My son is seriously considering HPU. We thought the school was beautiful and like that the class sizes are small and that they offer experiential learning as part of their class credits. However, how many students actually graduate with jobs relevant to their majors? Are students offered good internship opportunities or passed over by companies interested in students from more rigorous schools? I see positives of HPU, but also wonder about what types of graduates it produces?
What are the other contenders?
I love HPU, but do have one caveat - It is not a school that is known for great scholarship money…In general it is a very very expensive school. It is well respected, and a great school for many - I have nothing but respect for it, but my rule of thumb would be whether or not you will go into a great deal of debt going there. If you can afford it, it will generally do well for most graduates in terms of finding employment.
Other contenders: Elon, University of Dayton, Appalachian State, Furman, James Madison, Christopher Newport. He’s still a little undecided on his major but is interested in Computer Science, Architecture or interactive media?
Elon is probably the most well respected in my opinion. Then JMU. I’m not very familiar with HPU but all I know is that getting into Elon and JMU is much more difficult at my school. At HPU, they take almost everyone
Thank you for the information! Tough decision and I just want him to receive a good education at a school that makes him feel like home. He’ll be there 4 (or 5) years, so he has to like the whole school experience, students, etc…as well as the academics. We’ll support his decision…we just want him to have a great college experience like we did!
From what I understand High Point has undergone a spending spree on non-academic amenities
This bothers me.
I read the article and understand the concerns about the “over the top” amenities. It IS over the top (and beautiful…I must say). However, after touring the campus, I also see many students contributing in community service. The students and faculty seem quite collaborative (especially within the Honors Program), and the class sizes are small. Only professors (not TA’s) teach classes. It’s going to be a difficult decision for him. And, no matter which university he chooses, he will be required to pay 1-2 years. We aren’t super wealthy and think he might appreciate his education more if he has made a financial contribution for it. Thanks for the feedback, CC parents.
After factoring in any financial considerations, go for the school with the strongest academics. Don’t get starry eyed at the amenities and brick and mortar attributes. It’s college after all, not a country club membership.
Well, HPU has a reputation for rich kids who don’t want to study much and will get a job thanks to their parents’ connections. Alternatively, it’s seen as a “country club for kids who couldn’t get into better colleges”.
All other contenders are better academically.
Elon is very strong and has an excellent national reputation, as does Furman (Furman’s vibe is quite different though: less moderate and more conservative, less preprofessional; can be a bit expensive, but better value than HPU); Dayton and App State are regionally strong so it’d be a matter of where he wants to study, as does JMU. App State has more “school spirit” than JMU and Dayton is a bit like a mini “Notre Dame”. If you want small classes and no TAs, I’d go with Dayton or Elon. JMU Honors or App State Honors would be good choices too.
Thank you all for the input! I am a UD alum and huge fan of my alma mater. However, I don’t want to push him to go there. I want HIM to make the choice with all the info about academics, where he thinks he’d fit in, etc…All the schools have affluent students and nice amenities. We aren’t picking a school for the fluff. We’re making pros and cons lists for each school. He’s realizing that program of study is most important. I am pointing out freshman retention rates, other campus opportunities, co-op study, internships, study abroad, students graduating with jobs, etc…Since he’s still a little unsure of what he wants to study, we’re talking about schools with 3 options of programs he likes so he wouldn’t have to change schools if he changes major.
Hope that you are all having positive experiences with the college search/decisions! 
For all of you nay-sayers out there- my D will be graduating from HPU this May and she has had a great experience.
The best part of her education has been her wonderful professors. The rapport and interactions with them has been amazing. She is graduating with honors, BS in biology and minors in Chemistry and Spanish. She also has been accepted into medical school. (Less than 10% get accepted nationwide). She received a great scholarship all 4 years while at HPU. She did not go there for the fluff, it was the best value for her $$. So for those of you that think it’s not good academically, I beg to differ. The support of the entire HPU family, from professors to food service workers to upper level staff has been incredible. She also was involved in 2 research programs last summer and will presenting at a sports medicine conference in San Diego in May. Opportunities abound- take advantage of it!
Thank you very much for that wonderful insight in to HPU. It’s great to hear of your daughter’s success, opportunities she received while a student at HPU and her strong connections with faculty and staff. I wish her the best at medical school…congrats to her on such a great achievement!
- just a note: med school acceptance is about 45-50% nationwide. At "strong" schools, it's 70-90%.
Your facts may be a bit skewed, MYOS1634, most competitive schools is 2.7%, and national average is 7.1% for 2014.
“most competitive schools is 2.7%, and national average is 7.1% for 2014.”
You’re talking about a different statistic. Those are the admit rates for the individual medical schools. @MYOS1634 is talking about the percentage of applicants admitted to at least one medical school.
Congratulations to your daughter luckydog, regardless of the statistics it is a great achievement to be accepted at medical school, I know because our S has his eyes on that prize! Where is she going by the way?