College Spotlight: University of South Carolina
Most people associate USC with the University of Southern California, but people in the south will tell you the real USC is the University of South Carolina. I mean it was founded 79 years before Southern California, so I could see why some people get fired up about who gets to call themselves USC. Regardless, the University of South Carolina is one of the finest and oldest public institutions in the nation, founded way back in 1801. U of South Carolina is located in the Capitol City of Columbia, South Carolina and educates just under 25,000 students. When I toured the school a few weeks ago, I was extremely impressed with the layout of the campus, and the very strong academic profile of the school. This is a place we are seeing more and more students go to and I can definitely understand why it is so appealing to our students.
Academics and Cost
The University of South Carolina is growing at a rapid pace, with new buildings popping up all over campus, such as their brand new, state of the art business center, new housing options for students, and a new law school. They are also putting a lot of energy into growing their health sciences program, including pharmacy, and their sports management program.
USC has 15 colleges that house over 100 majors including business, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, and sports and entertainment management. Although it is a big, public university, USC does a great job of keeping the student to faculty ratio low, as they are at 18:1, which is great for a school of their size. Also, one of their biggest selling points is that the US News and World Report recently ranked them as having the #1 international business program, as well as having the #1 honors program. This is a huge deal, as I am seeing a lot of students who want to go into business, as well as are very interested in attending big schools, where they can enroll in an honors program.
Right now, the total cost of attendance is at just under $42,000, but that is before any scholarships and/or financial aid, and they give a lot out, with 91% of freshmen receiving some type of financial aid. However, if you are accepted to their Honors Program, and you have a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score, you can actually receive in-state tuition! This would drop the tuition bill from $30,000 to $11,000...quite a deal! If you are thinking you want to apply to the Honors Program, make sure to do so by November 15th!
Campus and Admissions
One of my favorite parts of the University of South Carolina was the setting. It is right in the heart of Columbia, which is a small city, so you do have a bit of that urban feel. However, much of the campus is your classic college campus, with tons of green space, and old southern style quads. There is also so much activity on the campus, and you can really feel the school spirit when walking around. Sports are huge at South Carolina, playing in the ultra competitive SEC, with football being their biggest sport. The campus is just 5 minutes from the nicest, NFL-like football stadium, I have ever seen. Between their academics, southern culture, warm weather, school spirit, and gorgeous campus, I can see why it is so popular among students from all of the country. People come from all over to attend South Carolina, including all 50 states and 100 countries. Almost 40% come from out of state, and New Jersey is the #5 most represented state.
If you want to apply to the University of South Carolina, you will NOT find them on the Common Application...however, you simply need to create an application account on their website. For their standard undergraduate admissions, their middle 50% on the SAT is: 1120-1300 and middle 50% for the ACT is: 25-29. Usually a great GPA and scores over 1300/30 will give you a good shot at the Honors College. They do offer Early Action and Regular Decision, but their Early Action is earlier than most schools with an October 15th deadline. Their Regular Decision deadline is a bit earlier than most schools as well, with a December 1st deadline.
Closing Thoughts
The University of South Carolina has been one of my favorite public universities I have toured. I think students coming from the tri-state area will really enjoy their hybrid urban/traditional campus setting, and countless majors, beautiful weather, and fantastic overall student experience. USC is a big school, but it felt very manageable. The administration is definitely focused on continued improvement for the students, and I think anyone that goes there will be given every possible opportunity to be successful. If you are a student looking for a bigger school, great weather, big time sports, and top notch academics, you may want to consider putting the University of South Carolina on your list. I hope this helps, and as always, happy searching!
Joseph D. Korfmacher
Academics and Cost
The University of South Carolina is growing at a rapid pace, with new buildings popping up all over campus, such as their brand new, state of the art business center, new housing options for students, and a new law school. They are also putting a lot of energy into growing their health sciences program, including pharmacy, and their sports management program.
USC has 15 colleges that house over 100 majors including business, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, and sports and entertainment management. Although it is a big, public university, USC does a great job of keeping the student to faculty ratio low, as they are at 18:1, which is great for a school of their size. Also, one of their biggest selling points is that the US News and World Report recently ranked them as having the #1 international business program, as well as having the #1 honors program. This is a huge deal, as I am seeing a lot of students who want to go into business, as well as are very interested in attending big schools, where they can enroll in an honors program.
Right now, the total cost of attendance is at just under $42,000, but that is before any scholarships and/or financial aid, and they give a lot out, with 91% of freshmen receiving some type of financial aid. However, if you are accepted to their Honors Program, and you have a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score, you can actually receive in-state tuition! This would drop the tuition bill from $30,000 to $11,000...quite a deal! If you are thinking you want to apply to the Honors Program, make sure to do so by November 15th!
Campus and Admissions
One of my favorite parts of the University of South Carolina was the setting. It is right in the heart of Columbia, which is a small city, so you do have a bit of that urban feel. However, much of the campus is your classic college campus, with tons of green space, and old southern style quads. There is also so much activity on the campus, and you can really feel the school spirit when walking around. Sports are huge at South Carolina, playing in the ultra competitive SEC, with football being their biggest sport. The campus is just 5 minutes from the nicest, NFL-like football stadium, I have ever seen. Between their academics, southern culture, warm weather, school spirit, and gorgeous campus, I can see why it is so popular among students from all of the country. People come from all over to attend South Carolina, including all 50 states and 100 countries. Almost 40% come from out of state, and New Jersey is the #5 most represented state.
If you want to apply to the University of South Carolina, you will NOT find them on the Common Application...however, you simply need to create an application account on their website. For their standard undergraduate admissions, their middle 50% on the SAT is: 1120-1300 and middle 50% for the ACT is: 25-29. Usually a great GPA and scores over 1300/30 will give you a good shot at the Honors College. They do offer Early Action and Regular Decision, but their Early Action is earlier than most schools with an October 15th deadline. Their Regular Decision deadline is a bit earlier than most schools as well, with a December 1st deadline.
Closing Thoughts
The University of South Carolina has been one of my favorite public universities I have toured. I think students coming from the tri-state area will really enjoy their hybrid urban/traditional campus setting, and countless majors, beautiful weather, and fantastic overall student experience. USC is a big school, but it felt very manageable. The administration is definitely focused on continued improvement for the students, and I think anyone that goes there will be given every possible opportunity to be successful. If you are a student looking for a bigger school, great weather, big time sports, and top notch academics, you may want to consider putting the University of South Carolina on your list. I hope this helps, and as always, happy searching!
Joseph D. Korfmacher
