U may look at images on line. I just did. I don’t see anything crazy. But I have a 19 year old daughter who dresses way too fancy and skimpy fit for my taste. So I know what u mean.
She goes to neither. She goes to College of Charleston.
Sounds like your daughter and mine should be besties! LOL!
Or you and I in commiseration.
We are hosting her 19 year old bday now.
Nothing she wears fits. Honestly I don’t see her friends like this. Crop tops. Yes. Jeans that are shredded. Yea But nothing like this …cocktail dress that doesn’t fit….like that movie with Michael Douglas and Kathleen turner. This is my kid. Frightening.
My guess is you’ll have kids of all sorts at any of these schools but more conservative at Auburn more Atlanta kids) and UTK…more TN kids than U of SC which has more geographic diversity and less craziness for football since they’re rarely good.
#truth…and make sure you stick your butt out when you take pics…I HATE IT!!! And we are from Atlanta so the conservative dress does not always hold true…I digress!
I do worry the TN crowd might be a bit too outdoorsy for her but maybe I am just stereotyping. She wants nothing to do with hunting or hiking or camping.
Oh I doubt the UTK crowd is mainly outdoorsy. I’m sure they have an outdoor club as will each school. I’m near Nashville. Kids either go there or Tuscaloosa.
At any large school, anyone can find their people.
Yes it’s close to the Great Smokies and I’m sure some go just like some in Columbia probably go to the nearby national park.
We love to camp….at the Hilton :). I don’t think you have a worry. Yes the hunters and campers will be there but this is the south.
U of SC will likely be less of that. But your daughter will find her crowd at each of these schools.
She’s at VT, which is a great fit for her 
It was in her top 3 but we had to wait all the way until Feb for the decision. Gorgeous campus and location.
My husband is from Syracuse and I lived there with him after we married for 10 years before moving south. Lovely campus - except when you’re trying to get to a basketball game in the Dome in January 
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That may be a southern school/sorority thing. My oldest went to UNC and was in a sorority and they wore dresses to football games. Her friends at UGA & UofSC also wore dresses for football games (also sorority girls). Like you said, there are plenty that don’t dress up. D21 is relieved that her college (VT) has a laid-back, casual vibe. She packed dresses in anticipation of having to wear them to football games, but never did. They do wear the ripped jeans and cropped tops, which aren’t my fave but I think that’s a generational thing.
Hey! You had mentioned that UTK wouldn’t have been the right fit for her. What about it wasn’t the right fit? Trying to understand the campus culture. 
If she’s a top student and applied to the Honors College, definitely UoSC. Business Analytics is akin to Business Data Science so a concentration backed by a minor in statistics is actually stronger.
Usc has a really nice campus and it attracts students from throughout the Eastern seaboard thanks to its topnotch Honors college, so that there’s more geographical diversity than at many Southern flagships, while still having a definitely “Southern” vibe. Only you/your child would know whether meeting kids from outside the South matters.
UTK will be the most outdoorsy. Good honors programs although not as wide ranging and excellent as USC’s.
UTK would be mountains, USC would be beaches.
The focus on looks and brands can be overwhelming for girls at some universities and if your daughter is into casual dress and/or dislikes consumerism then UAuburn is probably not the right fit.
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In her opinion (based on 3-4 weekend visits this past fall), UTK is too much of a 24/7 party culture for her liking. She likes to have fun but doesn’t necessarily want to be woken up by drunken roommates at 2am during the week. This has been her bf’s biggest complaint - not getting any sleep during the week because his suitemates and floormates are out every night. She was looking for more of a “work hard/play hard” environment, with students who get up and go to class. Again, in her opinion only, the “work hard” part is somewhat lacking at UTK. I don’t doubt that there are plenty of students there who work hard - this was just the vibe she’s gotten during her visits there.
ETA - I’m sure part of that is doing your best to find like-minded roommates, which can be a big challenge.
Is your D considering Greek life? It’s pretty big for girls at each of the schools you are considering (although obviously not mandatory).
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It’s available at Georgia Tech. Look under Industrial engineering (ISyE). My S20 is weighing which tract to choose.
I’m in Analytics. Data Science is a new major and can be housed in the Business School, CS or engineering. I would be apprehensive about majoring specifically in Data Science or Analytics. It’s an unknown quantity and quality.
I like GT’s approach of putting it under IE. I also liked the schools that housed it in the business school. A double major of business and math/stats would do just as well. Maybe even better. Everyone understands a BS In math or finance.
Right now physics seems to be the hot major for analytics. Some of the best data scientists I’ve worked with majored in physics.
Full disclosure. I did my MBA at South Carolina many years ago so I’m a little biased.
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Well I think she is pretty much convinced that its SC or Auburn. Based on the above info and her feeling from touring I think Tennessee is out of consideration. Of course she is a teenage girl so next week it could be her top choice. LOL!
Of SC and Auburn - I know they are two completely different places. She did not apply to the honors college at either even though she most likely would have gotten in. I am guessing she may get Capstone at SC.
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My daughter was admitted to UofSC, UTK and Auburn with nice merit at each. Auburn had been at the top of her list until this fall. The consumerism has definitely got her down. We will attend an admitted student’s day to see if the good vibes come back.
She declined UTK today. Great school but agree on other comments being posted here. The kids at her HS who are going to UTK are the party crowd. She did not get into honors and is concerned about being on party floors in the dorm.
UofSC is top of the three right now. Also likes Syracuse. But OUCH on the price there.
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DD hoping for Capstone too. 
Also applied to Auburn Honors recently so won’t find out until Jan/Feb.
I can’t imagine all 3 SEC schools aren’t party schools. Niche rates all 3 A+ and my alma mater Syracuse is always rated one of the tops.
FWIW Syracuse is #7. U of Sc is 30. UTK is #68. Auburn is 73. But Penn, Tulane, Vandy and other top schools are really high.
There’s partying everywhere but I have no doubt one can find their crowd too.
My son is at Bama. Not a partier. His dorm (honors) was quiet to the point he was bored. If you want to play board games, you’ll find it. At any of these schools. Book clubs. Whatever your fancy you may find it.
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Agreed but there’s a difference at colleges where the academics in general are challenging enough that students know if they want to stay there, they can’t be going hard every night of the week. Also, I think there’s more of sense at places like Penn, Vandy, Tulane, Syracuse, etc., that students worked very hard to even get in, so they’re less likely to jeopardize that with 24/7 partying.
It’s great if your student gets into an honors program and can choose to be with similarly academic-centric students in their own dorm, but not everyone gets honors.
She also may get a nice little merit bonus with Capstone
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Have you decided? We are trying to decide too.
She did and it was neither one!! However, she was all in for South Carolina until mid march. Se even had a roommate and was capstone. She was very impressed by their cybersecurity certificate also. She did not like Tennessee. She thought the Tennessee campus was ugly. So to answer your question if she had to choose between these two then it would have been South Carolina. for sure.
She is actually going to attend the University of Florida which is not in a city. LOL! She said she liked the feel of campus and that it was a top school. I think the fact that her Dad went there had a small amount of influence. She also loved the Acai bowl place. Yes that was part of the decision. The things that change kids minds…
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xxx.