There’s way too much to share for one post! Less College Stress families: Look for my trip photos in the Notes for every college this week.
Let’s start with Furman and Clemson Universities:
The 800 acre Furman campus (lots of space for under 3,000 students) brought Colgate to mind (the lake), but the landscape is truly southern. So was the NJ admissions rep’s hospitality (not always a cliché). Many students from NY and NJ’s top private high schools choose Furman for its strong business, health science, communications, and international studies programs. The “semester-plus” calendar begins in late August, ends right before the holiday break, begins in January and ends with a three-week May Experience. Challenging, small classes, a huge Greek system, and D1 Southern Conference Athletics, with the cheer (“F.U. one time, F.U. two times, F.U. three times, F.U. all the time!”) round out the fun.
Greenville–a city of 72,000 offers Furman and Clemson students downtown shopping, dining, cool local museums, and theatres, nearby hiking and biking trails, plus the Furman Golf Course, voted top Public Golf Course by the South Carolina Ratings Panel. We walked the trails and bridges in Falls Park (waterfalls!) on the Reedy River just steps away from the middle eastern restaurant where we had dinner.
Hope you saw my picture of Clemson’s huge bookstore! (No worries if not--will repost it). School spirit reigns, but opportunities are amazing. We toured with a sophomore business major in the Calhoun Honors College (also a Chapman Scholar, described below) who was given 4K to market a new product and will attend an all-paid-for entrepreneurship conference in Holland. Applicants (8 from the Powers Business School and one from each of the other 13 colleges) may be selected for the Thomas F. Chapman Leadership Scholars Program. Strongest programs are in the sciences, tech, and business, but students of all majors are attracted to Clemson’s sports culture, shaped by its rivalry with the University of South Carolina and its multi-year winning record in the D1 Atlantic Conference.
Next week: the University of South Carolina and Coastal Carolina University.
Last February, I posted:
“Finally, South Carolina tops the list (of southern states) with a grand total of 27 applications divided between Clemson, the University of South Carolina, and the College of Charleston. (No wonder so many were deferred.) Add to that Coastal Carolina, a growing favorite offering interdisciplinary majors and resort-like atmosphere.”
The Class of 2024 has continued the trend. That’s why I am heading off to visit Clemson University, Furman University, the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University, and the College of Charleston this coming week.
As popular as southern schools have become with students, families often have questions:
“Is it too southern?” When I ask what they mean, the answer sometimes refers to an emphasis on politics or religion.
Would a student from the northeast feel out of place or not welcome?
My experiences visiting colleges in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida has shown me that college students everywhere are generally welcoming. Colleges that are religiously-affiliated, some of which require chapel service, constitute a small percentage of the total. These are desirable for some, but not all--like any colleges. While I have had students from Texas and Florida who have applied to them, my students from the northeast have not.
About ten years ago, I had a student transfer out of Wake Forest because it felt "too southern” to her. The real truth was that she felt more at home in a city and transferred to a university in Washington D.C. In the past ten years, southern colleges have enrolled many more students from the northeast, other parts of the country, and the world.
Do you have questions about colleges in South Carolina? I’ll be glad to ask them to the admissions offices and/or students walking around the campus. I won’t be surprised if some of them are from New York and New Jersey…that happens wherever I go!
When I start talking about majors/careers with a student, I often ask the above question. It was recommended to me by a friend who is an economist. I understand that many, if not most, students are not ready to answer this. I keep asking questions, trying to get them to dig a little deeper. If students have an answer or more questions for me, they may be candidates to do research. I direct them to the UN Sustainable Development Goals below.
There are plenty of projects to explore here for for every kind of future scientist, engineer, architect, urban planner, sustainability expert, computer science specialist, and medical professional. But while the assumption is usually that research is for STEM fields only, you can see that many of these issues are dependent on those in the political sphere, including lawyers, public relations teams, educators, advocates for the rights of women and children, and above all--strong communicators who can use their skills to improve their communities, and eventually, their world.
When I ask the big question, students, especially those with comfortable lives, don't respond because they haven't thought about what really matters to them yet. That's ok, because their process is simply at a different level. But students who are passionate about a big issue might consider a research project to show colleges who they are--and give them a hint as to the great things they will do.
There are several companies offering mentored research for high school students. These can lead to further research, publishing opportunities, and strong letters of recommendation. If students have relationships with professors and teachers, they can ask them if there are research opportunities. All that's needed is curiosity and direction. See the video below and contact me for specific recommendations.