<p>Wow, I find it very interesting that others received an award in line with the amounts originally outlined on the scholarship website page, while my son’s award was between 4-7 k under what was described! I don’t know how one can top a 4.0 GPA unweighted with many AP and Honors from a rigorous well-respected prep school, including AP Calculus! And test scores in the 92-93% range for both ACT and SAT. Something is not right. Then to hear that the interview didn’t affect the outcome very much. Also, can’t believe my s tanked the interviews either… very well-spoken outgoing young man! Out of 9 colleges, this was the lowest award received by far. Other more selective schools awarded him 45% of COA! I have wondered how much your proposed major played a role in deciding award amounts. He will be a finance/international business major. I wonder how that factored into it. Very dismayed and soured on the school.</p>
<p>P.S. I just looked and yes the chart is back up. It just further infuriates me. Son blew away the typical stats in GPA and scores! He is the 95th percentile of the current student body! Yet was awarded 3 levels down from what he earned according to scholarship level descriptions. And yes, I agree with lefty1, other schools awarded s-ships on the accomplishments already earned in high school. And this ordeal is the only way to try for scholarships, no other programs as with other schools. We also spent hard earned $$ to get there, stay in a hotel, and take off work/school.</p>
<p>2nd base, with stats that good and being a business major, (one of two major considerations for my daughter) I would not even consider this school. Between the height of your childs stats and being a business major. HPU as of last year was still working on it’s accredidation with AACSB. This is the benchmark all business schools hope to achieve. It gives true legitimacy to the program. I’m sure they will get it eventually but to spend this kind of money to go to a program without this was a big no-no for me. Google AACSB and you can see a complete list of schools world wide with this accredidation.</p>
<p>Thanks lefty1. I did look on the website and take note of the colleges having that distinction. Coincidentally, I had just been looking at that accreditation as another college that has become a front runner is in the last stages of applying for it as well, and are building a new business building. Improvements can be done to a campus without being stingy with scholarships. They also awarded my s twice as much as HP, in a Presidential s-ship at the time of acceptance. I forgot to also mention, my s was accepted into the Honors College at High Point and still received a very meager award, well below what was indicated. We had a heart to heart last night. My son said he didn’t think what he would get from HP would that much better than another school to warrant him taking on loans and getting in heavy debt. He has hopes of going on for MBA and then Law School for international business career. So that is a lot more tuition to come yet. He said, “If we were talking Standford I’d have to consider it, but it isn’t”.</p>
<p>In regards to lefty1, sorry your D had a bad interview experience. The interviews are a very important piece in the scholarship selection process, contrary to what others may believe. The professors and students conducting these interviews take them very seriously.<br>
MandyMD, I have never heard of a case of acceptance being based on attending summer school, I hope the facts get straightened out and reporting is accurate.<br>
Everyone else regarding the graduation rates, if your student wants to graduate in 4 years it is up to them to do the work and choose courses wisely. My D will graduate in 4 years from HPU with a BS in bio, 2 minors and pre-med reqs.completed. Lots of hard required, but doable.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman this year at HPU. She was also considering Elon, UNC and USC. Upon our first visit to HPU, I was a little weirded out…a bit too perfect. She loved it right away! After visiting other schools and then going back to HPU, it began to grow on me. She had very high SAT/ACT scores and had an extremely high GPA from a private college prep high school. A decision for us as to where she would ultimately go, came down to bottom line cost. She interviewed at Elon for their Fellows scholarship (which she was offered) and for the Presidential Scholarship at High Point. </p>
<p>The point made earlier about not being offered as much as expected (per the published levels of scholarship) was what we experienced at Elon. She was declared by the school to be a NC Junior scholar, which granted her admission as a HS junior. We were told at that time that she would likely receive one of their biggest scholarships. When the Fellows scholarship was offered, it was MUCH less than we anticipated. After multiple calls to Elon, I was told that the published levels did not hold true for my daughter’s freshman year, that the profiles of admitted freshman were much higher than in previous years…with the bad economy, many kids who, in a good economy would have gone to Ivy League schools, could not afford it and instead were applying and going to the next level schools, like Elon, where they would be able to get big scholarships. </p>
<p>I tell that story, because I am thinking this is what has happened at High Point this year. My daughter was awarded the level of scholarship at High Point that lined up with her SAT/ACT scores. But I know that the student profile of the HPU freshman class has likely taken a big leap in the last year or two. I wonder if they have updated their published levels to reflect the current profile? When my daughter attended the scholarship weekend, she was one of 20 students asked to stay after and have dinner with the president. These were the kids who were being considered for the top scholarships. The girl sitting next to my daughter was trying to decide between Princeton and High Point. </p>
<p>So I believe that in addition to High Point gaining more national visibility, the suffering economy is causing many high-achieving kids to consider High Point where they can compete for the top scholarships. This is just my theory of course. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it was USC that gave my daughter the most money, but she really wanted to go to a small private school, like her high school, and after the disappointing offer from Elon, that was out. She is very happy at High Point and she is very happy that she will graduate with very little, if any, debt. I also agree with the words of one of the boys we met while there on the scholarship weekend…“my degree from High Point is gaining value every day.” I believe that High Point’s student profile is going to continue to rise, quickly, and I’m not sure that if my daughter were actually not applying until next year, that she would receive the same offer than she received last year. </p>
<p>Hope this is helpful:)</p>
<p>Thank you to all that replied to my posts. It helps when we all put our heads together! And Orangestripe, yes you make some excellent points, many of which I agree with. Luckily my son has some other very generous offers from some highly regarded colleges on the table. There is something that doesn’t set right though. For example, being accepted into the Honors Program but it will cost an extra $2800 to be in the Honors Dorm and away from substances. Haven’t you earned that privilege? We always knew there would likely be some compromise involved in this process. Not everyone gets their first choice; that is life. We are still weighing it all out, mostly the finances… we’ll see.</p>
<p>2ndbase - I agree with you 100% regarding the Honors Housing. My daughter is in the Honors Program but chose not to live in Honors Housing because of the additional cost (she lived in the no-additional-cost freshman housing). She is moving into Honors Housing next year and I hate the fact that her decision to live in a substance-free, quiet environment that she expects to be more conducive to studying will cost her well over $2000. From what I’ve been told by HPU, the Honors Housing option is a relatively new option and they are re-evaluting it each year (it has been in high demand). Also, they are offering “wellness” (substance-free) floors and there is a VERY long wait list to get into those floors. They told me that they are looking to add more such options. I can only hope they see being in the Honors Program deserving of lower cost Honors Housing.</p>
<p>Does High Point publish a class profile list for each freshman class? My daughter’s current school does and it serves as a great benchmark to know exactly what the class profile is academically. I had a patient in yesterday. They have not visited HP yet but the son was accepted. He did not apply for scholarships due to his 1.7 GPA. He will most likely attend as it’s one of his few options. This puzzled and concerned me a bit that he was accepted. I’ve still been keeping an eye on the school for my son who is a JR as he is not as academically acomplished as my first was. If he chose to leave the Northeast for school this could be a good option. But I just don’t see the stats rising here as much as we are all hoping they do. I believe it will still take quite some time. If anyone knows of a class profile report I would love to see if to help decide about taking my son down. I already know the campus but due to sports he was unable to attend.</p>
<p>found it. </p>
<p>[Freshmen</a> Class Profile :: Admissions :: High Point University | High Point, NC](<a href=“http://www.highpoint.edu/admissions/freshmen-class-profile/]Freshmen”>Freshmen Class Profile | Undergraduate Admissions | High Point University)</p>
<p>unfortunately the stats have not moved much since 2010. That’s when I began really taking note of the school. I can’t comment before that. I think they will slowly rise but it will take a few more years.</p>
<p>To spend that kind of money on a school that is not accredited seems crazy. I am very leery of this place. There are too many questions that I cannot get satisfactory answers to. HPU does not publish a common data set either, an excellent means of comparison to other schools. It’s a fugazy. Caveat emptor…</p>
<p>Stcoprmater- where did you get your information that it isn’t an accredited school?? It’s been around since 1924.</p>
<p>I think #31 was referring to their biz school not having AACSB accreditation. There are
15+ colleges that are AACSB accredited in NC (Duke, UNC’s, Wake, Elon, etc).</p>
<p>Just want to chime in quickly about the accreditation issue. My son is a business student at HPU and we had similar concerns last year while picking between colleges. In doing research and calling the school, I learned quite a bit. </p>
<p>I don’t want to discount the AACSB accreditation, because is certainly is a perk. That being said, I wouldn’t say having it (or not…) is a make or break issue. Why? Well, there are a couple reasons… Going to an accredited school weighs MUCH heavier for Grad school. Rarely will students ever encounter a business after undergraduate that emphasizes or even mentions going to a AACSB program. My husband works for a fortune 500 company here in NC and he works in the HR department. He explained to me that they have never used accreditation (or lack thereof) when considering candidates at the corporate level. (Even grad school level I might add…) So take that as you may. </p>
<p>I even called the school to see their progress on achieving AACSB. I actually spoke to the dean of business who was really helpful. HPU had everything in line to achieve AACSB recently. But after the business faculty did their research, they decided to hold off for now. The reason being, having the accreditation would force the faculty to meet certain standards that HPU felt wouldn’t truly benefit the students. Simple things like limiting adjunct profs in place of PHD profs. The dean feels adjunct professors are more effective than PHDs with no business experience. After all, a business degree is all about teaching students how to make GOOD business decisions… how can someone who has never been in business truly accomplish this? </p>
<p>Sorry for the rant, but I just remember how I felt last year. So I hope this helps a little. My son has been thrilled with his experience thus far. I am looking forward to hearing more of his thoughts when he takes more of his core business courses.</p>
<p>MaryandJerry, I appreciate your information and I’m so glad your son is happy so far at the school. I don’t mean this to put down anyone who is a student there but to me I am very skeptical of the explanation you were given of why they “held off” from getting the accreditation if they were truly in line and ready to get it. HPU is a master at selling their good points and hiding the not so great one. Unfortunately I have had experience in business and personal life with people who also were “very good” at this. I can tell you all the answers seem to follow similar lines of manipulation to get you to go along with what they want us to believe. I find it hard to believe that they feel not getting this standard seal of approval that is a true benchmark for schools is not something they want to pursue at this time. When we visited in 2011 I was told they were putting all their efforts into getting it and they were hoping it would be coming very soon, perhaps by Fall 2012. (when my child would have entered) This is a standard that schools like Harvard, Duke, U Penn, etc… have. I think those schools are putting out a pretty great product conforming to those standard. I don’t see a reason why HPU can’t fulfill the requirements with PHD’s as well as keeping the other professors on staff to give the HPU experience. Something I DO believe has some merit. Just not at the cost of the others. My daughter’s current college and business school has PHD’s many of which have over 20 years experience in the business world. She is getting both the benefit of the extended education of the professors as well as their real life experience. Basically an adjunct professor is a part time professor, perhaps they have a full time job in the business world?
Grad school is VERY important to many business students, I would hate to be trying to get into a more competitive grad school and being looked over because your 4.0 GPA did not come from a school that met the standards of one of those Grad schools. Once again, I appreciate your information, I hope this doesn’t come off too harsh I just am very skeptical of the explanation especially since it was exactly the opposite of what I was told. Let’s hope they figure this thing out and get it on track soon. I like the ideas of the school but for what they are selling they need to back it up with the standards that are expected from business schools across the country.</p>
<p>lefty1, I agree with you about accreditation. The explanation that they decided to “hold off” is very strange if they had really been on the verge of getting it. One thing I would ask them: how many of your business grads are accepted into top MBA programs? Realizing that not all grads want to get an MBA, but that would be useful in assessing the importance of accreditation. Our D looked at High Point for pre-med but did not apply after finding out that only one graduate had been admitted to med school the previous year, which seemed unimpressive for a school with 4,000 students. She is looking now at several schools that seem to have much stronger programs.</p>
<p>mandymd, exactly my thoughts when we looked. Believe me there are things I like there. Had my kid thought about Communications, or Interior Design, it would be a slam dunk. They have proven themselves in these areas. Again, for my D considering a Pharm-D program. They are VERY tough to get into. My thoughts were to go to HPU, do well and be taken into this program as one of their own. I felt it would be an easier inside track into something she may have otherwise had a hard time getting into. For my D’s purpose of the degree it wouldn’t really matter where it came from. Working as a standard Pharm filling scripts is a great job and as long as she passed boards no one would care where her degree came from. Unfortunately the time line didn’t line up with the schools completion to work out with when she’d be ready to start and she decided on business anyway. I just don’t understand how a school that actually models it’s business school building after the Harvard School of business to inspire students wouldn’t want to reach the same credentialing as that school??</p>
<p>lefty1, I should clarify, there were more reasons for HPU holding off on the accreditation. I would suggest calling the school and speaking with the business dean so he can explain it to you better than some mom on a message board! lol. I’ll openly admit, I was also told that AACSB was on the radar when we toured, but the Dean did not hide this from me. He said they were looking at their options to gain the accreditation, but just did not feel timing was right. I would be more concerned if HPU’s business school was floundering on mediocrity, but I would consider the program quite strong. Especially with the connections Dr. Qubien has brought to the program. As a native of NC, HPU’s business school has great reputation. My husband’s company actively recruits HPU finance students for post grad jobs.</p>
<p>One last thing to touch on for business students… it is becoming a national trend for students pursuing an MBA to go into the business world for 2-3 years instead of going directly to Grad school. In fact, our neighbor’s son was told he would NOT be admitted to a top MBA program without business experience first. I would suggest not getting hung up on accreditation, but rather finding a school that gives you the best chance to land a job after college. Remember, it’s about WHO you know, and going to a school that is “plugged in” like HPU gives me great confidence for my son and his peers.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted if she agrees to attend an $8K summer program where you are required just to take 1 course, which can be something like a ceramics class. You can also sign up for volleyball, badminton, dodgeball, etc. From what I can see it is not an option but required to gain admittance. My daughter has been accepted to several college and not one other requires something like this. Although I am not thrilled by any of the colleges she has been accepted to, HP seems to cater to spoiled kids (voted #1 in America for that) who basically are unable to attend a selective college based on high school grades. In doing research I discovered the President’s daughter’s firm gets paid $1M/year for PR services. Looking the firm I see that a fair number of employees are somehow related to the President of HP. [McNeill</a> Lehman](<a href=“http://www.mcneilllehman.com/ML5/contactus.html]McNeill”>http://www.mcneilllehman.com/ML5/contactus.html). </p>
<p>I also noticed that HP borrows a lot of money from a bank BBT and Dr Quebin is on the risk management committee for the bank (people who decide on loans) and a Board Director. He has also managed to acquire a $4M stake in the bank. Something does not seem right here. I get the sense that Mr Quebin who has a MBA and no PHD seems to run the school like a business where he and his family can extract rather substantial salaries. The students are profit centers who are to be milked for every possible $$ such as $8K summer camps. I also have read posts that the college has hidden fees for just about everything (sort of like what most cruise ship lines do).</p>
<p>To isitworthit: The summer experience program you are referring to for $8K is (2) 4 credit courses such as history, math, religion, bio, communications, criminal justice, sociology and either art or music. You also have the option of taking one (3) credit college prep class with PE and (1) 4 credit class. The summer program is for a total of 8 college credits. This program is not mandatory for students applying for admission. </p>
<p>There may be an exception for students with certain stats who may have pass summer experience as a provisional requirement. HPU also has a learning excellence program for all students including thoses with learning differences. These students are ecouraged to attend.</p>
<p>My son attended summer experience, but was not required to do so. He wanted to get a few core courses out of the way. He actually entered his freshman year with 17college credits with AP and summer experience and with most of his core classes out of the way. Not only did he receive the 8 credits, but was able to acclimate to college life and make new friends. He has not been charged any extra fees for anything. In fact I find that most everything is included such as laundry, copies, meals including steakhouse and bakery, events etc.</p>