<p>I also wanted to share that my daughter decided upon a very small school with lower entrance stats, etc than other schools she could have gone to. However, this school “spoke” to her. They had her unusual major, everyone knew you, and it felt like family. She had a fantastic four years and says she will always treasure those years and the memories.</p>
<p>Yankeesgirl - I hope you are very happy. I’m about 1.5 hours from High Point and although I am not familiar with the school, the president is a dynamic speaker. Your college experience and education is what you make it. Welcome to North Carolina.</p>
<p>I would have never guessed there would have been so much discussion about HPU - I will drive through the campus next time I am nearby.</p>
<p>It’s great that students have so many good choices - it’s nice that most on CC recognize this.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I was also accepted at Rutgers (all 3 campuses), Bryant, Towson, Sacred Heart, and Montclair. I was waitlisted at Marist and Loyola MD. I was denied at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. Still waiting on UCF- but it doesn’t matter. I can’t wait for High Point its going to be so fun!</p>
<p>You have some nice acceptances in hand! Just curious, did you visit Sacred Heart and Bryant? They are also small schools. I can’t say I blame you for saying good-bye to the public Us.</p>
<p>No I didn’t visit Sacred Heart- it was a safety and I didn’t really want to go to Bryant- another safety.</p>
<p>There are a couple of people (not just person anymore) in this discussion who are passing judgement on the academics at HPU, while openly admitting they have not visited, researched, or even in one case - heard of - High Point. And most surprisingly it is being put forth with such authority when it is nothing more than an assumption.</p>
<p>How dare these individuals prey on a young girl who was so resolute (and thankfully still sounds so) in her choice of High Point as the school that fit HER best. How dare they recklessly take the wind out of her sails. These are stressful days for high school seniors and these decisions are not taken lightly. For those of you defending her decision - thank you.</p>
<p>High Point is consistently on the up-and-coming list of USNEWS, number one in the south for the past two years. This is a source that is often referenced on CC forums as being honest, accurate, and doing due-diligence. I’m sure the staffers at USNEWS were not hypnotized by a Good Humor bar. They came to their conclusion by researching the academics, the future plans, the faculty, the facilities (comfort and classroom), success and satisfaction of the students, etc. They are not being bribed by a swing on a hammock and a bottle of water.</p>
<p>We have spoken to faculty. We have spoken to students. We have spoken to deans, admissions, and many others at the school. They are all enthuiastic, well-spoken, and honest. If asked a direct question they do not skirt the issue - this is unlike some of the sugar-coating I have seen at other schools. High Point is in a period of growth - in size and popularity. I can speak of the sciences - many students go on to highly rated graduate programs, and good med schools. They are actively filling multiple faculty positions in the science departments. They will break ground soon on a state-of-the-art science building. In the meantime they are performing a multi-million dollar renovation and upgrade of the existing science facilities for fall 2010.</p>
<p>It is frequently mentioned that a student applying to highly competitive schools needs a hook to distinguish themselves from the pack of applicants. Well, that is what the ice cream truck and kiosks are for High Point - a hook - a ‘look at me’. It’s a way to get themselves noticed. They’ve done that, and I believe that the marketing will soon change. They are attracting better students now. The statistics are going up. They are doing so by having an active scholarship program and a comparatively low cost of attendance. The plan is working, they are getting higher caliber students from middle class families who can’t afford their high EFCs. They are getting students who can get into schools one and two tiers higher with small merit awards, but these schools are still leaving a gap in cost that is too big for the family to cover. So, these bright, pioneering students are opting to go to HPU - a school that is affordable with that big presidential scholarship, a school that values them and courts them, a school that has a hook to get their attention. A school that a bright student is not going to attend until they have spoken to the faculty and the advisors and are convinced that they will get a good challenging education. These are not underachievers, they are convinced that the academics are there and will only get better, they are hoping that they will help the school rise in rank and reputation. They are taking a responsible route with their education. They are not looking to burden themselves and their family under mountains of loans at a school with a better reputation, but was out of reach financially. They are perhaps not comfortable going into a public university whether it be about size or economic problems many states are suffering and taking out on their universities.</p>
<p>There is a rhyme and a reason for every decision.</p>
<p>I merely mean to ask, What is the point of purposely choosing not to go to a school that is clearly more likely to educate? No one has actually given any proof that High Point has a good education, that High Point students do well in jobs/academia/that High Point has something special about its academics. </p>
<p>There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a lesser known or lesser “ranked” school. Nothing wrong with starting at communitiy college. But there’s something about a school that has no intention of making its top priority your actually learning something. </p>
<p>No, I don’t have to have visited to make an opinion about this school. No one’s actually answered:</p>
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<p>If said parents of students or students at HPU can actually tell me something about HPU’s statistics or their mission education wise, or what is so great about the school’s academics then I will happily admit I am wrong about the school.</p>
<p>Until then, I am utterly gobsmacked by the idea that anyone would insist there is any better ‘top’ reason to go to a particular school besides the quality of the learning there. </p>
<p>The comments made have done nothing to sway me otherwise:</p>
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<p>Yankeesgirl claims the school feels like a resort, that everyone is happy, and that you’ll never want to leave. She even questioned herself how it was a school. </p>
<p>Personally, that, and the religious undertones only affirm that something is off, and is creepy. It sounds little different from Bob Jones or Liberty, excepting the amount of evangelism going on. </p>
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<p>This makes me (with good reason) uneasy about the school. I am apparently not the only one, in the other thread:</p>
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<p>And as for the senior…</p>
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<p>I would have gone to a school that was cold, large, crappy dorm-ed, and where I was anonymous a thousand times over if it meant I actually learned something while I was there; especially if it meant I learnt self-reliance, and independence. (And believe me, I was quite close to doing exactly that.)</p>
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<p>…That said, this is College Confidential. If you feel free to speak on the parent boards about your life choices, you are also well-aware that people may disagree, and tell you why. Have an amazing time at High Point. That doesn’t mean I’m any closer to understanding what education there is to be had there.</p>
<p>Yankeesgirl is determined to attend HPU. We have all, good or bad, given her our 2 cents. I wish her the best of luck and is up to her if eventually wishes to stay or transfer to another school. I personally advised her not to attend, but she is not going to listen to us, just as I didn’t listen to many people. I followed my heart, although included it was great education, tough professors and unbelievable opportunities to advance in my career goals. My parents are paying a load of money for my education, and it is my obligation to do well as a token of gratitude. Having said that, if all she likes about the school is that feels good, and she likes it there, it is her money, and her decision. We don’t know her, we will never know her, and I wish her well. I think this topic has gone to the tangent, and needs to be dropped. HPU may not be our dream school, but it is hers. Lets respect that</p>
<p>blmom14- i agree with you. </p>
<p>multitasker- THANK YOU.</p>
<p>geez you parents are attacking me hahaa. whatevs i don’t really care but i was just wondering what other people had to say about hpu. i wish all your children the best of luck!</p>
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<p>Then the question I have is no longer directed towards her, but towards the thread in general- Where is the info the OP asked about? Where do HPU students go? </p>
<p>My comments all remain the same; Have a great time at HPU, I mean it. </p>
<p>I just want to know about the school’s education. Neither this thread, nor the linked one have made very positive cases; so what is the deal?</p>
<p>The information I have found indicates that 22% of students go on to further study within 1 year of graduation. The schools that are most frequently selected are High Point, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest and Appalachian State.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth … I know three kids who go or went to HPU, all of them graduates of the small Catholic school here in town, with well-to-do parents. One graduated with a double major in business and interior design, got a job right away and has done quite well for herself. Her brother was all set to go to University of Dayton, but changed his mind at the last minute and is at HPU - not sure of his major. Another girl is on a basketball scholarship, and is also doing well. All that being said, another friend looked at it with her son and said it was nice, but too preppy. To each his own, I guess …</p>
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<p>I know a non-traditional student who majors in either interior design, or a similar major. She says that since many furniture businesses in the High Point area have closed, HP is able to hire many people who have had wonderful careers in this field. She feels that this program is very strong at HP.</p>
<p>I find it hilariously ironic that some posters are attacking yankeesgirl for considering campus, weather, activities available on campus, etc., when that’s much of goes into the CC “sacred cow” of “fit.”</p>
<p>I hope you have an amazing time at HPU, yg! :)</p>
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<p>I’m not attacking her, I asked why would she choose a school like that. She wants to attend because of nice dorms. That’s fine. I understand small schools too, I choose one. But people have repeatedly pointed out that academics are hardly mentioned at all in the initial hard sell, and she hasn’t said a word about it either. Frankly, I don’t care if she goes. That’s fine. It’s probably exactly what she wanted. </p>
<p>However, I joined the thread after everyone made it about defending one student’s choice, and not about discussing the topic at hand. I still think the school sounds creepy- I would have said it had she not stepped in, and don’t feel I’m attacking her by asking her why HPU? She came in to defend her future school, so I expected her to know something about its academics. </p>
<p>But I don’t really care about that as much as everything else about the school and not the student. It’s not my mission to harass her. </p>
<p>As for HPU: When the consistant negative remarks- especially in the other thread- remark on “1984-like atmosphere” “stepfordian” the president joking about “beauty” “drinking koolaid” “disneyland” a “resort” and a “country club where the richer students can buy better dorms” I question the fact that everyone seems to recognize the fact that it’s over the top to have a concierge service in a dorm, but still hasn’t given me any links or hard evidence I can see for myself about the value of a degree from High Point. </p>
<p>It smells little better than South Harmon Institute of Technology, at the moment for me. While I recognize that I’ve never been, I also can’t deny repeated comments on things that seem ‘off’ about the school. </p>
<p>It’s one thing to disagree on the feel of a school- some people love it, some people hate it, but rarely to people make comparisions to cults, horror novels, and dysutopic societies when describing the atmosphere of a school.</p>
<p>Oh, yes, I agree that HPU sounds… interesting and that the academics and day-to-day reality of life at HPU need further investigation–I just take surprise at CCers criticizing someone for looking at the non-academic factors in choosing a college when usually it’s the other way around. Also, I have to say this thread and the other one on HPU have been fascinating to read.</p>
<p>Actually, I wish there were more schools like this. If people who care more about amenities than academics all go there, maybe the populations in schools like mine would become more intellectual as a result. I wouldn’t mind.</p>
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Which, you may have noticed, she didn’t ask for.</p>
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<p>My D is currently interested in both Wellesley and Bryn Mawr, both of which have absolutely stunning college campuses and magnificent old buildings – dorms with fireplaces in the room, dorm lobbies with stained glass windows, built-in bookcases and decorative crown moulding and that look like something out of a castle. Those amenities have “nothing to do with teaching.” If D goes to either one of those, she’s not going to walk out of there and go live in a place that looks like any of those dorms.
So what, though? </p>
<p>I have no dog in the HPU fight, but the quality of dorms, accommodations, facilities is something that is appealing in students choosing at the “higher” academic levels - I see no reason it couldn’t or shouldn’t be important to students choosing at the “moderate” academic levels (which, I guess, HPU is – I really don’t know). </p>
<p>And choosing based on those facilities seems smarter to me than a lot of other reasons students choose colleges – I mean, I personally think it’s pretty silly to choose a college because you want to root for a sports team, but lots and lots of kids use that as their decision criteria, so it’s kind of hard to say that that’s ok but deciding based on a fountain and free ice cream isn’t. </p>
<p>Soze, I don’t get why this upsets you so much.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, I completey agree with you. Good post.</p>
<p>Years ago, before many schools had Starbucks coffee on campus, I recall several students choosing a college according to how far the nearest Starbucks was from campus. </p>
<p>I have read that some students are interested in things like a golf course on campus, and many climbing walsl were built to try to attract students when that was so popular. </p>
<p>None of the above has anything to do with who is teaching the classroom, research opportunities, internship opportunities, career placement, study abroad programs, graduate school placement record, etc.</p>