College of Charleston? (hotels, job, medical)

[tangerinepuddle]

How good is this school for biological sciences? molecular bio/genetics? Any grads of this college on here? Is the undergrad education good enough to be competive for spots in grad school at UNC at Chapel Hill or Duke? What are your experiences?

Thanks!

[snapdragon]

The Biology and Chemistry departments are great! There are tons of students trying to get into MUSC from CofC so those departments are very compotent. My husband got a biochemistry degree there and was well prepared for medschool. So yes I think you would be able to get into UNC Chapel Hill or Duke as long as you have the grades.

[turtles77]

I went to CofC for my BS in biology, and it was a great school! I had the option to go to UNC-Chapel Hill and turned it down in order to go to CofC. I liked that the classes were a lot smaller and that you really got to know your profs- instead of just having a TA teach the classes. I went on for my MS at Stony Brook Univ in NY, which is currently rated as the #1 public research univ in the NE.
Snapdragon (above) is right- a lot of students are trying to get into the medical school.
Also, if you're interested in genetics, one of the profs went to Harvard and has a really great student-involved lab. Do a search for Kory at the College of Charleston to get some more info. Good luck!

[Jim3310]

I believe that CofC has a direct pipeline into MUSC. Sort of a 'seat saved' kind of thing.
It's a rumor, but it's a good one, that is running pretty strong so far.

By the way, l've got family that earned their MS in Stoney Brook.
Good school.

[stefaniek]

Speaking of CofC, I just got my acceptance letter! I've never actually visited though so can someone give me some dirt? I can find tons of academics and school rankings but I'd like to know other things too. Is it really a huge party school? What type of students usually attend? Conservative? Liberal? What do students do on weekends? Can a student find a job pretty easily? Anything anyone can say is helpful. Plus, I'm also interested in scholarship advice as well...

[BarbaraNJ]

Congratualtions to you! My daughter also applied there but we haven't heard yet. I had posted some questions about CofC months ago. If you trace back the threads you may get some info you want. Good Luck.

[SCBeaches]

Originally Posted by stefaniek

Speaking of CofC, I just got my acceptance letter! I've never actually visited though so can someone give me some dirt? I can find tons of academics and school rankings but I'd like to know other things too. Is it really a huge party school? What type of students usually attend? Conservative? Liberal? What do students do on weekends? Can a student find a job pretty easily? Anything anyone can say is helpful. Plus, I'm also interested in scholarship advice as well...

I earned my Masters in Education at C of C and felt I received a good education. I really got to know the profs because, as someone else stated, the classes are kept relatively small. C of C is known somewhat as a "party school" but not on as big a scale as some of the state universities. As far as political party inclinations: both. I think out-of-state students tend to bring more liberal ideas and values, while locals tend to lean towards the more conservative side. There are many local places who hire C of C students and most work with their school schedules. We are a beach and tourist town, so there are many, many shops, restaurants, tourist attractions, hotels, etc. who hire college students. You should have no problem getting a job.
The fun aspect of C of C is its location, being in the center of town. You can walk just about anywhere, which is great for going to clubs - you don't have to worry about driving. BUT, either take a cab at night or walk in large groups - don't go out alone after dark. There have been incidents of college students being robbed and beaten, so just use common sense.

Good luck in school and have fun!