High Point, Guilford

HIGH POINT UNIV

High Point University held a Counselor Open House in February 2008. We met with the President, took a tour, & heard from students. We had dinner with faculty. Here are my notes. (stats updated April 2013):

Campus Facilities
New buildings are everywhere! This is the 3rd year with the charismatic President who initiated lots of new funding for buildings. I've never been to a college campus with an 18-person hot tub next to the pool! It does have a resort feel to it, and is more student-focused than any other campus. There's a concierge on staff, and an ice cream truck that spontaneously shows up; all in an effort to make students happy. Imagine that! The dorms are more spacious than the usual cinder-block triples.

Faculty
24 new professors will be hired this summer. I like to see this emphasis on teaching and not just buildings.

Sports
D1 in the Big South conference. They compete with Coastal Carolina, Winthrop, Liberty, VA Military Institute, Radford, UNC Asheville. Student athletes are required to attend 10 hours of study hall a week for first semester, at which time their gpa is evaluated to determine if further attendance is necessary. Athletes average a 3.12 gpa.

Majors
interior design and furniture design and marketing are unique majors offered at High Point. This area of NC is the "home furnishing capital of the world" so students have lots of opportunities nearby. Interactive gaming is a new major. Business is the #1 major, and the university is seeking AACSB accreditation. Education is the #2 major. Communications is #3 and includes degrees such as gaming, radio/TV/film, journalism, public relations and corporate communications. Biology and Interior Design are tied for #4. Education and Interior Design are both accredited programs.

Residence Life
79% of the freshman class are from out of state. That's an important percent for me since I don't want to send students to a suitcase campus that empties out each weekend. Students on the panel complained about 'curfew' and 'visitation' rules. It was founded as a Methodist college but now there are more Catholics on campus. The library is open 24/7.

Growth
The freshman class is currently numbered at 1000. The freshman to sophomore year retention rate 75% as reported by collegeboard.org.

Admission
High Point is on the rise, and you may see it become more selective in the coming years. For now, they are looking for 1000 on SATs (math + critical reading) and a B in the five core subjects. Are you better than that? Great! They offer a number of merit scholarships.

Costs
$44,000  is the comprehensive bill. That includes everything: fees, tuition, room and board. The average financial aid award is $11,000. They require that you file the FAFSA & CSS Profile.

Student Panelists
There were 6 lively students on the panel who all chose High Point for different reasons. One was a junior communications major from Maryland, a junior sociology major from Ohio, a senior bio/chem major from Florida, a senior from NC majoring in pre-med (bio/chem/psych), a junior from Canada, and a junior business major from Ohio.
Some students were accepted to Elon and chose High Point because it was more friendly. One hundred students help freshman move in! They agreed there are fewer cliques here than on other campuses, that the administration knows you by name (!), and that the campus set up is convenient. 30% are involved in Greek life.

Cheverus connections
Amy G '09 and Sarah S '09 attend High Point. Nick B '11, Stephanie M and Leeann M '12.

Guilford College

In October 2009, I visited Guilford College and found it looked a lot like a traditional New England small college: brick 3-story buildings, white pillars, expansive lawns. Some people mistakenly call it a Quaker college, but it is a Quaker-inspired college. Honesty and equality are the major themes.
I ate dinner with some interesting professors:
  • a Sculpting professor who illustrates my favorite Christmas cards (Caspari) on the side. His classes range from 12-20 students.
  • a Chemistry professor said that 100% of pre med students got into their 1st choice med school.
Student Body
  • 50/50 gender balance is hard to achieve on most college campuses these days, but at Guilford it is an intentional decision for equality.
  • 2400 students total make it a small -medium sized liberal arts college.
  • 80% of the males who make up the 15% minority population are athletes.
  • Our Tour Guide was from Massachusetts! She is a sophomore and her roommate freshman year was from RI.
Academics
I sat in on a class, "Historical Perspectives: Black Women's History & Literature". There were 13 students: 6 white, 4 black, 2 Hispanic and one Hawaiian. Three students conducted a presentation about the geography of slavery. It was a standard classroom made out of cinderblocks, with a large U-shaped table and projector with computer. The syllabus was writing intensive and rigorous with projects and reading.Their first paper was 7-10 pages long, and their 2nd paper was 4-5 pages and due in 2 weeks.

As a political science major, I was nervous about taking math and science at college. Merrimack made it interesting, and so does Guilford. They offer math and science classes for non-majors, like Math for Liberal Arts Majors, and Chemistry for Cooking.

Many parents say to me "what can they do with an English degree?" Others say "what can't you do with an English degree? I can lead to many careers." I love how Guilford lists what dozens of their majors are doing after graduation.

Cheverus connections: Alison M '09 attends Guilford.
links verified 4/2016