<p>I just visited HPU last week and loved it. Will def be applying. But I'm wondering if any students at HPU can tell me about their experiential learning opportunities. I heard about this from our tour guide, but would love to hear some other students describe their own examples. There seem to be a lot of stuff going on outside class time. Can anyone elaborate?</p>
<p>I have just recently returned from China, participating in a program run by High Point University’s Department of Experiential Learning. As a Chinese minor at High Point University, I was interested in taking advantage of every opportunity to expand my cultural horizons. I hope to enter the world of international communications upon graduation, so I felt it was absolutely crucial to make my to China, and “check things out,” so to speak. My Chinese professor spoke to the class about the opportunity to spend two weeks in China, May 7th through the 22nd, and we were given all the information necessary to inquire about the trip. It was potentially one of the best decisions I have ever made. The trip itself was absolutely incredible, and my ability to read, write and speak the language improved drastically over those two weeks. Being in China really made the difference. Our Chinese professor at High Point University is a native of China, speaking fluent Chinese and English, so I was already ahead of the learning curve as far as reading, writing and speaking ability goes. We took classes in China, too, naturally, once a day for two hours. In class, we would incorporate reading, writing, and speaking into cultural-themed lesson plans, educating us on the history of the country and its corresponding culture. Additionally, High Point University’s Office of Experiential Learning made the experience comforting and stress free. All and any paper work was completed successfully and efficiently, and we were given more than enough time to meet all the appropriate submission deadlines. Also, the Office of Experiential Learning is on 24/7 call, so we were given the directors’ numbers in case of any potential issues. All in all, it was the experience of a lifetime. High Point University went above and beyond to ensure a memorable trip and an incredible learning experience, and the Office of Experiential Learning made it affordable, stress-free, and comfortable to be a part of. I highly recommend looking into any trips you may be interested in, when the time is right.</p>
<p>Hey ECoupedethrill,</p>
<p>I am a rising senior at HPU and I’ve got two personal examples I can tell you about. I am a double major in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. One of my professors said it best when he told us how important it is to apply your in-class learning. It’s important to get good grades, but no one is going to be interested in hiring you if you can’t actually DO what you’re being tested on. A great GPA will only get you so far, so HPU really pushes us to get internships, study abroad, ect. Doing things like this will give us a huge heads up on our peers when it comes time to look for a job. </p>
<p>For me personally, I had no idea what I would do to learn the basics of running my own business. I thought Entrepreneurship internships would be impossible to find since, after all, the whole idea is to run your own business, not work for someone else! But… thanks to our Career and Internship center on campus I got an email one day that literally described exactly what I was looking for to get business experience. They found a great organization called Young Entrepreneurs Across America that allows college students to run their own small business during the summer. It was basically like running my own franchise, but without the personal financial risk. I got to hire a team, build a marketing plan, manage my team, build sales, and the list goes on! It was seriously one of the best summer internships I could ask for! </p>
<p>To get marketing experience, I worked with the school to bring a program to our campus called NASCAR Kinetics: Marketing in Motion. The school was 100% supportive in helping me. Once we were officially part of the program, four other students and myself were selected to be the inaugural team. During this internship experience, we were tasked with two real world case studies that affect sponsors in the world of NASCAR. We submitted our reports to the actual companies, and NASCAR, and got great feedback. At the end of the program we were tasked with running a large scale NASCAR viewing party. We had the challenge of incorporating specific sponsor and programs to attract a specific target market. The school was amazingly helpful in supporting our efforts. The program was great, but it was even better to actually get a feel for what we were learning in our marketing classes every single day.</p>
<p>Hope that gives you a few good examples!</p>
<p>Thank you camdisco and HPU soph! The NASACAR marketing projecty sounds great and I will def be thinking about study abroad. Your study in China sounds amazing. I hope to meet you both next fall!</p>
<p>Hey ECoupedethrill,</p>
<p>As a rising senior at HPU, I have had many amazing experiential learning opportunities. There definitely are many opportunities outside of the classroom for students to further the concepts they learn in the classroom, to gain outstanding experience for future internships and/or careers, and to help them become more knowledgeable about their subject through first-hand engagement. I can provided many examples from my own experiences. </p>
<p>I am a dual-degree student in chemistry and mathematics with a double minor in physics and music. My freshman year, I began participating in a program called AESOP (After-school Experimental Science Outreach Program) led by two chemistry professors where we planned a ‘science-demo’ fair program that we would show at local elementary schools to encourage and inspire kids to learn more about science. This was a very meaningful experience, especially when they kids would get very excited from the results of the reaction. During my sophomore year, I was (and still am) a member in one of the three choral ensembles in the music department. That year, the HPU choirs was invited to perform a solo performance at Carnegie Hall in NYC! I joined 120 other students on a 5 day choral tour to NYC where we performed at Carnegie Hall and a retirement home in Maryland. A man at the retirement home stated to our director after the concert, “This [the concert] is worth being alive today.” This trip was a life changing experience. </p>
<p>Most of all, last summer and currently this summer I have been given an outstanding opportunity through the guidance and connections of my chemistry professors to work as a Undergraduate Research Assistant in a graduate research lab at Wake Forest University (paid-internship). Last summer really enabled me to take the concepts from class and use them in a real-life research project with graduate school expectation. My project focused on the binding characteristics of a labeled anthracene-based dye with a boronic acid moiety to simple sugars and proteins. Through this 10 weeks opportunity, I gained and reinforced numerous concepts that the HPU faculty taught me in the classroom. This summer I have been invited back to the same lab working on a similar project focusing on the separation of a squariliym dye and simple sugars using capillary electrophoresis. </p>
<p>“Experiential” learning is a real thing - one that the faculty and staff encourage students to engage in and learn from. Faculty continually encourage students to engage in undergraduate research or creative works projects, experience summer internships, and more! It has been a great experience for me…wonder what lies ahead next year? </p>
<p>Sincerely, HPU2013</p>
<p>Hello ECoupedethrill,
I am a rising Junior, Interior Design Major, and have had many opportunities outside of the classroom to apply the skills I was taught. Sometimes the information you read in a textbook has you puzzled and wondering how you will use this in the work place, however with High Point Universitys Experiential Learning Program you will learn first hand what it truly means to be at the fore front of the cutting edge program. I have obtained two internships, one of which was at Lilly Pulitzer Home. I obtained this internship simply by working at the International Home Furnishings Market.
Even if you are not interested in the Interior Design or Home Furnishings field, the companies you find at market are not only looking to debut the latest trends, they are also in search for quality young business men and women who have a passion to learn, and potentially run their company. Another great amenity of working with the furniture market is that it takes place in the Spring and Fall so once you obtain an internship you will often be invited back to work the following market, potentially making it an experience that will last a lifetime.
The importance High Point University places on experiential learning is very important because they want us to succeed and thrive when we graduate, and as a student I can not think of a better way to achieve such goals then to get hands-on career related experience. I cannot think of a time when High Point University did not support me in my endeavors in the Experiential Learning Program, which is an experience that will last a lifetime and help me in my future career. High Point University will also assist, guide, and give you all the tools necessary to prosper and achieve great success. </p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck in your college search, and hope to see you around the campus of High Point University.</p>
<p>HPU Sophomore, HPU 2013, and HighPoint Junior, I have a question for you: Are you employed by the admissions/marketing department of HPU? I noticed that all three of you joined this site on the same day, which seems quite a coincidence, especially during summer vacation. Camdisco24, you are not new here but do you also have some official role? Of course you all have a right to post here, just wish you would identify yourselves as paid representatives if that is true. Thank you.</p>
<p>cmscribe, if I were apart of the admissions/marketing department at High Point University, I would certainly have no problem letting you know, no worries there. In fact, I am a rising sophomore at High Point University, and I would have no problem revealing my identity to you via direct message, where I could even show you some pictures from my recent trip to China, just to put an end to your little theory, and prove my legitimacy. But I do not trust you, so my word will have to satisfy you. Also, I really have no reason to actually reveal my identity here, for you have never done it yourself. We all know that if you were to reveal your identity, you would lose all influence and credibility on the High Point University threads (assuming you have any at all), for you have nothing positive to say about High Point University, ever. I’m sorry for showing some pride and compassion towards my university, which you obviously have a sick, negative obsession with, but after my experiences abroad, I felt it was absolutely necessary to let the world know…is that okay with you? I know exactly who you are, and I find the fact that you spread nothing but negative energy throughout High Point University and its corresponding threads pretty pathetic. I attend High Point University, as a rising sophomore, and I couldn’t be happier. I have been provided with opportunities of a lifetime, and my Experiential Learning experience was sensational.</p>
<p>lol cmscribe, I was thinking the same thing…</p>
<p>Cmscribe, I’ve been very open about my involvement on campus as a student tour guide. (Check my previous posts if you’re board) I’m not sure what’s up with the paranoia, but I find it odd that you are so invested in spreading negativity about HPU on this forum. Maybe I can have some fun with this conspiracy thing too! Since we’re having so much fun “revealing our identities”… maybe you could do the same? After all, if someone is posting all positive or all negative things about a school, they MUST be a paid representative! </p>
<p>What’s important to note about my posts is this… yes I am a tour guide, but NO I am not being paid to monitor this forum. I do this on my own time because I love my school. A parent on tour actually told me about this site and said very few questions got answered by real students. I figured it would be nice to give advice to incoming students and curious parents. Most of my posts are pretty candid… I even gave a student advice not to consider HPU because of his specific situation. Do you think a “paid representative” would do that? </p>
<p>Beyond all this silliness, I think it’s great that students joined the forum to tell their story. When you ask most HPU students what their favorite thing about the school is, most will tell you it’s the “experiential learning”. We get excited about it because it’s important to our growth as professionals. I think it is so important nowadays to apply what you know… too many people leave college without the real world skills it takes to be successful. HPU has chosen to take on this issue in full force. It’s my favorite thing to talk about personally, I am very against (what I call) nose-in-book institutions. You HAVE to test your in class knowledge to be a well rounded person and student.</p>
<p>Camdisco, I think your posts are great and very informative. Thank you for taking the time to help so many of us out. I think it is great that you would come here and post for inquiring minds. Even if you are a tour guide, you are still a student which means you have a real perspective on things, you just happen to know the facts too. </p>
<p>HPUsophomore, HPU 2013, and HighPointJunior: Thank you for sharing your experiences with the forum. My son will be attending next fall and it’s wonderful to hear some of these experiences. He is looking forward to getting involved and hopefully having similar stories to tell. </p>
<p>Cmscribe, I think you have made your point loud and clear about HPU. You obviously do not have an interest in the school, so you’re starting to look like you may have an agenda at this point. As a parent, I found your post quite strange. Are you monitoring the HPU page looking for something specific? Even if these students do have some involvement on campus, are their stories and experiences not worthy of posting? Usually the happiest students on a campus are the ones who are involved, so it’s not exactly far fetched that these posters could be involved in the admissions team or student marketing club (if there is such a thing). Anyways, I just think if you don’t like a school or something on a tour, its fine to discuss for a bit, but there needs to be a time to move on.</p>