@ilovebillyjoel you are offered the Bridge program from the regular application process. It’s not something you can apply for specifically.
@hicksychicks was she a legacy or have an abnormally low class rank? Also, did she still get into her first choice of major?
Were you a business major?
yes. i am accepted for pre-business
I was accepted to U of SC Columbia’s business school with a $40k scholarship but I’m probably going to end up wanting to do something more technical like Computer Information Systems. That is why I don’t want to go to USC
@Baxter126 Right, but its premise is similar to summer program, which is why I suggested it. I have a friend in it now–it’s not a community college setting.
What about spending your Freshman year at Winthrop, then transferring to Clemson? I believe you can receive a waiver to be considered in-state since you live in Charlotte.
the summer program is definitely different as you take two classes & you already accepted into the school as a regular student, the bridge program is a whole year at a community college.
Would getting instate there establish residency for me at Clemson?
@kgracey17
No not a legacy and school is a small private catholic girls school she is in top 10-15 Was admitted business. She is just so confused now because she has been admitted to many other good business programs and no request for a summer start. From what she understands it’s a summer start or no entry for the fall.
That is exactly what I’m getting at Clemson, it is ridiculous. Not only is it completely unheard of, it is extremely expensive. I visited today and talked to a counselor and she said that from her understanding there is nothing I can do about it. Guess I’ll have to go somewhere else unless I can find a way to come up with the money.
@amxn15 Hope this helps. https://www.clemson.edu/financial-aid/residency/requirements.html. Pulled it from Clemson’s website.
My son did a similar summer program for the month of July at his college but it was great for him and we made that investment because we thought he needed the soft start to college. He made friends and got his bearing and had more credits going into freshman year. Later on it helped because he dropped a class because he couldn’t handle it and he changed majors but he isn’t behind because he had the early start. He didn’t have to do it but we thought it would be good for him but for some people it was conditional for their admission.It looks like the Early Success Program at Clemson is similar. For those who didn’t meet the full requirements for admission they wanted to make sure academically the students had their footing and they also offered several fun outings and group and team building activities so it was almost like summer camp. Also if you study abroad for a semester at Clemson you get IN STATE TUITION for that semester. So if you did that you could offset some of this extra cost. But I think you need to move past the bitterness of the reality and look at the positives of the opportunities before you. Some people were outright denied… one person I know with a 1230 and a 4.3 W in Va was denied.
But financial considerations are important. You can always transfer in state later if Clemson is becoming too expensive. You can opt to go to a different school knowing you could transfer into Clemson later. A friend of ours daughter really wanted to go to Penn State and they offered her the same option… to go for the summer program to be admitted but it was OOS and Penn State like Clemson is very expensive and it was just too much and they opted to send her to JMU in state because it was already a stretch.
I am sure for schools this business model is a win win because it creates more energy on campus in the summer… brings in some revenue and also creates a higher likelihood of success and retention in these students in their first years when they usually lose a certain number of students. Good luck to you.
Hi Amxn15 - you are getting some good suggestions from those on this thread. I would like to offer you a way to look at your decision from a pure financial perspective because it seems the cost to attend Clemson maybe difficult for you regardless of whether or not you have to attend the summer courses. What I describe below is the insights I am providing my son to aid him in his decision too.
While my son understood the theory of debt, I put together a spreadsheet which helped him visualize the financial impact his college decision may have on his future. Putting together such a spreadsheet for yourself maybe beneficial in helping you in your decision on how best to proceed.
The objective of the spreadsheet was to show how much incremental financial advantage or disadvantage each school would have on his immediate earnings after college. For each school, I estimated the loans needed and the estimated starting salary for his major (average starting salary was taken directly from each of the college’s websites for that particular major.)
I then used on-line calculators to estimate (1) the monthly loan repayment amounts for each of the colleges (2) the estimated net take home pay, after federal and state taxes, based upon each of the college’s published average starting salaries. I then deducted the estimated monthly loan payment for each college from that respective college’s net take home pay.
You can even take this analysis one step further by researching and deduct the estimated living costs for the area you wish to live in (rent, utilities, food, savings, etc.). This will then help you understand if you can afford to live alone and/or how much you will have left over to fund your future goals (i.e. graduate school, house purchase, retirement, new car, etc.) Retirement savings is something you should do as soon as you start working as time is what gives you the potential to grow your wealth . If you don’t you are kicking the retirement can down the road so to speak.
If the math shows Clemson isn’t fiscally the best choice to help you achieve your financial goals (short and long term), it is what it is. Since how successful you will be in your career is not defined by what college you graduated from, are there any other good college options that would allow you to meet your objective of obtaining the degree you seek with a price tag you an afford? Wishing you the best…
Have you been accepted at any NC schools? Those would probably be your best financial option. NCSU accepts a fair amount of deferred students. That might end up being your best option. UNCC has a good business program. Did you apply there?
@katkap that is an excellent perspective. Programs the the Early Success and the Bridge are there to set students up for success as they start college and as they enter Clemson. Just because you are a good high school student doesn’t mean the academic transition to college isn’t going to be difficult. The learning and the studying and the test taking is very different.
@TheMetz Also, what an excellent way to show the student the finances of college. I do not believe people look hard enough at the financial aspect of all possibilities of school. Including expenses for out of state as well that can add significant amounts in plane tickets and storage units over the summer. We definitely said no to certain schools for financial reasons - in our case to anything out of state because the in-state scholarships were too good to pass up.
College truly is what you make of it and if a doors closed (even if it’s a tough thing to face), it just means there’s a better path for you. All the best!
Very valid and important points from @Baxter126 @TheMetz @katkap - great advice. Our D17 did a summer program at another school as well. She did not have a choice as it was contingent on her acceptance because her stats were borderline. She, too, took 2 classes and helped tremendously down the road. She got to know a very large campus, met great people and said it was a summer of her life. Again, this was another school so not sure what the experience is at Clemson. She is currently doing very well academically and socially, I believe the summer program helped. I also believe ESP has other year-long requirements that must be met in order to continue at Clemson. With this said, finances should play a large roll in this decision, especially since you have solid options with nice merit (something my D17 did not have). I love @TheMetz idea of future financial planning. In addition, summer programs may mean you are out of summer job income unless you can find something local that works around the classes and program. I know my kids earn a decent amount during the summer so this was another factor. @Baxter126 last line sums it up perfectly. Good luck and all the very best!
What about summer classes at Winthrop, in Rock Hill,SC? It’s close enough to Charlotte you could drive back and forth from home. Would they accept that? Or ask about online options?
@amxn15 - Read that you visited and talked to a counselor about this program and there is nothing you can do. Did they say why you were offered the summer vs. regular admittance? Did they have any suggestions on how to afford the $12,000 for the summer? Good luck, this is a tough decision.
My take on this is that it is not about taking classes at another college. It is something (I really would like to understand what it is) in your application caused them to believe you need a further support system which this program offers. You are meeting with support people on a daily basis for the 7 or so weeks in Summer 2. While I think this is not a bad thing, their cost is outrageous at around $1,600 per credit hour. They could at least offer the same out of state rate they do for full time students which is around $1,200 per credit hour. It would still be super expensive, but any savings would be great. What amazes me is that USC offered him a scholarship and Clemson is saying they need to offer him more support, but there is no requirement to get a certain grade in the summer to continue at Clemson.