Our D has just visited High Point (went with a friend and her parents). She is planning to do pre-med, ideally at a small school in or near NC. We had done a preliminary "screening" of possible schools, by asking how many of their students got into to med school the previous year. High Point told us they had only 3 students apply to med school last year and only 1 was admitted ... those numbers seemed low for a school with 4,000 students, so we had crossed it off the list, she only tagged along on the tour to keep her friend company. However, it seems that during the tour, they were told the university is expecting big growth in pre-med because of the new Health Sciences school. But the literature she brought home indicated this school is for physical therapy and physician assistants. Also she said they didn't see any labs or other science facilities during the tour, and were told the Health Sciences program will be at another location. All this has left us confused ... does anyone here have firsthand knowledge of pre-med at this school? Thanks for any clarification.
My D is a sophomore Bio major (BS degree, not BA) and Chem and Spanish minor at HPU and plans on going to med school. She is fulfilling all med school requirements during her undergrad. Check with an admissions counselor
at the school and I'm sure they would be happy to answer any questions.
My D toured and recieved a scholarship to high point last year through their scholar program. We were very interested in the new science building. As of last spring we were told the building would not be completed until my D's Jr year. (she's a freshman at another school this year) there were some delays in the construction. My d was interested in a Pharm program. I was very excited about this new area of the school and so sad to hear the timeline. I know they plan on increasing the health sciences at the school but you may not want to wait until end of your D's sophomore year to find out if it's going to be a good fit. My info is over 6 months old but admissions was pretty straight forward about the altered timeline and I really appreciated their honesty.
It's is true, but they still have a great science program. My D was going there before she even heard about the new building and there are many students majoring in various science areas in the "old" building!
We went back and visited High Point with our D who had previously toured the campus with a friend. I can see people have very strong opinions pro and con about this school and will not wade into the debate. Will just say that for someone considering pre-med as our D is, you can definitely do MUCH better elsewhere.
Have you looked at Roanoke College? It's in Virginia just a few hours north of High Point, and just up the road from Virginia Tech. I live in Roanoke, and know several kids who have gotten into various med schools. I've heard there's an excellent relationship between Roanoke and UVA's med school.
Roanoke is a great school. It is our son's second place pick just behind HP and their average financial aid package is $25,000. 2500 students, great campus and academic facilities. In speaking with current students on our tour, the workload is a bit heavier than HPU but the free tutoring and help from professors is wonderful.
Appreciate the information about Roanoke's relationship with UVA med school. D had actually thought about Roanoke because a relative went there, but didn't have it on her short list, maybe should look again!
How do students at one school know the workload at another? Just curious. My D has a heavy workload at HPU, as I'm sure anyone on a premed track has a heavy workload.
In speaking with a few students during meals and at the bookstore candidly, they remarked that they have written extensively more so than their counterparts at other schools. They talk to their peers attending other institutions.It seems more liberal arts based than HPU. Not a a bad thing, just be prepared to do alot more writing than you are used to. It's not overwhelming, Roanoke just emphasizes written work more heavily than others. Again the help and tutoring available is top notch according to them.
Last edited by upperarlington; 11-30-2012 at 07:03 AM.
Reason: spelling
I would say High Point would be an incredible place to spend your four years before medical school, because you will certainly be exposed to incredible undergraduate research opportunities. Undergraduate research is crucial for anyone looking to further his/her education in the medical field, and HPU provides students will all and any opportunities to perform such, allowing students to apply for full funding, etc. Students are even given opportunities to present their research around the country, gaining national recognition. My workload at HPU is relatively heavy, as well, so I'm not sure how workloads are being compared, but I can assure you I spend a lot of time on school work.
