<p>South Carolina is not the wasteland that people on this forum make it out to be. Things are relatively close on the East Coast compared to the West Coast so if you have a weekend or a week off there are lots of things you can see nearby. Columbia is halfway between the Smoky Mountains and the beach. Atlanta is a 3 hour drive and even Washington, DC is within a day’s drive. I love Seattle, but it can be pretty dreary in the winter (although gorgeous in the summer), and while it is cosmopolitan there isn’t much in the way of history like there is on the East Coast. The south can be an interesting experience for six months.</p>
<p>Go to the school that has the courses you want to take. Go out to the web sites and look at the actual courses that will be available to you. The difference in prestige between the two schools isn’t enough to influence your decision.</p>