S24 looking at mostly SEC schools. He really wants to be able to go to games and experience all of that culture. He would love CofC for so many reasons but due to the lack of football he’s not applying. Anyone here have a kid who felt similar and then changed their mind?
@coastal2024 let your son make this decision. College of Charleston is a great school, but it also wasn’t my kid’s cup of tea and she didn’t apply either. And we parents thought it was very nice also.
Remember, it’s your son who is going to college and will be living there for four years…not you.
I’m sure he has a number of other colleges on his list that have the culture he is looking for.
Our kid didn’t apply to C of C, but she did apply to University of South Carolina. In our kid’s case, this had nothing to do with football. But it was our kid’s decision.
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Agree it is absolutely his journey was just curious since he seems otherwise drawn to the school. And university of South Carolina is one of his top picks. Fingers crossed he ends up with some choices he’s excited about! He seems excited about all the schools on his list, but has only seen half of them so we will see where he gets in and then visit some of the top contenders that he hasn’t seen.
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Both of my kids wanted strong school spirit. One wanted football and never changed her mind about it.
I think if football is important to him, then it’s important. Nothing wrong with that.
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My son was adamant he wanted a college with a football team and ended up at a college without football. He had a great experience.
If you think your child might get a large scholarship or have other good reasons for wanting them to apply there, you can play the “parent’s choice” card and see how it ends up working out. No harm in applying.
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My kid wanted big school spirit, big football weekends, and all that goes along with it. I get it. Some kids want the “rah-rah” pageantry of college athletics as part of their college experience.
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My oldest D had no interest in sports before college and pretty much has none now 10 years after graduating. However some of her fondest college memories revolve around the football and basketball games and the fun she had with friends at those activities.
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I’d suggest having your kid talk to a couple of current CofC students from similar backgrounds (maybe someone from his high school?) to get a sense for whether or not they miss having big time athletics. Or whether Colonial Athletic Association sports, especially basketball, is enough to fit their needs and create the sort of culture your son’s looking for.
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Has your son looked into Coastal Carolina? It’s similar in size to College of Charleston (both just under 10k undergrads), but it also has a football team. On Niche, it’s rated as #71 of 1356 in terms of Best College Athletics in America (based on student surveys…so it seems that there is definite sports enthusiasm there). Additionally, in a poll on Niche, 55% of students say varsity sports are a big part of campus life. Their admissions rates are similar, too (76% at C of C and 79% at CCU), and both are SC publics.
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Very good idea. I know two kids who had a great time at Coastal.
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In the end, your kid has to decide.
They have various reasons - mine was all over Miami of Ohio (accepted) and Elon til we visited and both were too rural. JMU til she realized a highway disects it - even though you’d rarely see that.
My son wouldn’t apply to UVM because he said it should be UVT. Kids have all sorts of reasons.
If your kid wants SEC or SEC like schools - and even they come in different shapes, sizes, and environments, then it’s great. They also come in different levels of selectivity and different levels of merit aid - i.e a parent can get off on the cheap.
C of C is vastly different than SEC schools - and I’m not even talking about football. It’s small and very urban - vs. a UGA, UF or Bama that are huge. Or Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas or South Carolina that are large population wise but have a sense of urbanness since they’re in the city.
UGA was the first school my daughter eliminated when she had to cut down from 16 she was accepted to. Why - she realized in comparing to schools she really liked - Emory, William & Mary, etc. that it was just too big.
Perhaps if your son hasn’t stepped foot on a campus, take him to some - most of them are drivable from one another.
And if he likes SEC type schools - he might like FSU, Va Tech, Clemson, etc. too.
Why Charleston? Is it the city ? You’d say he’d love it but he says otherwise. Maybe he needs to see it. Maybe he wouldn’t like the SECs but maybe he wouldn’t like Charleston due to its small size and density, in addition to the lack of football.
Are you an alum or what’s your appeal to the school?
Personally, I’m not a fan. It’s not very nice and the Honors dorm (being refurbished this year) should be condemned. It was gross. And off campus housing there is very expensive unless you want to drive in or walk 20 mins +.
My kid, on the other hand, loves it and they’ve been great with small classes and extra curricular academic offerings of which she’s taken advantage.
Every school has its pros and cons. But what’s most important after affordability is, not that mom and/or dad love it - but that the student does.
Good luck.
As others here have said If its important to him then its important. Campus life is sometimes overlooked with all the emphasis on rankings and academics but if he is not in an environment where he is comfortable everything else will be harder, remember he will be living at what ever school he chooses for at least 4 years, and if football makes him feel more at home that’s a good thing.
I understand to some kids that’s not important or even a consideration.
which is fine but so is wanting a school with big time athletics.
Which State are you in? Guessing SC since COC and USC but don’t forget Clemson.
I will second looking at ACC schools also look at Big10 schools if they are in your budget going OOS
Both of mine, S21 and D23, wanted a school with a lot of school spirit especially in football.
S21 applied to a few basketball schools but ultimately chose Florida State University.
D23 applied to a few small schools but they still had Football and chose University of Florida.
They wanted that lifetime of rooting for their college team on Saturday.
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I enjoyed SEC football but I had friends from smaller schools like Furman and Wofford. I enjoyed going to their games. More of a smaller social gathering with football as a bonus. Maybe Wake or Richmond if affordable?
If he loves EVERY thing about the school except for the fact that it doesn’t have a football team, and it’s just a matter of checking it off on the common app, have him apply just so he doesn’t regret it later once decisions are coming in. He may learn things about CoC and the other schools during this year that make him re-order his list. If it’s still one of the top 3 after decisions and financial packages come out, have him do the accepted student revisit day.
Although some kids are completing applications now, things change A LOT during the year. Each month that goes on, they learn more about themselves, and that makes schools that seemed perfect not so perfect and schools that seemed “perfect except…” seem perfect.
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Since OP has Coastal in their name, sounds like a winner !!
I would definitely encourage him to apply if the application is not too onerous. Better to apply and not accept than to not apply and later wish you had.
Also, a bit more of an under the radar football school is Appalachian State. It’s not SEC, but might be worth checking out. They get really hyped for their football team there. Beautiful area too.
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delete - meant to post in general.
I agree with some of the schools being put out there in theory - but neither Coastal nor App State or JMU or others that could be mentioned are like C of C.
It’d be helpful to know from OP why they feel the student would love Charleston. Is it the history, urbanness/density, surrounding restaurants, weather, size, character or what?
But it sounds to me like many of us - we hope our kids put X school that we love on their list.
Many don’t - mine didn’t - and you get over it.
It reminds me of the thread someone started - what if your kids won’t apply to your alma mater?
So I think we need to hear from OP - why they feel this way.
As an aside, my Alabama kid had zero intention of looking at, applying, etc. Their first top school was WUSTL until they saw Purdue - and it became the top school and he was headed there.
It was only after job shadow or college visit day in HS when three friends invited him to go, did he go - and came home, applied and was admitted a few days later b4 he even told us.
So - while Alabama wasn’t necessarily a school I hoped for, it does happen - where a kid feels one way - and then changes their mind. For my kid, it was - he could get his own dorm room and share a bathroom with one other vs. living in a shared room and having a hallway bathroom.
But in the end, even if your kid changes, it has to be for their reasons and not yours.
I think they are in the same ballpark academically as CoC. Maybe Coastal Carolina is a little less selective. We don’t know this student’s stats, but if they have CoC stats and are looking for a football school they could do worse than App State.
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Yes we visited Coastal last year and he did not like it- felt like a commuter school to him and says Myrtle Beach depressed him. He was bummed because he was really excited to visit.
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