@AlmostThere2018 being instate for UNC is such a great option and I think I would choose it over Cornell also, if I we were instate. That’s a great option to have, for sure. And getting into UNC from out of state is about as hard as getting into Cornell…Cornell had a 10% acceptance rate this past year and I think I saw UNC had a 13% acceptance rate for out of staters.
@collegemomjam – UNC is really great (and my alma mater!) and my D was fortunate enough to get into their honors program. In the end, however, she decided she didn’t want a big school at all and chose a private LAC that offered her some money. Still costs more than UNC, alas, but it’s a great fit for her.
@Momtofourkids no, there was no mention of housing difficulties or “high crime” on the tour and no one in attendance asked about it. We walked around quite a bit in Columbia the day before our tour and felt quite safe. Actually liked that there seemed to be lots of local families out as well on a Sunday afternoon. On campus housing did seem to be most plentiful for Honors students but maybe that was just that they were showing us the perks of that program. I know several students there now as freshmen and sophomores so I will ask them those questions however when I run in to them over Christmas break. The student body seemed quite relaxed and in good spirits so I certainly did not get the feeling that anyone felt unsafe. It was a nice day and students were scattered throughout campus at the plentiful outdoor seating studying, eating, and hanging out.
@AlmostThere2018 Congrats to your daughter and it’s great that she found the right fit! Good luck to her!
@Cheeringsection - thanks. Have heard many wonderful things about the school but of course those two negative things stood out. Good to hear.
@Momtofourkids U of SC is in an urban setting. It is no less safe than any other urban school. Also, don’t let a false sense of security in a surburban or rural setting make your student less vigilant.
@carolinamom2boys - yes of course. I’m not dissing the school just asking the area for obvious reasons
I don’t agree that all urban schools are comparable on safety. Neither the stats or the obvious conditions around each urban school are the same – some are safer than others. “Safe” isn’t a binary, it’s a scale. Some schools are relatively more safe than others and none are perfectly safe. And of course it’s possible to make yourself more safe in less safe schools with prudent behavior. Lastly, safe can be defined objectively (crime stats) or subjective (people’s perceptions). I’ve seen the debate over the neighborhood crop up multiple times in this topic for UPenn and USC in particular and you get different perspectives because different people have different standards of what they consider safe or a “good neighborhood” etc.
@civitas crime stats can actually be a positive. It means that there were actually arrests made. Crime happens on self contained campuses as well.
^^If that isn’t the glass is half full, I don’t know what it ~O)
@carolinamom2boys has a point. There are campuses that try to brush reports under the table and are less than transparent about what actually is happening on campus. This is an older article but many of the points made are still relevant: https://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/30/campus-insecurity.html
@momofsenior1 exactly right. When things happen off campus , it is handled by the local police. When things happen on campus, the campus police handle the investigation . They’re employed by the college so things are not always handled transparently or in the best interest of the student.
My son is a freshman at SC and lives in an apartment on the southern end of campus. He has never complained about safety - he only complains about how far he is from the heart of campus 
Regarding housing at U of SC, there is A LOT of student housing, and much of it is in walking distance to the college. As far as crime, you need to be aware of your surroundings, as in any city.
We toured:
Columbia…Nope. Nice area. Snooty students. Seemed disconnected. Tour guide was distracted and unenthused
Harvard: Hated it from the begining. Students,guide,presentation all sucked.
Tufts: D just said there’s something about this school that doesn’t sit right with me… OK say less, trust your gut.
Wesleyan: Students were a little too laid back. Go figure.
USC(California): D said it seemed like an attraction that Universal built…Huh?!
Duke: Really disconnected. Students seemed to be annoyed that we were visiting. Drab vibe.
Very important to visit these schools because alot of time, money, effort, sweat and tears are involved for a student to not be happy.
I finally put my dislike of the Spider mascot aside and we toured University of Richmond today despite the rain. We have talked about the Spider here so I will just say, I was way past any focus on the mascot within 90 seconds of arriving. I was completely impressed by the school and it is now likely Twin B’s top choice. I really did not have an accurate picture of the university or the area.
We were ten minutes late due to traffic. The student presenter was quite well spoken and did a great job. My daughter checked in and apparently there is a code that waives the application fee. Our tour guide was passionate about the school, of course, but she also was down to earth. We asked many questions.
I was concerned that the culture would be too preppy or conservative. It wasn’t at all. The students seemed perfectly normal. In fact, I was surprised that there wasn’t a stuffy atmosphere. There were slouchy kids and nerdy kids – all bases were covered.
The campus is stunning - even the rain. Programs that make it stand out: the $4k for ugrad research, the science building is beautiful, small class size, lots of school spirit, and the leadership program. They are building a new wellness center.
The campus reminded me of Davidson in that it is brick and it’s more of a circle than a rectangle with a big quad. The town close by is Carytown and it was way bigger than I expected. It has a ton of restaurants and shops. It isn’t glamorous, but offered many choices for an excursion minutes from campus.
^ Richmond is an awesome school and a great place. Hadn’t realized there were so many major employers actually in the Richmond area (like 7 F500s) , and of course there’s DC not too far away.
ditto on all of the great things about Richmond. We have been twice and loved it both times.
@jabsmom10 where else are you planning on touring? Maybe you guys should check out a state flagship for something different?
I live about 10-15 minutes from U of R if you have any questions. Love it there.
Brandeis University went down on the list (but is still on the list). It looked perfect to my D on paper and there were a lot of things we loved about the school, namely the science departments and research available. Also, the people seemed great! But, the campus did not thrill her and she just really couldn’t put a finger on why she didn’t like it as much as she thought she would. But, she still plans to apply. She’s Only a junior so we have time to revisit later too if she wants.
Way up on the list went Smith College. We live close by and really only toured because it’s there. We all expected that we would just go and then cross it off the list. You know how when you live near a college you form an impression and it may not be based on much at all. Well, that’s what happened. The info session and tour completely changed our initial impressions. She loved the open curriculum idea, all the research that was available, the housing system which is pretty unique (no dorms, student live in houses scattered throughout the campus), the beauty of the campus, the students we met. It just all clicked for her, so that was fun to see!