<p>I am just wondering, for any parents of students or students that ended up at High Point, what has the education/college experience been like?</p>
<p>For anyone that is now doing college tours, if you have time for a drive by while visiting Elon/Guilford/Wake Forest, it would be an enjoyable side trip just to look.</p>
<p>My son and niece both attend HPU -niece a junior and son a sophomore. I think they are getting an excellent education. Honestly, I think HPU has always delivered quality academics, but as they grew and built such a beautiful campus, it blew people away and cynics thought to good to be true. They hired around 40 faculty this past year as their enrollment continues to increase. Faculty coming from places like Johns Hopkins,Duke, Notre Dame, and on and on. My son is friends with a kid that is interning at CNN this summer. So anyway, I think they continue to enhance what I think has always been a solid academic program.</p>
<p>What’s not to like about swimming pools, ice cream trucks, beach volleyball and a disney world atmosphere? Would I want to pay for that for my kid? Not necessarily. </p>
<p>Any school with a “department of wow” doesn’t make me feel like education is that high of a priority. I think that was a huge marketing mistake. Their retention rate and graduation rate are lower than I would be comfortable with for my kids.</p>
<p>Obviously it wouldn’t be growing if they weren’t offering something students and parents wanted.</p>
<p>Eyemamon, I would respectfully suggest you are talking out of context. For instance, the ice cream truck gets used by students volunteering at local elementary schools. But it true that High Point isn’t for everyone. They are positive, they have an entrepreneurial spirit, and they act swiftly in their development of academic programs, campus growth and responding to the needs of families. I just happen to think those are all qualities I want my son armed with when he goes out into the world. </p>
<p>It certainly should be on your list of schools to check out.</p>
<p>Check out the BusinessWeek article that just came out about Bubble U: High Point University. It discusses the finances, country club atmosphere, etc.</p>
<p>It is the only university that I have ever seen that has a giant link on the main navigation bar to the Office of the President. Most universities, require a search to find this. Priorities I guess. Creepy.</p>
<p>We visited and I’m glad we did. It was fun to think for a little bit about my son attending here but we didn’t feel that they had enough depth to his intended program.</p>
<p>We’re so fortunate in this country to have a college that fits every person that wants to attend. Big, little, expensive, inexpensive, fancy, basic, etc. To each his own…</p>
<p>I first heard of High Point from my son’s guidance counselor when we met a few weeks ago to pick out classes for next year (11th grade). GC talked about the free water and granola bars, the study carrels by the pool, etc. I told S we’d see it along with Elon and Furman when we visit schools in the summer.</p>
<p>GC said the President’s idea was that you don’t have to be cold tired and hungry while studying (which was basically how I spent my 4 years). I think for the right person, it’s a liberating environment where you can feel relaxed and not stressed. For others, it might be too distracting.</p>
<p>One passage from the article was troubling:</p>
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<p>It is instructive to read the comments on the article as well. One poster claimed that the President sent out an a-mail asking students to post comments. If that was done, it may have been unwise as several of the students and parents who posted come across as hysterical.</p>
<p>An important part of going to college is the experience of learning to live on one’s own. I wonder whether students who have resort-like housing, their own personalized parking places, a concierge to get event tickets for them, and someone to hand them breakfast pastries and ice cream as they walk to class are just delaying some valuable life lessons.</p>
<p>Marsian,
The experience at HPU is stimulating. It fosters curiosity and encourages learning. I believe it is the same type of enviroment that Apple, Google, 3M and the other innovative powerhouses in the US strive to provide at their headquarters as a way to encourage their employees to create, to be productive, to be proud of their personal contributions. You have sensationalized the campus experience. My son and niece attend HPU. There are no personalized parking spots. They can pick up tickets for plays and other things at the concierge info desk (where else would they get them?). You are right, part of college is learning how to live on your own. Please consider that the environment at HPU is preparing students for how to live. Yes, they are treated well. This will lead to them treating others well. Yes, they are encouraged to have a dialogue with the administration. This will encourage them to be engaged in their work and present ideas, to be confident. I think it comes down to optimism vs. pessimism. I would just caution the pessimists from misinterpreting optimism as foolishness. HPU is unique and they continue to build strong academic programs in an environment that encourages students to flourish.</p>
<p>I know wealthy parents with kids at Arizona State who have bought “resort-like” housing for their kids to live in while they attend school, and who have housekeepers come weekly. I don’t think these kids walk to class at all, so that problem is solved :-).</p>
<p>I think an ice cream truck sounds kind of fun, actually, esp for a warm-weather climate. We had a “sandwich man” - isn’t it really kind of the same principle, except that we had to pay?</p>
<p>Dad4411 – I haven’t sensationalized High Point at all but have merely reported what two people (a student at HPU, as well as a parent of another student at HPU) have told us about the school. They both have talked more than once about the personalized parking spaces. Someone’s either denying that those spaces exist or making them up. Perhaps the two people I know are delusional. :)</p>
<p>As for optimism vs. pessimism, I’m a very optimistic person. I have no grudge against anyone who goes to High Point. It’s just that I wouldn’t pay for all the amenities, in large part because I think my children should go through part of their lives (in college is a great time for that) without a lot of extras. As long as they are getting a strong education, I want them to learn to do without some things.</p>
<p>That’s what I’m concerned about. I don’t think it’s a great idea to prepare students to expect such a high material standard of living. Just my opinion.
I agree completely, but those amenities are not just funded by rich parents. According to 2010-11 IPEDS data, 57% of HPU undergrads receive federal student loans (with 18% receiving Pell Grants).</p>