My S is very interested in High Point University…he is a high achieving student - mostly AP and honors classes and in the top 20 of his class…he does not want Ivy League or high pressure schools but wants a solid academic school where he can excel but also enjoy his college experience. How hard is it to get into the honors program and is this program more vigorous than regular academic? Need to know we are from NY and to travel back and forth from here to there for a so/so education is not worth it. Also, if anyone has opinions of High Point in the computer science/sciences such as bio, chem, etc. fields or other colleges in that area or in the northeast would be most greatly appreciated. Do the advisors at High Point actually help you decide on a major/minor or are you pretty much on your own?
I’m gonna be a freshmen in the fall in the honors program so I can only speak on the difficulty of getting into it. I got a 28 ACT and I had a 3.9GPA throughout HS. You have to write 3 short essays and have at least a 28 ACT or 1250 SAT and at least a 3.45 GPA. There aren’t any interviews. I chose High Point for the same reasons it sounds like your son is looking at it- I wanted something that won’t be too easy but not something insanely difficult. I would rather be towards the top of my class at a school like High Point rather than towards the bottom of my class at a more difficult school… Hope this helped.
Thanks for the info…did you look at any other colleges in NC? Wanted to hit one or two more while we are down there since it is such a long drive for us…do you know anything about Elon or Davidson?
Niece is HPU grad and we know several grads/current students at Elon & Davidson. HPU has long been known in the southeast for enrolling large numbers of kids from affluent families who aren’t academically able/interested. Campus is beautiful in a Disney sort of way. No doubt there are students there who work hard, but if you are looking for an atmosphere where academics are important, Davidson is leagues ahead (but may be a bigger workload than your S is looking for). Elon would be an admssions safety for your S but still have a good number of serious students, and Wake Forest would be a match. Wake has a “work hard, play hard” reputation. U Richmond also comes to mind as a possible fit for your S – academics are strong, but the atmosphere is not pressure-cooker.
I applied to High Point and Elon and got accepted to both. High Point offered me 15k per year and a spot in their honors program, Elon offered me… an acceptance, but no scholarships, nothing else. I also visited Wake Forest but it was out of the question given that their academics are beyond even what Elon offers not to mention the 60k price tag. You could swing by if you really wanted, who knows what your son might find. I also visited U of SC in Columbia but at 30k+ students it was too big for me. Going off what the other poster mentioned, U Richmond also has around a 60k price tag.
Something else about HPU, their price for tuition on their website (about 45-50k) includes every expense you could imagine (minus upgrading to a larger dorm). When I say everything, I mean it! My family did not have to pay for Freshmen orientation or the Presidential Scholars weekend outside of our own travel expenses, both of which included meals for the whole weekend. Freshmen orientation is a common big expense that some other colleges charge (I’ve heard from friends that their colleges charge $200 or more, crazy, I know). Parking (everyone is allowed a car on campus) is included, the meal plan, the “Tier 1” housing, on campus tutoring, all included. Even semester abroad programs are priced by the university to equal what you would be paying for a semester at HPU- so again, no additional investment. This is something overlooked by a lot of people and is something you will hear more about when you get to campus.
Happy to provide any other info that I am able to.
Thanks for the info…very helpful!
Would love an update on this now that bbe267 has the experience of going to HPU. My S is admitted to the honors program. We recently attended a Presidential Scholars weekend and were very impressed, but reading through the threads has me very concerned.
A couple classmates of our D went to HPU and transferred out. That was a few years ago, but here is a recent comment from the studentsreview site that sums up some complaints we heard:
—The campus and facilities are beautiful and well maintained. My professors this year have been great…qualified, professional and caring. There are several things that potential students should consider. First, there are many hidden costs. Most freshman use Tier I housing which is included in the base tuition but it is very difficult to find Tier I housing after freshman year. The food service boasts about its five star steak house but it is nearly impossible to get a reservation since space and hours are limited. Also, HPU claims that Greek life is only 30% but in fact Greek life is everything. If you don’t join a fraternity or sorority your social life is severely limited. The costs associated with Greek life are very high. Last, the administration has been very disappointing. I was the victim of an unprovoked violent attack on campus which has left me with ongoing medical problems. The perpetrator was found to be “not responsible,” leaving me to feel victimized all over again. —
I also applied to transfer out but I want to clarify some things that mandy said. I haven’t actually had an issue getting reservations for the steakhouse - as long as you are up at 12AM to get the reservation you usually are able to get it. Greek is a huge part and the 30% number seems a bit small if anything - seems like MUCH more than 30% are in greek life. The hazing is really bad with the fraternities. As for the tier I housing, I agree that it is difficult to find on campus tier I housing after freshmen year.
If your child has the slightest academic drive whatsoever, don’t send them here. High Point reels in seniors with fancy Presidential Weekends and Orientations and you don’t see the true side of HPU until you are a student! Very sad.
The honors program turned out to be quite a let down. I get that most of the smart kids want to do science majors, but for business majors, for example they are offering THREE HONORS BUSINESS COURSES for fall 2017. We are expected to take 1 honors course per semester (yeah, only one, I know, real tough huh?). Not to mention that of the 3 business honors courses, only one of them is at the 2000 level that I would be able to take as a sophomore - the other two are 3000.
Oh, and was your son/daughter planning on doing a minor or double major? You can forget that if they don’t have AP/IB credit for at least 4/5 courses! HPU makes their course requirements so that you would have to either take summer school classes or not graduate on time if you want to double major or add a minor. For me to add ONE minor, I am having to take 2 courses at my community college. It only costs me $446 for an entire online course at my comm. college but High Point wants $2800 to take an online summer course - forget it!
Greenynj, what are your son’s GPA/SAT/ACT scores looking like? I’ll get a better idea of how he would fit at HPU