I’ve got to say, this is making me nervous. My son really likes Clemson, and I’ve had some worries about him going to school in an environment that’s pretty different from what he’s used to. I mean, I know college is where you learn and grow and see different things. But this… feels like a lot.
Quit worrying. You’ll notice these are girl’s rooms.
Still lucky if the sheets get washed twice a year by the guys. Not really much has changed…
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I have a daughter at Clemson, the fanciest thing in her dorm room was the futon she and her roommate bought at Walmart. My daughter is also very involved in her sorority, always holds an office, I see tons of pictures of her in her bright fancy dresses - I have no idea who actually owns these dresses 
. We are from NJ, the third largest population at Clemson (there are watching parties at a few NJ bars for Clemson parents). She loves it, it’s different, she already has a job secured here at home for next July so I know she’s coming back.
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I’m too lazy to do it myself, but I feel like someone needs to create an online “Meh Southern Dorm Rooms” resource to serve as a counterbalance.
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This helps - thank you! I know (as a pp noted) it’s more girls than boys with the room design, it’s not like I was worried he’d be pressured to having a designer room. It’s more like - is this the whole vibe of the school? Is it all football and fancy rooms and social excess? Given that we aren’t southerners (well, technically we live in VA, so I guess we are, but not like SC, GA, MS, AL) and we’ve never been college football people I don’t think he really has a solid idea of how different the social scene will be. I don’t mean to suggest that it will be unwelcoming, not at all, just very different and I’m not sure if that’s really his scene or if he’s just enamored by the idea of Big College Sports.
Anyhoo, sorry for the diversion from topic. This whole thread has just really played into my one concern with my kids favorite prospective school. I need to stop thinking about this because I’m just finding reasons to worry and who even knows if he will get in.
Deep breaths.
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Clemson definitely has a strong football following and games are a big deal, but ACC is not quite like SEC. When we toured Clemson, it didn’t feel as “traditional southern” as UGA, USC, Ole Miss, etc. Also, Clemson in its lake/mountain location has a lot of outdoorsy kids. It’s a great school with a lot to offer beyond football. But, as with any school, be sure to tour and make sure the vibe is what your kid has in mind.
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I’d use the word “friendly” to describe the students, I don’t know what’s in the water, but it has a very nice vibe. There are more students who come from wealthy families than I imagined, but it’s not flaunted. Game days are fun. The parents are incredibly supportive, locals always offering up rides to hospitals or a place to sleep if flights are cancelled. I’ve had kids at 6 universities and Clemson is special.
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Thanks @Mjkacmom and @southernfemmom - we toured last year and that’s when he fell in love. I swear it was when we were walking down the street in town and some random guy walked past in the middle of a conversation with his friend, paused what he was saying, made eye contact with my kid and said “‘sup”.
That was it. Right that second. Just that casual warm friendliness of random guy on the street. That was the second college we toured (of seven on that trip) and it set a bar that no one else matched.
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Wow. I’m trying to imagine my kid going to room with someone into this frosted cupcake set-up.
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Or for those of us with boys - prison chic!
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Hey! My boy wanted a designer accent…a lava lamp for 20 bucks. Happy to oblige…
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The fanciest thing my DD had in her dorm room were the rows of Funko Pops but she was in the engineering dorm; it’s not all girls/guys, and I wouldn’t call it a norm at Clemson
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When I left for Bryn Mawr in 1995, I was at the CUTTING EDGE of technology. My window seat cushions came from Target, but my room was TRICKED OUT.
These manuals turned up while I was packing for a move last month.
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I was an RA in the Stone Age. I had to deal with THREE extensive fires on my floor. The first was a candle that got knocked over and ignited the bed sheets…and the rest of the room. The roommates left the room safely BUT they left both a window and door open…a little wind tunnel. It was a mess.
Then we had a pyro on the floor who set two fires in the floor lounge before she was caught.
We were allowed to paint our rooms and we could have rugs on the vinyl flooring. But no fabric hanging from walls.
Believe me, if there ever is a fire issue, this stuff will burn like crazy.
My kids were both minimalists in college.
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Nice…but this was the bomb. The headphones were particularly uncomfortable… the folding yellow ones that sat sideways in the ear.
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Truly was the best ever.
Re: fires - my kid’s college doesn’t allow candles or anything that can catch fire in rooms. So kids have floor rugs, linens and the like.
My friend’s son slept with his phone under his pillow as it was his alarm. The heat caught the bedding on fire. He was a freshman in college but living at home. Luckily, he woke and the fire was contained to the sheets and mattress and not the whole room.
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I stand corrected. Cell phones as fire hazards. I was thinking more matches and candles but that’s old school, clearly.