High Point University

There’s no place like it.  In 5 years, enrollment at High Point has tripled and faculty doubled.  There are 28 new buildings. SAT scores are up up 100 points and the schools ranking are rising accross publications.  What happened?  Nido Qubein happened.  Having previously served as a board member, Nido Qubein became became President of the university and with him the school has been on a wild ride ever since.  Having been a successful entrepeneur,  Qubein has brought much of what he learned in the business world and adapted it to university life and High Point.  Not only has what Qubein done been revolutionary, it is also quite contraversial.  

Through his business savy,  Qubein has raised enormous sums of money and invested it directly into the school.  You will find it difficult to identify a more new and beautiful campus.  The landscaping is manicured.  The buildings are constructed with the finest materials (ex marble floors) and decorated beautifully.  Normally for my blogs I provide a photo of an iconic building.  But for this school I provided pictures of one of the libraries and one of the classes because you are unlikely to see these things anywhere else.  Qubein argues that if we desire to have our students get jobs in the most competitive markets and companies than we need to make sure they are comfortable in those environments and with that technology.

Qubein’s impact is not only felt through the physical structures and environment but permeates through the curriculum and culture of the school.  He is a strong personality with a strong presence.  He has decided where the school needs to invest and what it needs to accomplish.  The mission of the school has been redefined as giving “every student an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.” He also teaches the most popular course at the university, the Presidential Seminar, which is a required course for every student usually taken freshman year.  In this course, Qubein covers what he sees as the keys to success in life.  He addresses issues like work ethic, how one needs to present oneself 

Currently the school serves approximately 3500 students.  The freshman class 1300.  The goal is to continue growing but the plan is to stay small at around 5000.  Class size is also capped at 34 students. Average class size is 14 - 15. School starts in August and ends in April, allowing for May-mester, a unique third semester allowing students to take alternative classes or travel abroad for 2 1/2 weeks.  The school supports 50 majors and 43 minors.  There are 6 colleges within the university:

• David R Hayworth College of Arts & Science,
• School of Art & Design,
• Earl N. Phillips School of Business,
• Nido R Qubein School of Communication,
• School of Education, and
• School of Health Sciences

Some programs to note include game design, interior design & home furnishing, electronic media journalism.

Wake Forest

When touring Wake Forest you will soon sense the schools Baptist heritage upon which the school was founded.  No longer maintaining their own religious affiliation, the school still describes it’s purpose as educating the whole individual.  They point to a spiritual side to the education as well as the intellectual.  The school also emphasizes a strong service culture.  These goals and values are also often articulated at many catholic and other religious affiliated schools which may make Wake Forest a very comfortable place for those with a parochial education.

Wake Forest is also known for it’s strong academics.  Nicknamed “Work Forest,” Wake Forest was ranked 11th in undergraduate teaching by US News and World Report.    The strongest programs at Wake are in Health and Exercise Science, Chemistry, English  and Psychology.  The undergraduate business program was ranked #1 in academic quality but 18th overall.  Students must apply to the business school during their sophomore year.  Candidates are required to take specific courses prior to applying and will then be evaluated based on their grades. The business school only accepts 70% of the applicants.  If not accepted, the student then declares a different major by the end of their sophomore year like their peers.

Some suggest the school is competitive.  Others say most students are competitive with themselves.  The school encourages group work through group presentations and papers.  There are also plenty of study groups.

Wake Forest students tend to be conservative, caucasian, preppy and attractive.  Some argue that there is a growing liberal population and traditionally outside groups like gay and lesbian populations are finding more acceptance.  However, racial minorities are still rare.  Social life centers around a strong greek system and a very successful sports program.  Not only does Wake have nationally recognized football and basketball teams but intramurals are very popular as well. 

Guilford

Guilford is a small southern quaker school with a student population of under 3,000.  The Quaker influence can be felt through the values of diversity, equality, stewardship and justice inherent in the schools culture.  At Guilford, everyone including the most distinguished professors and president of the university is called by their first name.  Students are very involved in school decisions, describing the evolution of school policy as an engaged process.  The school also stresses community service and maintains a community service office to connect students with opportunities.

Academically, students describe the work as very reading and writing intensive.  However support for students is also strong whether it be from the professors, other students or the Academic Skills Center.  The strongest programs include Psychology, Political Science, English, and Business Management.  Students can also design their own major.  Most students come in as undeclared and identify end of Freshman year, beginning of Sophomore year.

The curriculum also provides and strong focus on internships.  Students start working with Career Development as early as Freshman year.  Students can get academic credit for their work and some majors require internships.  The vast majority of students have an internship.

The student body has been characterized as a diverse group of atypical students.  There are your “liberal granola people.” However, the school promotes a global perspective and as such a diverse student body is a logical extension of their philosophy.  The school is working to increase their diversity regarding ethnicity and spiritual, political and socio-cultural beliefs.

Elon

Known for its experiential learning, Elon is currently one of the hottest schools around.  One of the things that makes Elon special is the “Five Experiences”, a requirement that each student must fulfill.  Prior to graduation, each student must participate in:

-an internship,

-a study abroad program,

-research,

-service learning, or leadership program.

In fact, most student participate in multiple experiences.  84% due an internship, 71% study abroad and 87%participate in service learning.  It is also common for students to participate multiple times have in one of the five experience areas.  Not surprisingly this aspect of the Elon education has made their students very marketable.  90% of students have job or are going to grad school w/in 1 year of graduation.     

A second dynamic which distinguishes Elon is it’s strong global focus.  Students are educated to become strong global citizens as evidenced by the fact that there are only three classes which all Elon students must take while at Elon.  One is The Global Experience and examines public responsibility in a global context.  The second class is Contemporary Wellness Issues and covers topics like nutrition, weight control, exercise and drugs.  The last class, Elon 101 integrates academic advising with other academic orientation information.

Elon lis a small - mid -sized school with a student populations of just under 5,000.  Classes are capped at 33 with an average size of 21.  There are no TA’s.  The strongest programs include Business, Communications, Performing Arts and Psychology.

Davidson

Davidson is an intellectual, small, liberal arts, charming, southern, school.  The intellectual aspect of the culture should come as no surprise when one considers the average act score is 30.  Small comes from the fact that the school hosts less than 2,000 students.  

Located in Davidson NC, the town grew up around the college.  The school maintains a strong honor code as seen at many other southern schools like UVA and the University of Richmond.  This allows students to feel comfortable leaving their computer, ipad or iphone out on a table if they have to walk away for a few minutes, something many Davidson students greatly appreciate.  

Classes are small (with a cap of 32 for even their large freshman lectures).  They are also viewed as intense relying on high levels of student participation.  Although the expectations are high, students say great things about the professors. Professors are seen as strong teachers and researchers and the school produces a significant amount of research considering its size.  Professors are also seen as always available to help.

The strongest programs at Davidson are Biology, Psychology, English and Political Science.  Students at Davidson on the whole are driven, intelligent wealthy and white.  There is also a significant religious population.   

Duke

Want a balanced college life, strong academics, sports, community service, research and fun?  Then you have come to the right place.  An ivy league callliber education and student body with a cooperative, not competitive school culture.  Quantitative majors (engineering, math, statistics, economics and pre-med) tend to have heavier workloads but on the whole a Duke students life is relatively laid back relative to it’s peers.  It’s common to find large study groups and review sessions.  There are peer studying programs, a writing center and academic support center.

The culture of the school encourages students to partner in creating their educational experience, creating their academic goals and getting involved both in campus and in the larger world.  To support this involvement there is the Duke Engage program which  funds undergraduate civic engagement all over the world and domestically.  This program supports students for 8 wks and the student must blog about their experience.  Approximately 45% of students study abroad at 120 sites throughout the world including 85 Duke programs.  There is also Duke Away which provides domestic learning opportunities.  Students can go to LA to study film, NYC to study finance and Beaufort NC to study at the marine lab.  Although a well respected University the focus at Duke is on the undergraduate experience.  

15% of Duke students come from the Carolinas and 10% are international making Duke a place with great geographic and cultural diversity. 85% of the students at Duke are enrolled in the college of arts and sciences.  The college has 45 majors as well as offering their students the opportunity to self-design their major. The college maintains distribution requirements.  That leaves 15% of the students in the engineering college.  There students are required to take 5 math and 5 science classes, 1 engineering writing class, additional engineering requirements as well as requirements in their specialization.  All students must take a writing seminar comprised of approximately 20 freshmen.  Each seminar may have a different topical focus but the goal is ensuring college quality writing.   

UNC Chapel Hill

Looking for a top tier academic experience at a public university that also encourages a well-rounded lie?  Look no further than UNC.  Often referred to as a public ivy, UNC was voted the 5th best public university in the country and 28th best overall. 78% of the students were in the top 10% of their high school class.  UNC has graduated 47 Rhodes scholars making it 5th behind Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton.

UNC identifies its goal as serving the people of NC, the US and the world.  Public service is integrated into the school culture and so are the Tar Heal athletics with men’s basketball dominating.  A third important dynamic to the school is it’s connection to research triangle.  Like it’s neighbors NCSU and Duke, UNC benefits from it’s location within research triangle providing it’s students with significant internships and research opportunities.  Mare than 60% of the students get involved in research and that can happen as early as freshman year.  UNC is best known for their biology, chemistry and classics programs.  Other popular programs include psychology, mass communication and mass media studies.

In addition to athletics, the UNC social scene is supported by more than 600 clubs and a strong Greek life.  South campus, where most freshmen live, is not known for their dorm parties however North campus does quite well in that area.  By state policy 82% of every class must be comprised of NC residents.