What is wrong with High Point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I met a bunch of female grads recently. They had real jobs and were all polished like beauty pageant contestants. I get the impression though that it’s a great school for kids who aren’t very academically inclined because there are a lot of supports and focus on other skills that can make people successful. I don’t think it’s a bad thing but it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s also expensive so yes, it would be a great fit for someone who has money but isn’t a great student.

I wonder how much of their employment numbers are based on nepotism? From the Forbes Article:

With an 80% admissions rate and early acceptance rate of 87%, High Point is effectively an open-enrollment institution – an open-enrollment institution that’s opened a lucrative niche: no other open-enrollment school looks as good as High Point. So in stark contrast to less beautiful open-enrollment schools, High Point almost exclusively enrolls wealthy students from out-of-state. High Point ranks 1,629 out of 1,658 institutions in terms of low-income students. For the few it attracts, High Point provides loans, not grants; students from families making $30K or less pay an annual net price of $33,814. Like the Ritz-Carlton, High Point doesn’t discount (bad for the brand). According to students, “people here are really bougie” and “there is no diversity.”

[Anonymous]

I think it's likely a good school for SN students, esp with those with executive functioning issues and/or ADHD.

I grew up in NC and graduated from HS in the 1980s. High Point College (as it was at the time) was the last of the places anyone would consider going.

The current president is supposed to have done a lot for the school and its reputation. I know several people in NC who think when he leaves, the school will totally lose its cache.

I agree with the poster who said it feels like a mega-church, but just a college. My DC got tons and tons of mailings from them but did not apply there. Even if after DC had started college elsewhere, the mailings continued... "Come see us! We are life-changing." It was an unrelenting amount of mail. It just makes you wonder how much of the tuition/fees is going to their marketing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's likely a good school for SN students, esp with those with executive functioning issues and/or ADHD.

I grew up in NC and graduated from HS in the 1980s. High Point College (as it was at the time) was the last of the places anyone would consider going.

The current president is supposed to have done a lot for the school and its reputation. I know several people in NC who think when he leaves, the school will totally lose its cache.

I agree with the poster who said it feels like a mega-church, but just a college. My DC got tons and tons of mailings from them but did not apply there. Even if after DC had started college elsewhere, the mailings continued... "Come see us! We are life-changing." It was an unrelenting amount of mail. It just makes you wonder how much of the tuition/fees is going to their marketing.

Tuition is 44k, the top tier of on campus housing is 30k a year. They don't need a high hit rate to make marketing worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

I know of a kid currently there. Sister of a friend of my kid, so I know of the kid but don't know any details. Family is wealthy and conservative, and this generation if first gen college. Obviously the family has smarts in that they've done very well, I'm just not sure how book smart or aware of the college process they are. All that said, the sister appears to be doing well at High Point. N of 1 for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I met a bunch of female grads recently. They had real jobs and were all polished like beauty pageant contestants. I get the impression though that it’s a great school for kids who aren’t very academically inclined because there are a lot of supports and focus on other skills that can make people successful. I don’t think it’s a bad thing but it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s also expensive so yes, it would be a great fit for someone who has money but isn’t a great student.

so, like a finishing school?

[Anonymous]

It's for less academic rich kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's for less academic rich kids.

To be fair, that's how other Ivies think of Brown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is bizarre. Has the feel of one of those mega-churches but for college. Way too shiny on the outside, and probably a house of cards underneath the facade.

https://www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/nido-qubein-high-point-university/

Agree. The president gives off a snake oil vibe. Maybe another Hillsdale?

[Anonymous]

It’s very nice. Physically and emotionally… super warm, friendly, supportive, positive vibes. It’s on DD24’s list but her most expensive option. Other options are more highly ranked and more likely to meet with DCUM approval. But if she chose High Point I would be fine with it and understand why. We are going down for the Presidential Scholars weekend on Friday. You should visit and see what you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is bizarre. Has the feel of one of those mega-churches but for college. Way too shiny on the outside, and probably a house of cards underneath the facade.

https://www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/nido-qubein-high-point-university/

Agree. The president gives off a snake oil vibe. Maybe another Hillsdale?

Hillsdale has a 20% acceptance rate, a near 90% graduation rate, and a 32 ACT median. It's a top LAC whether or not you agree with what you perceive as its politics.

[Anonymous]

A young woman who graduated from HP last year interned with us three years ago. A lot of what I see on this thread sounds about right regarding what I saw with her. She is beautiful in a pageant-girl way, almost platinum (bleached) blonde hair, very sweet, ambitious (she is pretty much the best at what she does wherever she goes, but for some reason she doesn't aim much higher than retail), a little too much makeup but she knows how to use it, anti-intellectual, politically conservative-ish (for that age, anyway), and mega church Christian for sure. When I told her I liked her Love bracelet she smiled and admitted it was fake. She worked hard at summer jobs in retail (one job was in a clothing store and I think later she worked at Kendra Scott). I know that isn't the profile people respect around here, but she was sweet and lovely and the kind of person who works really hard and is an asset to any team. I'd hire her in a heartbeat for just about anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is bizarre. Has the feel of one of those mega-churches but for college. Way too shiny on the outside, and probably a house of cards underneath the facade.

https://www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/nido-qubein-high-point-university/

Agree. The president gives off a snake oil vibe. Maybe another Hillsdale?

Hillsdale has a 20% acceptance rate, a near 90% graduation rate, and a 32 ACT median. It's a top LAC whether or not you agree with what you perceive as its politics.

DP Yes, but it also has a creepy cult vibe.

[Anonymous]

Based on the above posts and the linked articles, it would not surprise me one bit if the HPU president turns out to have a #MeToo problem. Or a second wife. Or a sketchy history with undergrad students.

The whole “Cult of Personality” thing feels like a red flag to me. That larger-than-life thing often travels with massive hubris and god-complex type decisions.

Hopefully, I’m wrong. But based on pattern recognition, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if I’m right ….

[Anonymous]

Oh no…cult!!! Watch out for their graduates…they are out to get you. And that includes engineers, nurses, lawyers, optometrists, pharmacists, and dentists — who all completed their studies at High Point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is bizarre. Has the feel of one of those mega-churches but for college. Way too shiny on the outside, and probably a house of cards underneath the facade.

https://www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/nido-qubein-high-point-university/

Agree. The president gives off a snake oil vibe. Maybe another Hillsdale?

Hillsdale has a 20% acceptance rate, a near 90% graduation rate, and a 32 ACT median. It's a top LAC whether or not you agree with what you perceive as its politics.

DP Yes, but it also has a creepy cult vibe.

Cults don't accept only one out of five who want to join.