Hi! So I’m completely torn between the Capstone program at USC Columbia and the Honors College at OU Norman. Could current students tell me about these places?
Some major points I’d really appreciate hearing about:
-What is the social atmosphere like for someone who isn’t planning to rush or party much?
-How would a quiet, rather nerdy person fit in at Capstone? (So far on Facebook and other roommate search sites I’ve had a hard time finding people I relate to, so this is pretty important.)
-How LGBTQ+ friendly would you say each of these programs is?
I realize that it’s the midnight hour- my decision is due on April 29th since I want to get a refund on my enrollment deposit- but any insight you can offer would be extraordinarily helpful.
Thank you!
-West
I don’t know the answer to your first few questions but I think USC will be much more LGBT+ friendly than Oklahoma. I’m not sure about the quality of reliability of this source, but USC made this list of top LGBT+ schools (http://www.campuspride.org/campus-pride-releases-2014-top-50-lgbt-friendly-list-highlighting-the-best-of-the-best-colleges-universities/) If you’re still in doubt about the LGBT+ friendliness of either school, possibly consult the SuperMatch tool on the left side bar and search for LGBT+ friendly schools.
@TheDidactic That’s University of Southern California, not University of South Carolina. Huge difference.
Good with plenty to do. The University of Oklahoma has the undergraduate population equal to that of a small city and the part of Norman adjacent to the university essentially caters to the needs and desires of Sooners. On a typical weekend, students who don’t wish to party can go to a free movie, a campus activities council event, a union programming board thing which can range from comedians to 50s sock hops, to various live performances. This weekend my friends and I (greek and non greek) will go to the Norman Music Festival and possibly a couple of bars after. Last weekend I went to a religious dinner, the Norman Art Walk (a monthly showing), and a massive campus volunteering event.
Let me preface this by saying that Norman is a very different place than the rest of Oklahoma. It is the school that students who were sometimes ostracized within their Oklahoma high schools for being “different” decide to go to as a way of minimizing or eliminating the general intolerance. As such the university is much more supportive of the LGBTQ community than the rest of the state, although it still has a ways to go with trans students. My sorority has a lesbian president and if anyone dislikes that, they certainly don’t say anything.
If you want more information about LGBT life on campus, contact [Sooner Ally](http://www.ou.edu/content/studentlife/diverse_communities/lgbtq/sooner_ally.html). They’re used to fielding questions from prospective students.
Oh sorry! That’s what I get for not reading thoroughly. Thanks for the clarification @whenhen.
@TheDidactic, it was lovely of you to try anyway!
Thank you so much, @whenhen! That’s great to hear. I’ll be sure to contact them. ^.^
(To anyone lurking, I’d definitely still love to hear about your experiences. The more the merrier!)
Oh and as I was walking to the market to pick up an energy drink I passed by a student concert and an Asian dance party. These are just the events in the union on a Thursday night before dead week. I’d imagine there are far more events happening right now that I’m not aware of.
How much would each cost if you only deduct scholarships/grants from direct costs?
Well, the costs of both schools would be manageable since I have National Merit scholarships. I believe I’d have to pay about $37,000 at OU for five years (depending on upperclassmen housing) and roughly $45,000 at USC for four years. I don’t know that I would need to stay at OU for five years since I’m going in with at least a year’s worth of AP credit and could supposedly graduate with a double major and a masters in four. Capstone hasn’t advertised an accelerated B.A./M.A. program, but it’s closer to the northeast (which is where I’d like to live) and possibly more well-known among employers.
shameless bump!
What I should probably have mentioned earlier is that I have some family in North Carolina which is why I’m so interested in USC’s location. It’s sort of a silly life-long dream to live near them. Then Columbia is in a capital city- my preference- versus Norman’s small town atmosphere, and there could potentially be more internships available. But on the other hand, I found a roommate at OU who’s become a really close friend and that keeps drawing me back, since at USC I would probably have to do a random potluck. OU also supposedly offers more attention (an entire advising department devoted to National Merit Scholars), but then there are also 700 such students attending the school this year which is more that double compared to last year’s 313.
Honestly, I’d just really love to hear about what the Capstone experience has been like for anyone willing to speak on it. I have no doubt that both programs offer a comprehensive education, but information on that is pretty scarce since it’s so new.
Thanks again!
In 2013, Columbia had an estimated population of [url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45/4516000.html]133,000[/url]. It is also rather isolated from the other cities in South Carolina. On the other hand, even though Norman’s population is slightly smaller at about [url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40/4052500.html]118,000[/url] in 2013, it’s part of the greater Oklahoma City metro area which has well over 1.2 million people. Additionally, it’s only 2.5 hours from the Dallas Fort Worth metro area which has over 6.5 million people. Many OU students end up working in those cities as well as plenty of others. On the other hand, Columbia is fairly close to Atlanta and Charlotte.
As far as internships are concerned, Oklahoma’s capital is in Oklahoma City, about a 20-30 minute drive from the OU. One of my friends, a Democrat, interned for the very Republican governor last summer, and I know other students involved with the Norman City council.
^^similarly Columbia is part of much larger metro area (around 800,000). 3.5 hours to Atlanta, 1.5 to Charlotte and the mountains or beac within 2 hour drive. If you haven’t already, post on USC forum to get some capstone answers. Good program with lots of opportunities. Of the two guys that won top student award one was from capstone program. I don’t have much insight into LBGTQ community at capstone but there seems to be active community on campus and in Columbia. If don’t get answers from students contact office of diversity for some groups to get in touch with.