<p>We want to visit USC from New York this summer. However, I am getting airfares ranging from $400-$500 to Columbia metropolitan airport. Other than driving what other options, would we have? Are there any other airports nearby that could offer better airfare. I think Atlanta might be too far. This also concerns me in terms of D coming home during breaks if she were to become a student there. </p>
<p>Try Charlotte - only about 1 1/2 hour drive. Same for Greenville/Spartanburg but probably more/cheaper choices to Charlotte. Atlanta is about 4 hours and horribly busy airport. As far as being students, there is a shuttle to Charlotte airport that doesn’t seem to cost too much. Amtrak leaves from here but not sure it ends up being a lot cheaper and the times are bad.</p>
<p>Thank you scmom. The fares to Charlotte are so much better.</p>
<p>^^ My d travels from NJ. She used the Charlotte Airport during Thanksglving break and took the Columbia Charlotte shuttle? (I think that’s the name) …they stop right in front of Russell House and pick up bus loads of students throughout the day. They are available all year but they increase the number of busses/shuttles during the major breaks. The only advice I would say is to book the airfare early and then make your reservation with the shuttle so that you get your student on the earliest one you can. The weather was unusually bad this past Thanksgiving and my d almost missed her flight…but that wasn’'t due to the fault of the shuttle company…the traffic was just horrendous due to wintery weather…so next time I would have her try to get on an earlier one. I just want to add that my d has used the Amtrak several times. It wasnt her favorite option but it worked out well and did save us a lot of money as I was able to get Value fares by booking early. I think I have gotten fares as low as 70$ one way.She takes it from 30th street station Philly and it is the one that originates in NY Penn Station. Its a longggg ride so I wouldnt have her do it for Thanksgiving, however she used it for both Winter and Spring break. The hours are weird…basically I think it leaves Columbia at around 4 or 4:30 am? and the returning one gets into Columbia I believe around 2AM?? I called ahead and had a taxi pick up my d from her dorm and was going to pay him to wait with her, however each time she’s taken it there have been several other students at the station as well as an attendant in the station itself. D has said she feels completely safe. I was really nervous the first time but after several times of her using it…I feel better. She basically sleeps or does homework. A lot of families actually use the same line to travel to Disney. Its an option if your D ever needs it. My d has many USC friends from Northeast, even as far as the New England area…they all seem to use the Charlotte airport when they fly.</p>
<p>Thank you NJ mom. That is a good load of information. The Amtrak is a good option to have as well and thank you for adding on the station information. Those hours would make me nervous as well.
Do you all think that summer is a good time to visit or is there an open house in the fall? There is nothing on the website yet beyond mid August.</p>
<p>I am actually doing a visit in mid-July with my high school senior…trying to talk her into USC as well. My older D had also visited in July of her senior year. The campus did seem quiet (and hot!) but she was still able to get the information she needed and loved the tour of the campus. We just never seem to be able to make the open-houses during the school year, especially with the travel involved. I find it so much easier to do these visits in the summer when the kids are off school…although of course they don’t get a feel for the other students.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s my dilemma as well. Fall is a bit hectic but it would be nice to get the vibe from other students to seeif it is a good fit. Academic wise looks interesting though. If they do Saturday visits in the fall, that could work. </p>
<p>Flights into Charlotte may be cheaper (we’re flying from the NYC area) than Columbia, but the shuttle adds another $110 to each round trip, so factor that in when shopping. It’s about a $20-$25 cab fare from the Columbia airport. I just looked quickly at flights for Parents’ Weekend and found one to Columbia for only $172 but going home (those darn Sunday night flights!) were all in the $400 range! I had looked at Amtrak too, but as @NJMOM3 said, the hours are very odd. We hadn’t planned on flying our D home for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas a few weeks later, but I didn’t realize the residence halls close for Thanksgiving. Now, not sure what we’ll do. I know some kids from our area will have cars down there, but I’m not keen on a group of kids making a drive in holiday traffic that on a good traffic day is 14 or so hours… I could see that becoming a real nightmare. </p>
<p>I know you can’t know that now, but apartment style dorms do not close over Thanksgiving and Christmas.</p>
<p>^^ Yes…the traffic on Thanksgiving and the fact that it is such a short break is why we ended up having my D fly then and use Amtrak for Christmas…there were a few USC kids getting off the train in Philly with my d…it really isnt as bad as it seems…now that she’s done it a few times.Since she was going to be home for a few weeks over Christmas we didnt think that the long train ride was that big of a deal.</p>
<p>Also…yes, I guess the shuttle does add more cost, but we have found there to be a much better selection of flight times from Charlotte as well.</p>
<p>@SCMOM12 are you sure? I specifically asked the people at the Housing table at the resource fair if ANY dorms remain open (was thinking D could make friends with someone who lives in one) and was told emphatically, “no.” A student we met at orientation told us she specified that she needed housing in a building that doesn’t close over Thanksgiving and her assigned building does. I can’t remember where she said she is living. When I asked what the international students do, the housing people just kind of shrugged. Other parents though, did say they can make arrangements to house them, but you’d think the housing person would’ve said so. </p>
<p>I at least felt a little better to know other freshman parents were as surprised as I was. I think many of us were expecting our kids to stay on campus for Thanksgiving. My college was MUCH smaller than USC and always had break housing available over Thanksgiving. </p>
<p>Like everything else, I’m sure this will work out–but for right now, this is a big stressor! </p>
<p>^Positive, but there is no guarantee you will be in an apartment style dorm and I’m sure they don’t use that to determine where students are housed - otherwise students could claim to need to stay over break to get apartment style dorms. Exchange students, for instance, are put in apartment style dorms because they can’t usually get home.</p>
<pre><code>From 2014/15 Housing FAQ "Are there any halls which stay open during University break periods (Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break) for current students?
</code></pre>
<p>Yes. All apartment-style halls and Maxcy remain open during break periods"</p>
<p>You can’t just stay however, you have to sign up so that housing knows you are there. The great thing about USC is that your student will meet lots of friendly South Carolinians who would love to have you child go home with them for the holidays. We’ve had several of D’s friends stay a day or two when they’ve left late or come back early (and done some airport drop-offs and pickups). And FYI, the years the Clemson game is at USC, USC opens dorms back up on Saturday after Thanksgiving for students to get back for game.</p>
<p>Actually, I think it is more common for small schools to stay open since there are fewer students to oversee. My older D went to small LAC and they closed for Christmas but were open Thanksgiving and Spring Break.</p>
<p>It’s not a multi-year problem since most students move off campus after freshman year (not a good thing IMO but a fact of life).</p>
<p>@mizzkittysplace… I stressed about all that too when my d chose to go so far…but like scmom12 says, it all works out somehow. My d has some friends from California, Colorado, and Chicago, for example, who did not fly home for Thanksgviving and worked out other options. Some of the kids actually wanted to stay because of the Clemson game, as scmom mentioned.My d is in Capstone dorm and is staying there again for sophomore year. Capstone is one of the dorms that closes, but like I said, the students all figure it out.I’m much more relaxed this year going in than last year so I know how you feel. </p>
<p>The international students are usually put in Maxcy, if not, then usually in apartment style dorms (as others have said), so those stay open over breaks. You just go online and fill out something saying you’re staying there over break. I actually needed to stay on campus for part of spring break my sophomore year and I had no problems in my apartment-style dorm.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, your children will make friends who will undoubtedly invite them home with them for Thanksgiving if they have nowhere else to go. One of my friends was from Ohio and she ended up going home with her friend to Florida, so it could be a fun adventure for your kids! You never know.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your support. Actually, 2 moms I met at orientation offered on the spot to have my daughter for Thanksgiving, but I don’t even know if she knew who their kids were! I do know it will work out… her roommate is from Maryland, which is more than half way home, so even if she traveled that far with her, it’s not a big deal to get a train from there to the tri-state area. D is already saying she doesn’t want to miss the Clemson game… </p>
<p>Drive! Discover America! We drove to USC from the DFW area. It was straight across I-20 for us. Beautiful campus BTW.</p>