College of Charleston or Clemson? HELP!! (Greenville, Florence: high school, university, to live in)

[Skyliner]

Clemson consistently ranks very high on the list of the nation's schools with the best return on investment.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by kettermn

As having been to both C of C and Clemson if your interested in any of the sciences I would advise C of C. Much more cutting edge and better profs.By the way I live 10 miles from Clemson.Clemson can be a good school but has rep in job markets as party school.Before all you Clemson students take a swing at me,there are some good profs at Clemson and hard working students but that is not how a lot job markets see it.

I am curious why you say that C of C is more "cutting edge" than Clemson when it comes to science instruction. I tend to associate being "cutting edge" with research dollars, and Clemson generates many more research dollars than C of C. That's the power of being a nationally ranked doctoral institution (which has set records in recent years for research dollars generated). As for professors, I do not know how the quality of science professors can be assessed. I do know that Clemson University was named the "Best Place to Work in Academia" among academic institutions in The Scientist magazine’s 2007 annual survey of its readers. So they must be doing something right.

By most indications, Clemson is a superior school to C of C, with a better reputation (especially nationally) and job placement. My experience has been that a Clemson degree is very well received. I'm sure a C of C degree is well thought of as well, but if someone wants to apply for jobs outside of the SC Lowcountry or out of state, it isn't going to carry as much weight. Clemson's name will be helpful in getting a job anywhere on the East Coast, and it won't hurt you anywhere in the US.

[motonenterprises]

Comparing these 2 is like comparing apples to oranges. Clemson is a big D1 university, COC can't compete with that and isn't supposed to. Clemson hands down. Not taking anything from the COC.

[ARS 2006]

scrunner22,
Have you made your decision? If not I would like to give you my opinion.

I too am from Florence area, I grew up in the "country" in Florence County and you seem to be in the same predicament I was when I was graduating...the fear you will be stuck with the same types of folks (aka..rednecks or whatever you call them) you have been with your whole life. You should definitely check the stats on the number of out-of-state students vs. in state, I think you will be surprised.

I STRONGLY recommend a student guided tour before you make your decision. I chose Clemson the second I walked onto campus I instantly knew it was the place I belonged. I really enjoyed the fact that the town and the University are the same. I also enjoyed the fact that the campus is not so spread out like at C of C and others like USC, you were able to meet up with friends for lunch during the day relatively easy. Also my class sizes in all my major course work were relatively small. Also, I never had a problem requesting help after class or meeting with a professor for one on one help.

Also just looking towards your future for job placement, Clemson is Nationally recognized where C of C does not yet have that recognition.

Contrary to popular belief there is alot more to Clemson that just football.

Good Luck!

[mrpeatie]

Wow- whoever said that clemson was the party school needs to go tell everyone in Lee Hall and half the engineering departments.

CoC is a much better party school if that is your goal. I earned two degrees at Clemson but must say my first year or two in the job force in Charleston was truly my party time. All my friends who went to CoC describe it as a party school- that doesn't mean they didn't study or work hard but it is much more of a social school. Clemson is much more technology, research and science driven. It is less diverse. And one thing to consider is compared to other schools Clemson does not suffer from grade inflation. That helps when it is time to apply to grad schools if they weight your undergraduate work by university.

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by mrpeatie

Wow- whoever said that clemson was the party school needs to go tell everyone in Lee Hall and half the engineering departments.

CoC is a much better party school if that is your goal. I earned two degrees at Clemson but must say my first year or two in the job force in Charleston was truly my party time. All my friends who went to CoC describe it as a party school- that doesn't mean they didn't study or work hard but it is much more of a social school. Clemson is much more technology, research and science driven. It is less diverse. And one thing to consider is compared to other schools Clemson does not suffer from grade inflation. That helps when it is time to apply to grad schools if they weight your undergraduate work by university.

These are valid points. Clemson students definitely have a good time, but nothing beats the College of Charleston's location in downtown Charleston a mere block or two from many bars (which target C of C students specifically).

As for the lack of grade inflation at Clemson, you are correct - and graduate schools definitely recognize this. For example, MUSC's medical school adds 0.5 onto the undergraduate GPAs of all applicants from Clemson in acknowledgement of the school's difficulty. So a student with a 3.4 GPA at Clemson has a 3.9 GPA according to the admissions committee.

[eureka1]

Well,here's a different perspective. I've worked for thirty years in HR on the West Coast and HI and employers out here are NOT going to be any more impressed by a Clemson degree than one from CofC. You've had lots of input here. Your choice is a liberal arts college in a historic city or a larger university in the sticks. GO there and pick whichever makes you feel good while you're walking around. If you pick wrongly you can always transfer. Good luck in all this.

[rubber_factory]

Originally Posted by motonenterprises

Comparing these 2 is like comparing apples to oranges. Clemson is a big D1 university, COC can't compete with that and isn't supposed to. Clemson hands down. Not taking anything from the COC.

I'm confused, what does their NCAA status have to do with this?

Anyway, I think the bottom line is that the O.P. should compare certain academic departments if you want to know which is objectively "better." Trying to comparing the two universities as a whole isn't very useful.

[emilybh]

For academic reasons I'd choose Clemson. ( I bet the library is better at Clemson than CofC's is too.) There are probably less distractions and it might help you focus on studying. It is the only school in South Carolina I'd ever heard of before moving here to Charleston. I'd certainly never heard of College of Charleston until I got here. Of course after you begin working, the school you went to quickly becomes less important. So with that in mind, I'm sure you can get an adequate education at CofC if you don't mind the distractions of all the goings on in Charleston, so for the location and fun, I'd choose C of C. It depends on your priorities and what you are willing to sacrifice.

[nyer2013]

Originally Posted by scrunner22

This is the OP. I visited the campus again on Friday, but it was rainy so I think I didn't get a really good feel the campus again. I'm think I'm leaning towards Clemson at this point, but I'm not 100% sure.

For current Clemson students, would you recommend living in Holmes, the honors dorm? I've heard different things from people. They generally agree that these are the best dorms on campus. Some people I've spoken to say it's harder to meet people in Holmes because they keep their doors locked/closed and aren't very socialable to begin with. Is this true? Would you recommend staying in Holmes or some other dorm? Thanks

I haven't been to Clemson.... but, there is no way that my son is interested in an honors thing......not in this lifetime......Not him at all. And not for me either....Staying in your room and getting good grades is not what college is about.... You could graduate by telecourse if that was the case.