<p>Tulane and Emory get kind of lost in the shuffle since they’re in major cities, especially Emory. With Clemson, the town and the whole area love the school. I’ve never been lacking in stuff to do at Clemson. Its very easy to get involved. One of Clemson’s big draws, something I was really looking for in a college, is the school spirit. Everybody who goes here loves the school. I know of two people who have transferred and thats because of major and family moving. Clemson isn’t a degree factory like some other state schools. Especially in the fall you will see young couples come back to visit with their kids. My mom is an alum and when my family visits me they have plenty of her friends to tailgate with, because they all come back to visit their own children School spirit isn’t really pushed by either of the two other schools since their sports teams are nonexistant. Sports, especially football, are HUGE at Clemson. Fall saturdays are some of the most fun you’ll ever have. Thats why everyone loves the school. It feels like one massive family. Many schools (such as Auburn) play the family angle but at Clemson you can really feel it. I know plenty of people who are 3rd generation. One of my friends even has his grandfather’s class ring. The class ring is a big deal because of people’s school pride and love for Clemson. It has a unique face thats instantly recognizable
Theres so much to do around Clemson, even though its rural. Most of it is spontaneous. The lake is basically on campus. You can go hiking beautiful country just 30 minutes away (Table Rock State Park), people go visit Asheville all the time, you can go hang out in Atlanta(I have tons of friends who went to the Braves Opener the other day), Charleston for the weekend with friends, etc. Theres tons to do in New Orleans and Atlanta (but its expensive) but they aren’t really conducive to having a car so its hard to get places. Outside of the city, especially in Louisiana, theres a whole lot of nothing to do. At Tulane a lot of the social life revolves around drinking and bar hopping.
Long story short: Everybody LOVES Clemson. Its a special place that sticks with you for life. Its a family. Theres a ton to do, no matter what time of year, and a lot of that stuff is free/cheap and safe/legal. I could have gone to a school like Vandy but chose not to even apply because of how much I loved Clemson when I visited. Clemson offers you much more than just a degree.</p>
<p>Spence2315 thank you for all the info and time you took. I agree…it really feels like a safer enviroment for my daughter. She likes to have a good time but has matured a lot lately and felt really calm at Clemson. That was so important to me and I will rest assured with your advice.
thank you again</p>
<p>Clemsontransfer…curious to see how the transition from the "north"was for you? My daughter’s top choice is Clemson (we are from NJ). We went to visit and she fell in love with everything Clemson. Im slightly concerned about a few things I have read on prior posts about north/south issues. Do you see that at all? If I remember correctly someone posted about “SC only sororities” - it sounds so ridiculous to me…but there was a whole thread about it.</p>
<p>schenectady, greek life is definitely a bigger deal here in the south than up North. If greek life is your thing, go for it (a lot of people do), but if it’s not, it’s still ok, there are a bunch of people you can hang out with who aren’t involved with a fraternity or sorority. I’m not in a fraternity and I definitely have a great social life through my involvement in various student organizations. With regards to “SC only sororities”, I don’t remember who that was posted but there isn’t a sorority at Clemson that is exclusive to South Carolina or the south, I know a bunch of northerners spread out among all the different sororities. Somewhat along the same lines of greek life is the fact that people here dress up more (even for football games). People are also a lot more religious here. Back home in Boston, I knew people who were catholics but they weren’t as outspoken about their religious life than they are here. I’d say I’ve had a pretty good transition over all though. Just some random differences I can think of off the top of my head. I’ve had a pretty good transition to Clemson from Boston. There are definitely some things I don’t agree with culture-wise or politically but I’ve definitely tried to be respectful and people will be friendly if you at least do that (of course people will be defensive if you openly call them out). </p>
<p>Is there anything specific you want me to address with regards to north/south issues?</p>
<p>No, thank you for the information Pierre…I just want my daughter to feel comfortable and accepted… this is a big move for us, she is turning down schools up here I always dreamed of her going to…I support her decision I just don’t want her to regret it - but it sounds like what I was reading was just a minority opinion Thanks again for your insight</p>
<p>To those whose kids got an out of state tuition waiver, how did that happen? I think I’ve heard of it before but I’m not familiar with the practice at all. Just curious because when it comes time for me to apply to colleges in a couple years, having OOS tuition waived could change everything</p>
<p>I definitely understand. I personally thought that it would be cool moving to another part of the country just to experience what life was there for 4 years (as opposed to spending another 4 years in the Northeast, going to school with people from my high school). However, I don’t think I truly understood at that age what it meant to go to school 1000 miles from home so it’s definitely a big decision. I definitely know some people who ended up transferring because Clemson wasn’t a right fit for them but I personally have no regrets about Clemson and feel like it was the right school for me. Definitely talk it over with your daughter and try to help her make the best decision! Good luck and feel free to message me if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>tarheel, Clemson used to have an out of state tuition waiver but they don’t have that anymore. Now they give out scholarship money from $5,000-$15,000 depending on your stats (minimum: top 10% of your HS class and 1250 on the SAT (CR+M) or 28 on the ACT)</p>
<p>@pierre013
So if you get a $5,000 scholarship, is it $5,000 total or each year?</p>
<p>tarheel97, that would be $5,000/year, there are definitely other opportunities for other scholarships that are offered through the generous gifts to Clemson by others but there isn’t a set value for those scholarships (says on the Clemson website that those are usually offered to about 15% of students)</p>