I have loved every second of being at the HC so far! I’m from in state and knew I wanted to stay in state so the USCHC was the best opportunity for me! The community of students in the honors residence is great! Floors are really close and I know most everyone on mine! It’s pretty tight knit and I love it. If your child is introverted and usually likes to stay in and study, there will people for him/her. If your child is very social and will enjoying going out on Friday/Saturday nights, there will be people for him/her. It’s a really great mix. The dorm is usually pretty quiet and the quiet hours are respected. I will add that the top scholars are somewhat separated off onto their own wing of a floor, this year most of the top scholars are on 2A. One of the greatest benefits by far of being in the HC is the classes. The classes are much smaller and the professors care so much. They are truly invested. This helps a lot in encouraging the quality of work done; it also helps when you had a late night and are considering skipping class but you don’t want to disappoint your professor!! I’ve had amazing mentors due to the professors and HC classes I took first semester. All around, it’s an amazing place to be!
@carlinagirl3234 thanks for the info. Do you think guys love it as much as you do? What were your stats?
@carolinagirl3234 thank you for your insight. It sounds like a wonderful place to study. SCHC is definitely at the top of my son’s list and hearing stories like yours makes reinforces it.
I do think guys love it as much! There’s a good mix of boys, from fraternity boys to more studious boys! Some of my best friends are guys that live on my floor. As for my stats, I rather not share because I feel with all the pressure and the potential students checking this forum, it may give false hope. My stats were somewhat low considering the students I’m now surrounded with! Most of my friends had a 32-36 on the ACT and were very involved in high school.
Is the work tough to keep up with?
I haven’t heard back from the honors college yet. has anyone else not heard?
@fruitloop2001 if you haven’t heard back yet, you could still get it. However, the decision will not come out until February, so there is no point worrying about it now!
Just left the Honors reception at USC. So impressed with students, faculty and staff we met. Really excited for my daughter to tour the campus tomorrow! @sandilwest nice to meet you and your DD!
Thought I’d weigh in with my daughter’s experiences; she’s a freshman in the Honors College and is really enjoying her time at USC. We were all a little nervous about the size of the school, overall, but the HC really helps make the school more accessible; her honors college classes have been great. Communication between the school and parents is strong. She’s also enjoying the benefits of being at a big school–the incredible football atmosphere, the wealth of dining options, and the infectious school spirit. She’s not a partier but has made lots of friends (girls and guys), and really seems to have settled into the Gamecock life. Housing options for the Honors kids are incredible; the honors dorm is beautiful–and Honors students have first dibs on some of the nicest upperclass accommodations. My daughter will be at 650 Lincoln next year (built as the athletes dorm) and it’s nicer than any apartment I ever had. She turned down some top liberal arts colleges to attend USC and we couldn’t be happier. Best of luck, everyone, with your college decisions!
@Freebie73 It was nice meeting you also. Hope your dtr liked the campus!
are they still accepting honors?
I believe the second round comes out in a couple weeks.
Good luck everyone.
I was on College Confidential earlier today looking for information on another university for a friend. I checked in on the South Carolina boards, having been the mom of a U of SC applicant at this time last year. I thought my son’s story might be helpful to some of you. He first became interested in South Carolina after attending a Top Scholars event at a Rufh Chris steakhouse in our area. We visited in November and he fell in love with the campus and the Honors College. He had applied by October 15 and learned pretty quickly that he got in to the university but subsequently found out that he was not accepted into the Honors College. The impression I had was that South Carolina fell off of his list at that point. I think both he and I figured that if he didn’t get into the Honors College, he wouldn’t end up getting a scholarship significant enough to pull him away from our state’s flagship university, which has a higher ranked program in his major of choice. Plus he had been so into the idea of being in Honors College and maybe even being a Top Scholar. He ended up getting a university scholarship for out-of-state students that reduced his tuition to slightly less than what an in-state student would pay. At admitted students day, he visited Preston Residential College. We left the Columbia campus that day with him having not yet made a decision. But during the eight hour ride home, he announced that he would accept the University of South Carolina offer. From what I see he could not possibly be happier. He is thriving academically and socially. He is very involved at the university. Preston Residential College seems nothing short of amazing. The opportunities that he has sought out, and the ones that have more less just landed in his lap far exceed my greatest expectations. I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out, despite the Honors College rejection last year.
I’m hoping my daughter chooses South Carolina. Waiting on the honors college decision has been nerve racking.
Thanks for sharing your story.
@StrGzrMaryland, I do want to point out that he can still transfer to USC’s Honors college. The applications for transfers are due by April 5, 2019. The most important thing he needs is to have that first semester GPA at or above 3.6. My daughter is in her first year at USC too and she did not apply to the Honors College when she applied to USC, but she will be applying as a transfer student into the Honors College. As long as he is under 45 credit hours, he can apply now and get into the Honors College by the Fall 2019 semester.
Here’s the link for transfers https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/honors_college/apply/transfer_applicants/index.php.
Thank you! He brought up the idea in the last couple of months. But it had to do with some specific goal, I’m not sure what it was. Perhaps it was the idea of doing a double major in math. If he did the double major he thought that the requirement for honors level classwork wouldn’t end up causing him to take classes for nothing other than meeting that particular requirement. The classes he has left to take in his major now aren’t ones that have Honors sections. His general studies and lower levels classes might all be done.
@StrGzrMaryland Was your son deciding between UMD and USC last year? I think that is what will come down to for my son…we are OOS for both schools 
Have folks heard from the CapStone program?
Any guesses as to when the honors college notifications will start to roll out? I am OOS and anxiously waiting for a letter in the mailbox. 