Off to South Carolina!

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!