out of state students?

fleagle10
Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:22:02 +0000

I think you’ve heard some sensationalized reports. To give you an idea, the last incoming freshman class was 43% out of state. To be fair, about 13% were from Georgia and North Carolina, but even then you’re mostly talking about kids from suburban Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta. That leaves 30% from other states, with largest percentages coming from outside of the South (Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, and Massachusetts, in that order). That said, the out-of-state population often feels even larger.

I thought coming from Florida (basically the North) that it would be an issue, but it wasn’t at all. You will definitely get the occasional crack at your state, particularly if you’re from Jersey, but that’s about the extent of it. The worse thing that would happen is someone would call you a Northerner or Yankee in 5 Points, and only if you were being obnoxious.

What’s interesting is that the influx of out-of-state students has actually made the campus seem more urban. The better the school gets, the less pronounced the Southernness on campus. That said, you will definitely know you are in the South once you step off campus. Most people in Columbia have accents, will hold the door open for you, say ‘hi’ as you’re walking by, and rarely get confrontational. It’s a very polite culture.

I encourage you to apply and check out the school. The campus is beautiful, the academics are great, the athletics are exciting (National Champions in baseball!), and Columbia is the greatest of college towns. I’m guessing you’ll fit in just fine.