While we are waiting to hear about Honors College and Merit money, I was wondering if there are people out there that can comment on the academics at CofC.
We are out of state and I’ll admit that we are not really familiar with the school. It came it our attention as D was looking for urban universities in the south and we did visit last April. D did like the people she met and loved the campus and Charleston but we did come away with some questions about how rigorous the academics were. All the tour guide seemed to talk about was the social aspects of the school. After we drove away we wondered if anyone studies or goes to classes because we didn’t hear about that at all. Our one personal connection with the school is a neighbor who has a nephew there and she says that while he loves it, it is a huge party school. My D is really more of a serious student, and while she likes to have fun she is not a big partier. She decided to apply despite these reservations, but I’ll admit that CofC is falling down her list as she gets accepted to other schools where she doesn’t have the same doubts.
So, in the event that she does get into Honors College and gets the level of scholarship that the NPC calculated for her, it would be nice if she had a better understanding of the academic quality. Was this just a tour guide issue? Does the school have decent quality academics? Are there areas on campus, other than the library, where people can study? Are there study rooms in the dorms, or quiet areas that you can go to to study? Anyone know?
Based on my limited knowledge of the school–my nephew attended for one year about 4 years ago–your perception is correct. The atmosphere was about partying more than academics. Hopefully others with more experience can weigh in.
I’ve come to the realization that any school can be a party school, if that is what someone is looking for. I’m sure that there are certain students that do have difficulty staying focused on that atmosphere. No one knows your child better than you. You can go on the CofC website and type in Class of 2019 to see the stats of the previous class. Maybe a second trip would help, but if you are truly having doubts, maybe this isn’t the best fit.
CoC, along with Elon and Appalachian State, seems to have become kind of a ‘hot school for B students’ among wealthier families in my area, so I’m kind of curious about this too.
Charleston is one of my favorite cities, so maybe it’s the draw of urban life that is playing the big role in its popularity, but I’m guessing there must be more to it than that. Maybe @MYOS1634 or @Hanna can comment?
I am instate for CofC .i have many friends whose children have attended and loved the school . They were good students and felt challenged with the honors program. The school is well connected with MUSC and the tech community it the lowcountry. It is also has a well connected alumnae network. It draws students from all over the country , as well as the world. Unfortunately, because of its location , it has been considered a “party school” by many , which IMO is unfair. That being said, it is not the right fit for everyone. It is an urban school that combines old with new. There is no football team, but is known for soccer, baseball and basketball. It also has a highly ranked sailing program . They are also known for their education majors. It’s definitely worth a look if any of that interests a student.
CofC is turning into a hot school up here in MA too. It was actually first suggested to us by my D’s guidance counselor. While my D isn’t a B student. her first try at the SATs didn’t go so well so we were looking for schools that were easier to get into. We also visited Elon but the town was way too small for her tastes. We didn’t think about looking at the Honors College at CofC when we visited because we were still working with the low SAT at that point. I wish we had since we may have come away with a different impression.
Contact Ms. Knapp at the Honors College. She is very helpful. Did your daughter take the ACT or take the SAT more than once? Charleston is a wonderful area with many cultural opportunities. We lived in a suburb of Charleston in the early to late 90s , and it’s a wonderful place to live. CofC is very involved with the community. One of the best high schools in the state sends quite a few students there. What does your daughter want to major in? I’m sorry that you love so far that a second trip is not feasible. I will say that one of the other schools that we toured ( currently tied with CofC ) left us with a less than stellar impression the first visit because of a subpar tour guide. Subsequent visits really gave us a better impression. PM if you have any more specific questions or concerns. Good luck .
@me29034 You got the same impression that I did when I went on a tour there. My guide did not same much about academics at all. At the beginning of the tour when she asked us about our possible majors, she told us she still does not know what hers is, and she was a senior. I found that a bit discouraging, though that is only one person. They do have other places to study, which is good. With concerns to the party school aspect, a friend of my moms who is a paramedic says he goes down to CofC all the time because of issues with partying. CofC is becoming a major party school, especially since the school is in the middle of downtown Charleston, and the beach is nearby. I would recommend your daughter looking into different schools. My dad was concerned about how integrated the school is into downtown Charleston; you can’t really tell the difference between the school and the rest of the city. This does not make CofC a bad school, it just works better for some than others.
Yes, I did. It was the only school I wanted to go to but then I discovered other options that would possibly be better for me. I’m still deciding between this school and another one. The only thing that is really concerning me is the party aspect, but that is just a matter of choice. Otherwise it is a good school. I’m just waiting to see what I get offered for scholarships from them. That will be the deciding factor.
The Honors College is excellent and many departments are plenty rigorous.
LACs don’t have big athletics and Greek crowds that lend themselves to big parties. As the public LAC for SC, I doubt CoC can beat USC-Columbia in that respect. But since it’s of concern, ask about the Honors Dorms, the Living-Learning communities, substance-free/healthy choices/quiet floors, etc. Email Admissions and ask to be put in touch with students from your area and with students in your major. Ask all questions, bring up all concerns, and ask for hard numbers from Admission (as well as impressions from students). A good question to ask the students (not just one but several) is “what do you typically do on Wednesday once you’re done with classes?” If the answer includes “party”, it’s a bad sign.
Not sure how a campus being integrated into a city is a concern - many students actually look for that (see NYU’s appeal, for reasons that are difficult to understand considering its price and value.)
What are the other choices? (since everything is relative - whether the other choice is BYU or USC would affect perception!)
Another plus academically, C of C has been listed as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars for 2016. I terms of academic rigor, after attending the Honors interview weekend and meeting many of the students in the Honors program, I can tell you both the students and faculty were very committed and enthusiastic about athletics, as well as community service. They were all very well spoken and mature. At one point one of the parents in the audience asked the panel if there were any "less put together " students in the program. While I have a high stats, mature son, I can’t say that that thought didn’t cross my mind.
I do agree that being near the beach may be distracting for some less focused students , I don’t think those students typically choose CofC . There’s another school " up the road" close to the beach that tends to draw them.
Also take into account that Greek life is far from the actual campus.
From my weekend there plenty of freshmen were already well organized. Many of them have jobs, have already planned for Maymester or sophomore study abroad trips, etc. My host for the weekend (a sophomore) had already studied abroad 2 or 3 times! In fact she had just gotten back from studying in Spain. I’ve also met students who are doing research projects at MUSC early in their undergrad years! Plenty more are research assistants!
Cofc just like any college is what you make of it. I’ve heard from students outside of WAF who are just in Honors say how being in Honors is nothing special but honestly most of them can receive the same benefits as WAF students. Honors students are also allowed to attend WAF events.
To take the full advantage of the opportunities you truly have to find them yourself. For example the many cohorts that Honors offers including the Medical Humanities cohort, departmental scholarships, other scholarships in other departments that do not require you to be majoring in the subject (women’s and genders studies has some), and more!
If you are a minority student I highly encourage you to consider SPECTRA which is an early college program in July (everything is paid for by the college as far as room/board and meal plans).
If you are in the Honors dorm, each room has their own “living room”. A space between the 2-3 bedrooms where a white board is attached to the wall. Many students also study in the various coffee shops and the Honors Center.
Academic rigor doesn’t seem to be a problem even if you are not in Honors. Also keep in mind that your child knows what is to be expected of Honors students. Many of them drop out when they learn that there is required classes(I mean its Honors, what do you expect? Haha).
A party school is not always a bad thing. Tulane is also a party school and so is Wake Forest. Yet their atmosphere is work hard play hard. College is a time to experiment and find out what you do and don’t like while searching for a career.
Do not eliminate Cofc from your list! I know at least 40 people who go there and many of them are partyers but they live OFF-CAMPUS where most students live because. There isn’t enough space on campus. That is the aspect many of the people forget when mentioning that cofc is a party school. Many more students that I know rarely party. If you’re concerned about this then you need to exhibit self-control lol. Dorms are monitored at least in Honors. They also have quiet hours in dorms.
Just reread my post and realized that committed to academics was autocorrected to athletics. While there are many wonderful athletic programs like baseball , basketball, sailing, soccer and equestrian programs, I truly meant academics.
