High Point University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Undeclared – Thinking about majoring in Psychology
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Male
Summary
I’m part of a co-ed service fraternity, I [have a leadership position] on the Club Ultimate Frisbee team. I’m part of the Green Team, and I’m part of a Leadership Fellows cohort.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public Catholic high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a graduating class of about 300 students. There was a culture of going to college there.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Undeclared – Thinking about majoring in Psychology
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of a co-ed service fraternity, I [have a leadership position] on the Club Ultimate Frisbee team. I’m part of the Green Team, and I’m part of a Leadership Fellows cohort.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Being at High Point was a huge change for me because it was in a whole new part of the country. Joining the service fraternity was super big because it got me outside of the campus and into the community. I really got to see the people that live around the university and how it impacts the surrounding community for better and worse. It helped me branch out and get to know more people.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I’ve finished up my general requirements. Otherwise, I’m still trying to figure out my major.
Is there anything that you feel High Point does especially well or poorly academically?
I think they do a fairly good job of being there for students. They reach out and offer lots of services. I’ve really enjoyed the academics. I feel like the teachers are a great aspect of the university. They reach out to you and try get to know you on a personal level. I’ve met with multiple professors one-on-one. In terms of poorly, I know it’s a growing university and they have high aspirations, they just tend to be a little money hungry. For me, I have to pay for my loans while many other students don’t and I think the university needs to be more cognizant of the students and what we need.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
A lot of the time you have to go out and learn the information taught to you on your own, but some courses are heavy on group work. I really enjoyed a service-based learning English course I took where we went out and tutored kids at a church for an afterschool program. That got us involved with our peers and allowed us to collaborate on how we could best help the individuals and children we were helping.
Why are you thinking about majoring in Psychology?
In high school, I was big into community service. I grew up with a disabled brother so I’ve always been a caregiver. I kind of needed to be a supporter of my family. Over the summers I work at a non-profit that helps people with special needs. I really thrive in that situation, and I think psychology will help open a door for me to go into serving others. If I need to pivot towards business, I can go into an industrial mix with marketing, which uses psychology all of the time.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you’re going to go Greek and get in, you’ll do great there.
2) The faculty is great. They are really personal and help build connections.
3) The housing is really nice.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) The social scene can get cliquey.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: University Center II with one roommate and two suitemates
Sophomore: University Village in a single with three other suitemates
How was transitioning from your hometown to High Point, NC?
For me, it was pretty smooth. I have a sister living outside of Winston-Salem, which is about a 30-minute drive so if I was homesick, I could go over there and see some family. It was an easy transition for me. My biggest suggestion is to be involved to get to know the people around you on campus. They’re going to be doing the same stuff as you, you just have to find ways to connect with your peers.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
High Point is gated so you have to go through security to get onto campus. In my opinion, the university is in a rougher area so I appreciate the security of the university. Last semester there was a potential shooter on campus and they handled that well. There was also a mumps outbreak and it sort of felt like there was a lack of information and honesty between the faculty, staff, and administration to the student body. [The poverty rate in High Point, NC is about 19%.]
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
We’re traveling a lot of the weekends for ultimate frisbee, but otherwise, there are Greek life parties and a few bars in town that people like to go to. A lot of the time I’m just hanging out with buddies. I personally go out Friday and Saturday. I tend to go to parties in Centennial Square which is around the Greek circle. There will be sporting events, but I don’t go out to too many. I’m hoping when the new stadium is built it’ll increase the school pride on campus.
What is the impact of Greek life on the weekend options at High Point?
I didn’t rush but I joined the service fraternity because I think that’s a better use of my time. It’s very cliquey. If you’re in it, I’m sure it’s fun and great, but I don’t need Greek life. I have my people. I joined as many clubs and I could the first couple of months I was there. I think [30%] of the student body is Greek life. A lot of people want to be in fraternities, but as it goes on, I think people see it’s not as important as you think it is your freshman year.
What have been some of your favorite times at High Point?
Last year we got to go to Tampa, Florida in February with the ultimate frisbee team, which was pretty awesome because we got away from the cold of North Carolina. The school really helps with the club financially and the huge budget allows us to branch off and take awesome trips.
How happy are you with the weekend options at High Point? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
If I could change anything, I’d say the school needs to relax a little bit. They put pretty harsh restrictions on parties. All the Greek houses and parties are pretty much the same. They can’t serve alcohol, so they get pretty boring. It’s pretty much a club and a dance floor.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them mostly through Ultimate Frisbee.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It can be very cliquey, but there are some great people and you just need to be able to find the right people. You have to be able to branch off and be yourself. In college, I wanted to jump right in and joining extracurriculars helped me branch off. I got to meet wonderful people through those. From the friends I’ve met that have transferred out of High Point, it’s the people who aren’t involved and sit on the couch all day that are unhappy.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s a pretty right-winged university with the socioeconomic background of the student body. Compared to the surrounding area of High Point, I think they are lacking in diversity. I have friends of different races and don’t think people care. People will gravitate toward what they know and what’s familiar, but generally, people are friendly across the board. [The undergraduate population is 76% Caucasian, 7% African American, 6% Hispanic, and 3% Asian. Socioeconomically, 34% of students come from the top 5%. Editor’s Note: We could not find any data representing High Point’s “right-winged” student body, but we think this article about the College Republicans group speaks to the conservative student body’s outlook.]
How would you describe the student body?
It’s half and half. Half are kind of snooty and self-centered, and the other half is open and accepting. There’s a niche for everyone. There are the guys who just sit in their room and play video games and the partiers. Last year, my roommate was a gamer who stayed up until 4 AM and didn’t have a ton of connections. This year I see him around making friends all the time.
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 enjoy it. I came from a smaller high school. I get to see the same people and I have the same classes as individuals. I get to build those relationships with professors in the smaller class sizes. It’s the perfect fit me for and I love the smaller environment. If there’s too much going on, I get distracted. [The average class size is 18 students.]
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
Since I was undeclared this semester, I took a class called Exploring Your Major and Career Path with someone in the career professional development department. They’ll help search out internships for you. That class really helped me dive in. We use an assessment test to help me narrow in on the Psychology major. [See resources for undeclared students here.]
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
I learned how to use Python and Excel through my business calculus class freshman year.