helped with the extra year). He graduated, he works on the business end of his sport and he plays professionally. Did they give him ‘life skills’? I hope so because he had none heading off to college. I’m not sure he had ever loaded a dishwasher or run a load of laundry. He wasn’t looking for philosophy or how to write the perfect essay out of college so I think learning a few life skills was the way to go.
My cousins who went to Williams and Wesleyan, had no life skills coming out of college so learned them afterward; it was a hard road.
I live in Silicon Valley and my DH works at a FAANG. When the Woz and Marc Randolph became associated with HPU, it left a lot of head scratching in certain high level management circles.
I’m sure it pays well.
Both were early and important - but out of the impact game for a long time.
Randolph is a great speaker though.
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No, pretty different IMO. I’m semi-local to these schools. I knew NC kids who went to Elon in the 1970s (older neighbors). Didn’t know anyone who went to High Point, but they were similar schools then — just your average small non-selective regional private school.
Since Nido Qubein has been president of High Point U he has a certain vision for it that is outside the realm of traditional academia (never heard another university brag about their “life skills”). This is from his Wikipedia page entry: " Qubein has written 11 books, including How To Communicate Like A Pro and Stairway to Success: The Complete Blueprint for Personal and Professional Achievement ." I think that kind of sums up my impression of High Point U. He has a real “How to Win Friends and Influence People” vibe to me.
In contrast Elon’s president, Connie Book, has a long career in academia. Connie Ledoux Book - Wikipedia
Also on High Point U’s website he refers to himself as “Dr Qubein” but he has an honorary doctorate from UNC-Greensboro, not an academic degree.
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I was wondering where he came from. I couldn’t see his education I read he was a speaker/consultant. Wonder how he got the gig ?
Interesting the Elon President has a phd in journalism. That major and academia usually don’t go hand in hand.
Hundreds of universities offer journalism degrees. The phd programs at Columbia, Maryland and Texas are highly regarded, among others.
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Oh I know. I’m a journalism degree holder.
Typically you don’t see Journalism PHDs as university presidents - all I was saying. Was just surprised. Usually it’s a social science, humanity, engineering etc.
Not knocking her or anything. Just was surprised.
Interestiny that when I read about the faculty, at Syracuse, my alma mater - so many don’t have doctorates but just bachelor or masters.
So I think it’s less likely you find a Journalism degree leading the charge. Nothing wrong with that tho.
I think my whole view of HPU is shaped by the neighborhood parent I heard talking about the “concierge” in her daughter’s dorm who was able to get into her room to feed her fish when she had to leave for a week on short notice due to Covid.
The kid graduated with a degree in business. The parents were thrilled that she needed to wear “business clothes” to class. (From what I hear, it’s pretty common to see females going to class in dresses and heals) She’s been living at home since she graduated more than a year ago and the only skill she seems to have perfected is making really pretty charcuterie boards.
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I am pretty sure I know graduates of T20 schools living at home without direction a year after graduating too. Some kids do not launch, regardless of college.
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Perhaps a career as a sushi chef or restaurant owner is in her future given it appears to combine several interests, skills and academic background😀
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But that doesn’t quite fit the tagline of HPU.
Agree with Sweetgum - HPU and Elon are completely different animals.
I know a student at an NC public who was accepted at HPU and went through the hoopla of attending the special day at HPU where they gather in a large lecture hall and are simultaneously told that they’ve been accepted and then are given scholarship awards (had to be there in person to get the max award). This student didn’t last through the first semester.
It seems like an expensive investment just to obtain the “life skills” that parents should have been teaching since early childhood. Kill me now if I need to pay a college to teach my kid how to do laundry or use a phone to make restaurant reservations.
I haven’t seen ads here in NC, but I’m sure their market research tells them not to waste their time on us.
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