<p>We recently drove down to visit both campuses as my husband will be relocating to Aiken. Our son is interested in engineering and sciences which leans us towards Clemson but the proximity to Columbia is also a draw. His grades and SAT are not an issue. Please no flames as I perceive the rivalry but what are some local insights please? I see there are 8 satellite USC campuses including Aiken, from the web pages it appears they all offer the same USC degree, or are the degrees different? Does this "dilute" the value of the degree?
We are accustomed to city life but were not overly impressed with the city of Columbia- nice, but not the deciding point. We all thought the Clemson campus was beautiful but worried about having enough to do (my son will not have a car at first). Do Clemson students bail to Greenville during the weekend or stay close? Are we missing something?
Thanks and God bless.</p>
<p>I’d go to Clemson but since the fraternities are all under suspension I would just go to South Carolina. Both have excellent engineering programs (Clemson is Better). I’d go to Clemson since the Frats will be under regular regulation soon. </p>
I would recommend USC Columbia over Clemson. I applied to both universities and was accepted but did not attend either. I will say that the Clemson campus has less diversity then that of USC Columbia by a moderate amount. In respects to the Engineering Programs, I have heard opinions both ways. Depending on the site and employer they prefer one or the other. My current boss is a retired engineered he didn’t seem to think any of his workers (USC and Clemson) were better then one another because of degree. The location for Clemson is rather dull, but a car is a great advantage. Most of my friends who attended Clemson frequently drive home or visit other areas. In regards to the dilution of degrees to USC, there are areas in which in the regional schools excel past both Clemson and USC-Columbia. USC Aiken for example has a top notch rated nursing program above all the other nursing programs in the state and is ranked top-tier in the Southeast. My twin sister will be attending USC-Columbia, but she prefered a busy college with the bustle of the city and a dynamic student body. She didn’t fancy Clemson’s student body or some of the groups she saw there.
In general, Clemson does have the stronger engineering program, but the school reputation doesn’t play a significant role in engineering careers, domesticated skills/knowledge is far more important.
What Clemson’s engineering program would give you is more options (Industrial, Material and Environmental are three programs offered at Clemson that are not offered at USC Columbia) and more engineering focused clubs, undergrad research and such. It also may be a bit more heavily recruited (for engineering) as Clemson awards about 700 Engineering BS a year vs USC’s 300+.
If you’re looking at USC (and it has the engineering program your son is interested in), also take a look at the honor’s program. It’s the best in the nation.
Finally and most importantly… SEC Football >>>>>>>>>>ACC Football (who cares about that basketball thing).
Both are great choices! :-bd
I think it does come down to personal choice. The USC system schools are starting to develop more individual identities and for some may be ok, especially if money is tight and you need to commute. The biggest bonus is that you could start at regional school and transfer and know that your courses will transfer. USC is working to make it easier for all students to finish a 4-year degree so there are some common majors offered. There are some standouts as noted above. Having said that, I have a friend who teaches at USC and found some of the USC Sumter students taking courses on main campus unprepared for the class she was teaching.
Agree that you need to look at specific engineering programs. Is he a junior? I think Clemson has open house specifically for engineering (maybe science as a whole - trouble remembering). Look at individual sites. On USC’s engineering website, look at news archives to see info about new grant for nuclear power research and new center for Aerospace. Clemson has close relationship with BMW.
Clemson is more rural, but while Greenville is close I don’t think the campus empties out on weekends. Consistently voted as “happiest students” in some ranking. Please don’t pick school based on Greek life. Both USC and Clemson have so much more to offer.
Agree that you should look at USC honors - that’s where my D is and loves it. Great opportunities. Her friends in Engineering/CS dept have had REUs at Penn and Harvard, are doing research with latest technologies and getting research fellowships. I’m biased to USC and think they do better in giving money but that may vary with your situation.
Yes schools are rivals, especially in sports, but one of the greatest things this year came out of tragedies at both schools - death of Clemson student and shooting of USC professor. Each time, students at other schools wore rival school colors and held vigils. #t2schools1state on twitter made me proud.
Go visit both schools when S can sit in on classes and spend some time. Both schools have active forums if you want to ask specific questions.