High Point University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Biology & Philosophy double major – On the Pre-Physician’s Assistant track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Female

Summary

I’m in the Honors Program, and I’m a representative for its club. I’m in a co-ed service fraternity, I’m in pre-professional clubs related to my major including the Biology Club, Philosophy Club, Habitat for Humanity. I’ve also been a peer mentor.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public school outside of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania with a graduating class of about 300 students. There was a culture of going to college there.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Majors: Biology & Philosophy double major – On the Pre-Physician’s Assistant track
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the Honors Program, and I’m a representative for its club. I’m in a co-ed service fraternity, I’m in pre-professional clubs related to my major including the Biology Club, Philosophy Club, Habitat for Humanity. I’ve also been a peer mentor.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I absolutely love my service fraternity. I’ve taken a couple of leadership roles and that’s where most of my friends are from. It’s where I spend lots of my time with those people, or my free time doing service and hanging out with them.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Since I’m in the Honor Program, it’s interesting because you don’t have formal general requirements. You have interdisciplinary requirements. Right now, I’m in the lab interdisciplinary course, and being a Biology major, I have more labs than other students. As far as Philosophy goes, it’s a lot of reading and discussion-based coursework. You’re going to have pre and post-lab assignments, problem sets, online homework assignments.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
We have some really great professors that genuinely care about how you’re doing. They try making connections to remember your name and help you out along the way. There’s a good sense of community.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it depends on your peers. They want you to succeed and give you all the tools to succeed, but it depends on who you’re working with. Freshman year I wasn’t close with anyone in my classes so I felt like it was more of a competition with myself. Being a sophomore, I have friends in my major now and it’s a lot more collaborative now that I know people.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. They always have office hours where you can reach them. Pretty much all the science professors are great about responding to emails within 24-hours.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It was kind of rough. I went from not having to study and making A’s, to coming into college and studying for hours to get a B. The transition was okay. It was more about mentally preparing yourself and learning new study strategies. They have a bunch of resources at the school, but I didn’t use them. What helped me was talking to friends and forming close study groups. Being in the Honors Program, we all live in the same building. That was really helpful because I’d see people in the hallway.
Why did you pick your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I really like medicine and helping people. I know science is going to be a sustainable field where I can learn a lot. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding.
How did the Honors Program impact your academic experience?
It’s a love-hate relationship. It’s frustrating sometimes because it’s such a small cohort and there aren’t many class options. But you do create really good friendships and there is the best sense of community. People want to work really hard in that group. I’m really happy with it overall.

Reasons to Attend

1) If you want small class sizes where you’re going to have opportunities and professors who know your name. There are great facilities and options like that. [The average class size is 18 students.]
2) Everything we do is free. We don’t have to pay for laundry, parking, or printing. Those things are helpful, especially in your first year.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you’re intolerable to people of different socioeconomic statuses. Either you come from lower socioeconomic status and can’t stand people of higher status who are condescending, or vice versa.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman & Sophomore: Finch Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
How was transitioning from your hometown to High Point, NC?
It was interesting. High Point is a bit of a bubble, so you more or less stay on campus since the area around it isn’t great. They do have so many activities and things to do that it isn’t stressful. For those first two weeks, they give you tons of activities to go to.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel really safe. There are guards at every gate, so I’m not worried about that.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
High Point has options for people that like to party, and for those who don’t as well. Our campus activities team has movies almost every Friday night. If you join an organization such as Young Life, they also do weekend activities without partying. If you want to go out, your main option is Greek village with the fraternity houses. They have parties on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s nothing too crazy and rowdy, but it can still be a good time. Once you start to know people there are off-campus houses that sometimes throw things and people have parties in the Centennial Squares, which are apartment buildings on campus.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
If I’m not going out, I’m usually hanging out with my sorority in our room. We’ll play different games, watch movies, or somethings paint.
How happy are you with the weekend options at High Point? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’d make other parties outside of Greek life more accessible. I’d create more fun activities. I know they try with having movies, but I don’t want to see a movie every Friday night. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it and can’t complain.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I rushed [my service fraternity] my freshman year at school, which has brought me most of my friends. The people I know outside of it live in the honors dorms so I’ve lived with them for two years.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
I think there’s a little bit of a socioeconomic class divide. You can tell which students have an exorbitant amount of money and the other students who are middle class or are there on scholarship. You’ll find your group of people. It depends on which activities you take part in. You can see the divide more or less through people’s attitudes. People say the housing I’m in is the oldest building on campus, so people will say it’s a “crap building”. But honestly, Finch is much better than most other college dorms elsewhere. It’s just your perspective and what you’re expecting. With some of the people who come from higher-income backgrounds, you’ll hear them complain even though some of the service employees who bend over backward and treat them amazingly. That’s when it feels like people are very ungrateful. [Socioeconomically, 34% of students come from the top 5%.]
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There’s a great mix, and diversity is something we take seriously with [my service fraternity]. It’s a giant mix of everyone and there’s no judgment or exclusivity. Everyone hangs out together and it doesn’t matter, at least from what I’ve seen. [The undergraduate population is 76% Caucasian, 7% African American, 6% Hispanic, and 3% Asian.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Being in a service fraternity, I’m not really in the Greek social scene. They can tend to pack together and have group events, but I know plenty of people in social Greek life who have a variety of friends that aren’t. I think they mix fairly well, but I don’t have the best understanding. [About 30% of students are involved in Greek life.]
How do you like the size of High Point in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 5,200] students?
I really like that because we’re a small school we have small class sizes. All my professors know me, all of my professors are teaching the classes and they aren’t TAs. There aren’t too many [students], so I can still access my professors. I wish there were a couple thousand more overall so we had more variability, but I can still walk across campus without recognizing every single person I see. You still know people but you don’t know everyone, and not everyone is in your business. [The average class size is 18 students.]

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve only been once, and that was to make a resume. They were super helpful.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
Being a biology major, a lot of my labs have taught me how to use Excel better so I’m slightly more proficient in it. I also took statistics where I learned a basic programming software system called SAS, but I definitely couldn’t do it without a handbook.
Has High Point helped you prepare for applying to Physician’s Assistant school?
When you come to the school you get a scheduling advisor and if you have a pre-professional track, they match you to somebody who specifies in that. My advisor has told me what the Physician’s Assistant school requirements are, looked at my GPA and talked to me about options. They have a lot of professors and keep you on track with everything.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
I have a variety of scholarships, and we go through the student accounts office. That is difficult because High Point will only offer you financial aid as you’re incoming, and it sometimes doesn’t get adjusted throughout your years, which I find frustrating and annoying because financial situations can change. Sometimes they aren’t the best at keeping track of records or responding timely.