In the assumption I am accepted to both university which one do you think is a better fit for me? I am from the Washington DC area and am looking for a school in the south. I visited both schools and was really blown away with both of them and will be happy at either, but there were some issues. UGA seemed massive, absolutely overwhelming. Another issue was even with the size, it is 88% in-state and I feel that for things such as a social life would be difficult to adjust. I absolutely loved Clemson, but the town was a bit small. I thought the community feeling there was better than anywhere else. My only complaint with Clemson is it seemed to a transition from a city like DC to South Carolina, but many of the people tended to go at a slower pace. One the other hand they were the nicest people I have ever met.
Anyways… I’m a guy with a 1420 SAT and am trying to decide between these two schools and just am interested in some input or advice!
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Both schools have the same student profile academically. Culturally the schools are the same. Clemson is smaller. I’ve always thought that Clemson’s campus is prettier. Both schools worship their sports programs.
Perhaps you should find out which is better for what you want you study. For instance, UGA has a good business school it’s probably ranked higher than Clemson’s.
Haha good guess… I am interested in the Business School and UGA had just built a brand new facility that seems incredible but is it enough to outweigh the size factors?
Hey i’m actually in the same boat as you. Theyre both in my top 3 schools and i can’t decide which i would like more. I’m from georgia so most everyone i know naturally chooses to go to UGA which is one of the reasons I’m iffy about it. But that shouldnt be an issue for you. If anything, I’d worry that you wouldnt fit in too much because most everyone is from in state. Theyre both great schools so I think its about choosing where you’d fit in. UGA is so greek based and for me, it looks like a repeat of high school with the focus on sororities. Clemson kids seem more down to earth, though they do love their parties as well. As for size, at UGA you have to take a bus to get to classes otherwise youll be late if thats gives you any indication of just how big the school is. I believe clemson has a bus system but its much less spread out and the system is only if you really need it. You’re right in saying that the people at clemson are some of the nicest youll ever meet. Can’t say the same for those at Georgia. Of course theres nice people at Georgia but overall, its more common for those people to be at Clemson. Thats just what I’ve gathered from living in the south. After writing this I’n realizing that I’m leaning more towards Clemson but i still am considering UGA. Let me know if you have any questions and I’d love to hear your thoughts because I’m so interested that we are having the same issue haha
With UGA, having it be in-state won’t cause you to not be able to connect with people or build a good social life. The school’s size will cause almost everyone to not know most of the people they meet, so they’ll be in the same boat as you. If you want a better business school you should go to UGA. If you want a better community feel, and smaller class sizes then go to Clemson. You have to decide what’s more important to you and go to the college that fits.
I know kids from UGA and business school has great reputation. I have heard jobs are plentiful. Clemson has an overall high ranking and business on an upward trend, especially with new building. Also, Clemson’s career services is related high overall. Can anyone give any insight in the ability of Clemson business grads to find jobs…is it easy, hard, only for the top of the class? Without knowing anything, I would guess that the Clemson alumni network is strong and jobs are more plentiful than its business “Ranking” would indicate. I take rankings with a grain of salt…but opinions welcome.
Thank you! A lot of good points. It’s tough deciding because from Northern Virginia, UGA is for some reason extremely unpopular. It is a hike for sure, but many of the students from Virginia are faced with the reality that everything you can get from UGA and Clemson alike are all found in Virginia Tech for cheaper and closer. After growing up in Northern Virginia, however, my family and I agree the south is better fit for me, but I just think that UGA might be a bit much and Clemson may be more welcoming with the (relatively) smaller community feel. @clemson22 yes definitely let me know what you decide and any more thoughts you have on the schools.
I was going to offer some suggestions, but you lost me when you said the students at Clemson seemed “inbred”. Seriously, with that attitude you should probably not being going to the south. Seriously.
How much will your parents pay each year???
Both are $$$ for OOS students. UGA gives little merit and Clemson’s OOS cost is so high that merit still results in a high cost.
Georgia is a pretty big state with a pretty diverse population. There’s Atlanta, which is around the same size as D.C. There are also other medium-sized cities like Columbus, Augusta, Macon, and Savannah. And then there are super small towns, rural regions, the Golden Isles…basically, there are a lot of different cultures across Georgia. Honestly, a high school student from urban Atlanta might be more similar to an OOS kid from DC than from a farmer’s daughter from rural southern Georgia. So I wouldn’t worry about not fitting in just because you’re not from Georgia; there are lots of different kinds of people who live in Georgia.
I can’t imagine that the social life at Clemson and UGA are SO different from each other, simply because Clemson has a bigger OOS proportion of students. I’d be willing to bet that the majority of those students come from neighboring states in the South - GA, NC, and TN, with maybe a few from KY and WV.
Source: https://www.clemson.edu/admissions/undergraduate/documents/breakfast-presentation.pdf
Also, it’s likely that you have a preconceived stereotype of Southerners (which isn’t entirely your fault; it’s sort of baked into the atmosphere) and that you also experienced some confirmation bias. Nevertheless, if you feel that way about people who will be your classmates, you shouldn’t go there.
Based on your commentary I am bewildered by your choices of Clemson and UGA. I do not see how it is a fit.
@scubadive post is one you need to consider. It’s not just the fit either. If you want business, you have to think about post college employment and those schools will mainly attract local and regional companies and firms. Have you considered Kelley? They give merit aid and have that big time sports atmosphere (well, maybe not to the same level as Clemson or UGA, but that shouldn’t be important).
For everyone who think I came off as rude, I was stating a stereo type. Terribly sorry for the miscommunication. In the same paragraph I said that the people at Clemson were the nicest and greatest people I have ever met and the people there are the number one reason I am interested in the school. As for considering the Kelley School of Business, I have looked into, but my parents have already made me aware that they would not pay for their son to go to Indiana. I don’t believe I could get in to Kelly anyway 
. While I am lucky enough for my parents to support me through college, they are ultimately the ones writing the check, so wherever I go they obviously have to support it. Any other suggestions are well appreciated! Thank you!!!
@RightyRiper you meet the SAT cut off for Kelley, does your GPA not make the cut? Did you know they have cutoffs so you would know before you even apply if you will get in to Kelley? But you may have missed the deadline and sounds like your parents don’t want you in Indiana (why is that by the way? Because of the weather??).
I am a parent with a sophomore in HS and we are thinking of starting to look at colleges this summer. Georgia and Clemson are on our lists for all of the good reasons that have been mentioned on this thread. However, we are from New Jersey and I do worry about my son fitting in. He is a normal, mainstream social kid looking for a school with a lot of school spirit, strong business, and a warmer climate. Lots of great choices in the South but I worry socially. Sounds like overall the feedback is that it shouldn’t matter because these schools still attract students from different backgrounds. I find this reassuring.
How important is greek life from a boys perspective socially at these two schools? And is it harder to get into a decent Frat if you are from NJ??? And knowing greek life is big in the south, does it interfere with students’ ability to keep up with their academics?
If you want business, UGA is the better school. Overall UGA is the higher ranked school as well. Thousand of kids from the Atlanta area which would be similar to the Washington DC area. Good overall diversity and perhaps a little less expensive than Clemson. But like someone else suggested maybe Virginia Tech or even Maryland would be schools to look at. If all fails, see which of the schools goes to the Football playoff finals. If they both get in, then the winner owns your future. If neither one gets in, then you are back to square one. Seriously, UGA gets my vote.
Well @collegemomjam it seems you are in the same boat as me. I am looking for the same aspects in a college and iI definitely recommend looking at the school as early as possible. We went right down from Northern Virginia through Virginia Tech - Wake Forest - Davidson - Clemson and Georgia. Also stopped by College of Charleston for fun. At the end, Clemson went from not very interested to possibly my first choice. I went when Georgia was in session, but the other schools were not and I will need to visit again when Clemson is in session to get a better feel.
Honestly, College of Charleston ended up being the school I wanted to attend the most, but the parents don’t think I want the school for the right reasons so I’m not aloud to apply there (which is fair honestly).
For Greek Life (which I plan on pursuing) I feel it would not make much of a difference for many of the schools except Georgia. Georgia is 88% in-state which could potentially make it more difficult for rush, but the greek row at Georgia was one of the coolest things i’d ever seen. Clemson’s greek life was on a much smaller scale and does not have a formal greek row, but still very popular.
Another side note, I was curious why Virginia Tech is so popular from New Jersey as many of my friends who attend VT mention the number of New jersey students.
@collegeisago - Ha i was thinking if its UGA vs. Clemson in the championship then I feel required to go to the winner. As for Virginia Tech, it is very high on my list with Clemson and UGA. Maryland not so much because growing up playing sports on UMD’s campus all my life I have realized it’s not in the nicest area and I have never really liked the Maryland kids. Maybe just playing sports against them, but never liked Maryland as a state. Their cops and laws are too strict, got my first ticket on a Friday night from some speed camera in some corn field. That is an evil state lol.
It is definitely reassuring that you think the Atlanta burb kids are similar to that of D.C. which I was hoping because I can’t see how we could be much different.
I’m from Atlanta originally. My mom is from DC. I’ve had family go to both Clemson and UGA. I think you’d like UGA better.
Clrmson seems like such an obvious choice…