I am from South Carolina, choosing from U of SC or Clemson. I want to major in Economics and attend the honors college wherever I go. I want the best opportunity to attend a top 20 law school upon graduation. Would Clemson or USC be better for me? Just looking for some outside opinions.
Can only speak to Clemson… they have an honors program “pre-law” group as well as one that is university wide. You might be interested in the Dixon Global Policy Scholars program as well. Info. is available on the website. The is also a public policy institute you may be able to get involved with. (Depends on what aspect of law you’re interested in I would think.)
As one example of what’s possible, I know one Clemson honors student who got funding to live in D.C. for a summer and work for a political action group.
However, to be fair, I imagine South Carolina honors may offer some of this as well, and they are in the state capital, which might offer some opportunities.
My son is in the honors program and loves Clemson and honors. He is an Econ major and has enjoyed his professors and courses. Good luck with your decision. (And can’t help but note that on the sports front, Clemson is clearly ahead at the moment! ; ) Go Tigers!
What grade are you in? Both schools are competitive for admissions, especially the Honors Colleges. My advice is to visit both , meet with advisors or deans of both programs and the honors programs and sees what feels like a better fit . They are very different schools, one more rural and one being an urban campus .When looking at schools with my now college freshman son we found that opportunities for internships , study abroad, DC internships etc were very similar at most schools. You may want to consider The Honors College at College of Charleston as another option.
OK, now an opinion from a U of SC parent. Agree that the location in Columbia (you can walk to the State House in 5 minutes) might be a plus if you are interested in state government/public policy etc. One of my D’s friends is doing a full semester in Washington starting in January, which might be interesting.
My D’s major is International Business/Economics. The Int’l Business program is highly ranked, and easy to combine with Econ, so might be something to think about if your interests might lie in those directions.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with Clemson or Carolina. Both are excellent options with very strong Honors Colleges.
Finally, before I ever saw the reply by @carolinamom2boys, I thought, “I hope he is also looking at College of Charleston.” Also a great option, unless you are set on the big school/big sports feel.
@nicklefever choose the college that feels like the best fit for you. The most important thing is to keep your overall GPA up and take a prep course for the LSAT. I too, was an economics major and I have been practicing law for over 20 years now and also teach pre-law at a University in CT. My advice to you is this: don’t worry about where you do your undergrad, worry about how well you do at your undergrad institution. Best of luck!!
@nicklefever I should add - if the school has a mock trial team or a Mock UN etc. - join.