In regards to partying, if you want to go to parties then you will go to parties. You don't have to be greek at all. Almost every organization (except I'm assuming the ones that don't condone drinking) throws parties.
For scholarships, correct me if I'm wrong, but the numbers on the website refer to the averages for the award winners. So if you have a higher SAT but a slightly lower GPA, you probably could still get the scholarship you're interested in.
For flights, I fly out of Philly, and I almost always have to connect, whether in ATL or DC. Direct flights are just too expensive so it's usually just better to connect. Plus Atlanta to Columbia takes less than an hour, so it's really not that big of a deal.
If you are on a limited budget you might also check out Greenville/Spartanburg airport. I know people who drive there from Charlotte to get a much better deal. It's under a 2 hour drive to Columbia.
There are LOTS of students from the northeast who go to the U of South Carolina. I don't have a clue how you could meet them to setup a carpool thing, but I am sure it can be done. I would hazzard to guess that there will be well over 500, maybe closer to 1000 freshmen from the north east
Maybe you could get onto facebook to arrange that. I know that there was a "new music student 2010-2011" page, I would guess that there will be a "new student page 2011-2012" soon.
mikemets
we are from the NYC area and flew many times to Columbia.there are still one or two direct flights a day into the local airporrt from LaGuardia (American or Delta I believe)
S just went down in Nov to visit friends (hes graduated and back in NY) and did the direct flight.Othertimes, we and he flew into Charlotte. There is a shuttle but mostly he was able to carpool or get rides easily..once he was enrolled asnd got to know people. i bet theres ways through facebook to arrange it,also dorm bulletin boards...
He took his car down sophomore year..we drove down with him and flew back.He drove the route himself numerous times..either with a passenger (in which case they drove straight through) or alone (we made him stop for the night in the outskirts of DC).If it was a quick NY trip he drove to Charlotte parked there and flew..He loved it b/c it was a JetBlue flight from there.
There are three places that serve Starbucks coffee (Bookstore @ Russell, the Colloquium, and the Buzz in Honors). I'm pretty sure that none of them would be considered legit Starbucks, as in you can't use Starbucks gift cards and stuff like that.
I was accepted to USC for biological sciences, but I want to change my major to international business. When can I do this, and how hard will it be to get into??
As jmarietol said, there are several Starbucks on campus. (The Colloquium, The Honors Dorm, the Barnes and Noble, and the Library) Three of them operate on the meal plan, so they have less options for drinks. The Barnes and Noble one is a pretty typical Starbucks that you'd find in B&N. If you want a legit Starbucks, there's at least one in the Vista and one in Five Points.
I actually just went to Starbucks. hah.
I don't know anything about how admissions works for IB. I think your best bet would be to contact the Business School. Usually switching your major is really easy, but IB is one of those weird things that is competitive to get into...
Like everyone has said, there are places that serve Starbucks coffee on campus, but not a real Starbucks (although the one in the bookstore is pretty darn close, has the food and everything). But there are two within walking distance of campus: one in the Vista and one in Five Points. I understand needing a Starbucks, haha. The baristas at the one in the Vista are great. If you find that the coffee on campus just isn't doing it for you, and you need your fix in the morning from somewhere even closer, you can always try one of the independent coffee places in Columbia. Immaculate Consumption, Cool Beans, and Drip are three good places to start.
As for switching your major, you need to call Admissions, and they'll help you out. Changing your major is pretty easy, especially at this point. If you're in the Honors College, you should be able to switch into IB with relative ease. If you are not, however, you may just have to transfer into the Business school and then apply for the IB program later on down the road. The IB program is very competitive, but has earned the right to be.
I'm new to CC! USC is one of my top choices. How involved are students in extracurricular activities? What extracurricular activities are most popular?
It depends. There's pretty much something for everyone.
I'd say the most popular "extracurricular" activity is going to football games. 10,000 student tickets and they're almost always all taken.
But for like clubs and things... I can't think of one that is overly popular across campus. Maybe the Sky Diving Club? But most of the clubs have fairly solid numbers, so that there's enough people to do something, but it's not so big that you can't make friends.
I'd say most students are pretty involved, but it really depends on the person. If you want to be involved, you definitely can, but if you don't, no one is going to force you to be.
D has been accepted as a transfer student into the Dept of Retail. What's the school's reputation for that field? I know the international business program is well known, but what about the retail school? She likes the fact it has a fashion merchandising component. Making final decision on UofSC for Retail/Retail Management/Fashion Merchandising, Emerson College for Marketing Communications, and Elon U for Business/Marketing. Wants to make sure she has all the pertinent info to make a well-informed decision.
D made her final decision a short while ago. Chose USC!!! She's settled and excited about her decision. We're moving her in on Wednesday. AUGirl and everyone else that's provided input, THANK YOU for all your helpful information!!!!
