College Life in South Carolina? (Columbia, Florence: real estate, apartments, employment)

[JessicaAshley]

I am doing research on Grad schools and I thought I might want to look at South Carolina since I want to stay on the East coast. Which South Carolina schools might be best for an Anthropology major?

How is the cost of living for college students? Is it hard to find part-time jobs to work around a school schedule? How easy is it to get around in South Carolina? Would I need to travel far for basic needs such as groceries? What is the cost of food in South Carolina?

[waccamatt]

I took a couple of anthropology courses when I was at the University of South Carolina and I enjoyed them. USC has had an Anthropology Department for many years and USC is very conveniently located in downtown Columbia, within walking distance of both The Vista and Five Points entertainment and shopping areas of downtown. Both areas have grocery stores, etc. There are a number of reasonably priced apartments just off campus or there is always on-campus housing. Real Estate costs in Columbia are known to be some of the least expensive of any urban area in the country. Food prices are probably about average. There is a public bus system in Columbia, but you could walk to nearly anything you would regularly need from the campus area.

Department of Anthropology

[sarahelca]

Well, I'm a microbio major so I can't help you with the anthropology classes but I went to Clemson and just moved to Florence (home of Francis Marion). I would definitely come visit whatever you want to apply to.

I visited USC but didn't really like the location of the campus. It's in the middle of the city, nice campus but a little sketchy outside it. Clemson is rural. Not a whole lot going on unless you want to drive. I found employment pretty easy. I signed up for Tigerpol which is like a temp service for students. Most the companies in town understand what they're getting into when they hire students.

Rent is pretty cheap in general in SC. In Clemson, about $500 a month for a nice one bedroom, $250 if you have a roomie. Florence is pretty much the same ranging between $400-$600. Just remember that while cost of living is low, so is the pay. I could get a job at $12 an hour easy in New Hampshire but you'll be lucky to get above $9 down here.

It depends where you go as to how easy it is to get around. Although I'll probably get reamed out for this, South Carolina drivers are pretty dangerous. I think it has something to do with not requiring drivers ed. No turn signals, reversing onto on coming traffic, and beat up cars that shouldn't be on the road. I usually find myself more concerned with other drivers than focused on directions. Still, I think it's a matter of getting to know the area. I've never had a problem.

Groceries were higher for me in SC than in New Hampshire. You need to get pretty creative with grocery shopping. I shop for good buy one get one free deals at Ingles and Bi Lo. But there's practically a grocery store on every corner so I wouldn't be too concerned about finding one especially if you're near a college campus.

Good luck!