<p>I need help deciding. Elon, College of Charleston or University of South Carolina? I've been admitted to all three. (I'm still waiting to hear about Honors at CofC and Capstone at South Carolina.) Any and all input would be helpful. I liked everything about Elon except the town......or lack of. Loved College of Charleston and the city, however the transfer rate is 30 percent.... that scares me. USC everyone seems super friendly, academics are rising and SEC football! Seriously, please help. I want a good education but also the total college experience.</p>
<p>Depends on YOU. Elon is a superb school and really making headway rising in respect and rankings. They emphasize foreign study there quite a bit. Elon NC is a small town, but its halfway between Greensboro and Raleigh and you can be in either place in under an hour. That means major sports, shopping, concerts and all sorts of fun. Elon grads are highly respected.</p>
<p>CoC and USC are also great schools, but both of them state schools of considerable size. Kids that transfer from CoC are often looking to get into elite schools in the south, like Duke, UNC, Wake, Furman, Vandy, etc. Or they go to USC and do so for the sports scene. </p>
<p>All three schools are great and offer something unique. Congratulations on being admitted. Go to each school on the weekends and talk to students and faculty and see for yourself and get the warm and fuzzy. You will know in your gut where you feel the best suited. Of course, Honors and Capstone are also wonderful accolades. If you are a resident of South Carolina then money may be an issue for instate tuition. If not, then its almost a flip of the coin.</p>
<p>Elon is amazing, especially if you want to do study abroad. And although the town is small, Greensboro is only a half hour away (and there's actually a considerable amount to do there). Raleigh is even bigger, and about exactly an hour. </p>
<p>College of Charleston is fairly prestigious within the south, and the campus is right by the beach. It's also known for being more liberal than most southern schools, if that means anything to you one way or the other. </p>
<p>USC is a solid school with great social life. Not too expensive either. Definitely a good option. </p>
<p>You'd be fine at any of the three. Just wait and see where you get in. If you get into all three, visit campuses and find out which vibe you like best.</p>
<p>C of C not exactly right by the beach. Beaches are about half an hour away at least. But very nice compact campus right in center of town. C is a great town.</p>
<p>Really? My Google Maps shows it being only about 4 minutes away?</p>
<p>Nonetheless, it truly is a great city. :)
Such a unique vibe.</p>
<p>meco, do you have an intended major or an idea of what area you would like to study? S considered both CofC and USC when he was looking into schools that had strong marine/biological sciences. If you are kind of set on what you want to study, try to visit the department at each school and talk to some of the professors/students. Maybe one of the schools has a stronger reputation in an area you want to pursue.</p>
<p>USC has a top rated international business school, too. I think you would have quite a few more academic options (engineering, etc.) at USC, because of its size. CofC is definitely more of a liberal arts type of college that felt small to our son (not a bad thing for some students). Don't know squat about Elon. </p>
<p>We loved USC for the warmth of the people there and it definitely feels like a place where you could get the total "college experience" with "the old ball coach", SEC sports, and tremendous facilities for the students. I agree with you about the academics being on the rise. If I were 18 again (oh, just the thought makes me smile) and were admitted to USC's Capstone or Honors Program, I would be there in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>Oh and barrons, not to split hairs, but from our door at Sullivan's Island to downtown Charleston it is 15 minutes when it isn't rush hour... But who's counting? :) </p>
<p>Best of luck to you meco; you are sure to shine wherever you end up!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone......unfortunately I don't know what I want to major in. I'm more a history or English guy.....maybe business, I want to be able to get a job. I know it won't be engineering or the sciences........math is not my thing.</p>
<p>Kandksmom is your son at USC? If so, has it lived up to his expectations? Can you (or anyone else) address the high transfer rate at Charleston?</p>
<p>Folly Beach to C of C--10.8 miles 21 minutes according to Yahoo maps.</p>
<p>Distance: 10.8 milesTime: 21 mins (approx.) </p>
<p>I was only looking at real beach Atlantic beachfront and not just any body of water.</p>
<p>No, my son was accepted to USC, but he recently was accepted ED to Virginia Tech to study landscape architecture and is headed there next fall. (I think the marine science career interest kind of fell by the wayside after he shadowed a landscape architect this summer). He really liked USC, though, enough to apply just in case his VT plans didn't work out. </p>
<p>One thing you may want to look into is the reputation for networking at each of the schools. In my opinion that can be a big factor in being hired out of college. USC definitely has a larger base of alums. </p>
<p>Finally, I am sure you are aware of the male to female ratio at C of C. In one way it is great, more girls for the guys to get to know, but I think because there isn't a football team, many guys shy away from applying. </p>
<p>Elon is pretty expensive is it not? USC is known around here for being very generous with merit money (another reason s applied!), so maybe the financial side of things will make the decision easier for you. It will all work out in the end!</p>