<p>In September 2007 we brought our high school senior to an open house on a Saturday. We made arrangements to spend the night at a hotel in Columbia since it was a 5 hour ride from our home and we had never visited the city. The open house went okay–it was a very warm day and there were a huge number of people attending. The campus was charming. What was really enlightening was what occurred that evening. We decided to drive around the campus just as it got dark–it was a ghost town. This was not a home game weekend and we came to the conclusion that the school must empty out unless there’s a game. Not only was it a ghost town, the campus was very poorly lit in many areas. It did not give us any comfort for our daughter’s safety. Then we decided to drive to the five points area (heavily touted by USC) and find a place to eat dinner. It was dead on a Saturday night! Many shops were closed and most of what was open were bars. We finally gave up and drove back to the hotel and ate dinner in one of their restaurants. Our daughter was accepted there in October, but she will not be attending.</p>
<p>I spoke to my D about your comments. If you happened to be there the weekend of the 9th of Septmeber, USC was playing UGA and in my daughter’s words EVERYONE was in Athens that weekend. </p>
<p>We’ve been to Columbia five times now including a weekend in March before she enrolled. We have never seen the “ghost town” you describe.</p>
<p>Away game Saturdays are not a good time to judge any school; students are sleeping in or just hanging out where they live. By the way, Five Points doesn’t start happening until 10 or 11 PM…the bars in Columbia are open until 4AM…the partying tends to start much later.</p>
<p>I hope your decision wasn’t based on that one weekend because our experience there the last two years is 180 degrees different.</p>
<p>S has lived on campus for two years. Unlike EADad’s D, he was on campus the weekend of the UGA game.There are over 7,000 kids living on campus,equivalent to many campus populations elsewhere.He has never complained about a lack of things to do even on away football weekends.He does live on the Horseshoe so I cant comment about lighting at night in other areas but I have been in the Capstone/Columbia dorm area at night and it seemed well lit. There is an evening van/escort service available if safety is an issue.As EADad says, 5 Points doesn’t “start up” until later in the evening.We also went down there the first time we were in Columbia.We now know to stick to the Vista area for earlier evening eating options.Did you try visiting the Russell House at the dinner hour to see how crowded it might be?
By the way, we witnessed this same phenomena in Bloomington, Indiana while at U of Indiana.Their main drag (sorry can’t remember the street name) also was pretty dead early in the evening and then came alive at about 10:00PM.
Sorry the visit wasn’t to your liking, I hope you find a campus where you and your D feel safer.How did you feel about academics,etc or was that overshadowed by your otyer feelings?</p>
<p>bostonbred- I can understand your post totally, as I had the same feeling about a number of colleges we visited. I am a morning person and could not believe how dead most campuses were on the weekend…of course I had to realize that most college students sleep until mid afternoon!! Even after they wake up they aren’t necessarily milling about campus. We actually had this experience at USC and I can tell you that my daughter is a sophomore there and it is not a concern for her at all. As eadad said, the weekend of the UGA game was particularly quiet because so many students did go to the game.
Also , many students move off-campus sophomore year and they tend to hang out off-campus at houses or apartments rather than roam around campus.
It took my daughter a little while to get used to the quiet mornings as she was never a late sleeper, but eventually she fell into the typical college student schedule LOL
FYI - we had siimilar experiences at PSU, College of Charleston, UNC, Elon, and UWashington. Timing is everything and I am glad that our first impression turned out to be off.</p>
<p>I hope your daughter finds the right campus for her, but maybe she could do an overnight at USC to see if it is different than she thought? Good luck!</p>
<p>We visited on 9/22/07 and spent Saturday night in Columbia. My impression was favorable on the academics, and if we had just went back home that afternoon after the open house like everyone else, I think my daughter would still be considering going there. </p>
<p>Even some of the streets adjacent to the campus that seemed to have rental properties where students were living were dimly lit or not lit at all. It really did not sit well with us, especially when you notice the number of apparent homeless people just off campus. The one residential area we noticed that was very well lit was where all the frats and sororities are. </p>
<p>As far as Little Five Points I think maybe we were just expecting a lot more based on how USC promotes it in their literature. It’s actually a pretty small area. We were there at probably 9-9:30 pm on a Saturday night.</p>
<p>I’m sure there are many positive things about the school. That is why my daughter applied in the beginning. I just wanted to share our experience so that others who are interested can check it out for themselves.</p>
<p>I agree with you about Five Points - I was expecting a more “happening” area based on what I had read before visiting. As a parent I enjoy the Vista area much more, although there is an amazing gelato place in Five Points LOL</p>
<p>My daughter goes to Five Points sometimes, but it is not the main hangout for her. </p>
<p>I have not noticed a lot of homeless people around campus though- weird. I do remember seeing some at one place that may have been a mission ( serving meals? ) a few blocks from campus, but homeless people are definitely not an issue for the students as far as I know.</p>
<p>I am not discounting your opinion at all, but do want to add my two cents for safety. It was a pretty big issue for my daughter when choosing schools because she is probably more cautious than most teens. ( and I am a worry wart mom as well) She never got a scary vibe from USC and in the 2 years that she has been there feels quite safe. She ,of course, uses good judgement and travels with a friend at night, etc. , which she would do on any campus. She did however take one school off of her list because she did not feel safe on the visit. Just a bad feeling. </p>
<p>I think that this illustrates why visits are so important though - you really need to get your own feel for a place and not necessarily count on others opinions. Both of my daughters took their “on paper” number one schools off of the list after visiting! USC was not tops after visiting the first time, but went up after subsequent visits. Now she can say she loves it there!</p>
<p>Pa. Mom:</p>
<p>I noted in your response that your D visited Penn State, we are PA residents and I think my S’s ultimate choice may come down to SC and PSU. My S is accepted to the Honors College @ SC but we have not had the chance to visit yet, we have visited PSU. Could you compare and contrast SC and PSU for me? He is also accepted to PSU and waiting to hear from their honors program. We are hoping to get to SC by the end of February before his lacrosse season starts. We have heard really good things about SC especially on this board and I would like to know what to keep in mind when we visit.</p>
<p>laxdad - I’ll pm you.</p>
<p>Funny, I havent heard S talk about a homeless population at all,and he had a public street right behind his freshman dorm last year (Maxcy).Maybe being a New Yorker, he’s used to seeing street people and a diverse population around him.
D attended Arizona State U, and the surrounding Tempe area had a huge street population,especially in the winter months when they “drifted” from colder climates.It was quite noticeable on the main student shopping/dining street,and there was a Salvation Army feeding mission almost adjacent to the edge of the campus…
We thought 5 Points would be bigger also, more along the lines of the Bloomington student area or State College’s area around PSU.But you have to remember, Columbia is a City and goods/services are spread out,whereas smaller college towns have their stores/restaurants concentrated right next to campus.S has made use of many different areas of the city.He’s gone to museums, the zoo, the riverfront, malls,etc.He even frequents a traditionally “black” barbershop near the Capitol, where he says he gets the best service ever.
Laxdad…S spent a summer at Penn State and loved it there. He would have applied in a minute but they don’t have his major of Sports Management.we looked into it at length,they have an excellent Honors College setup with a fabulous new dorm in a great location right next to the edge of campus close to the downtown area.Their Honors College program is well respected.They did have funding issues but I think they’ve been eased, or resolved.
I dont think PSU is quite as generous with merit money as USC, and we found the location a little challenging as theres no way other than car to travel there .I dont know if Frat atmosphere is important to your Son but their presence was much more noticeable at PSU than at USC even during the summer. Theres a great rah rah spirit at PSU, as at USC.The football coach is a god there (Joe Paterno) and the stadium looms large over the campus unlike at USC where its about a mile off campus.They have alot of pride at PSU and a great on campus dairy (from the ag school) making their own ice cream.It seems to me the PSU campus was bigger,more spread out.They have an on campus bus system and as many parking problems as any other large U.The downtown area is great with all services a college kid could want.
Quality of the older dorms was pretty iffy…S was housed in a quad near where the new Honors dorm is and it was one of the worst in condition I’ve seen on a campus.There seems to be a good mix of kids on campus,all different types. I couldnt pin point a “type”.Perhaps a kid looking for a more “alternative” atmosphere might not be happy and find their options for off campus entertainment limited (like music venues or movies,etc) but otherwise I think PSU could accomodate all types.</p>
<p>D has been accepted and we’ll be traveling to Columbia in a couple weeks for another look at the school, any suggestions on restaurants in the Five Points area?</p>
<p>If you want to go to the places the students go I would suggest “Moe’s” first off. ( right next to campus) They also like Eric’s San Jose. My daughter and all of her friends love to go there.
I like the Carolina Ribs place ( in the Vista section)- It’s very relaxed and the service is pretty good. It’s mostly wings and sandwiches, but I like it. For a more elaborate meal the Blue Marlin is nice ( also in Vista).
I never really found a favorite place in Five Points, although I highly recommend the gelato place there for a treat!</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions!</p>
<p>Don Ho
I second heading towards the Vista area rather than 5Points,though S and his friends like Yesterday’s in 5 Points (with the bathtub on the roof).
Blue Marlin is great for an upscale meal.Mellow Mushroom is a decent pizza type place.Theres a branch of the chain California Dreaming right next to campus near the school of Engineering which is quite popular. Moe’s is my S’s absolute fave (its like Chipotle),theres a Ben and Jerry’s right next door to it, and theres a coffee house called Cool Beans nearby.Theres a big Starbucks on campus next to the Bookstore in the Russell House which has evening entertainment some nights-especially Mondays and Tuesdays, and could give your D a taste of the campus. Also, the Grand MArketplace food court ,downstairs in the Russell House, is now open 24hrs Monday -Thursday so look for activity there as well.If you’ll have a car, the Harbison Road area has all the chain restaurants and big box stores as well as a mall and movies.seeing it could reassure your D that “civilization” does exist.</p>
<p>Harpers (like a Houstons if you know what they are) and Yesterdays (for Southern home style food) are both good bets in Five Points. We really like both Birds on a Wire and Za’s Brick Oven Pizza near Five Points on Devine Street. Both are really good and only about 2-3 minutes from Five Points. Za’s has a lot more to choose from than pizza but the pizza is very good too. It is always very busy so you might want to get a reservation there. Birds on a Wire is a rotisserie grill with a nice menu and a Ben and Jerry’s next door!</p>
<p>For a bit more expensive but high quality meal, Garibaldi’s in Five Points or Dianes on Devine are excellent choices.</p>
<p>Concur with PA Mom about Blue Marlin and also Liberty Tavern in Vista.</p>
<p>As you can see, there are plenty of good places to eat in Columbia.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever tried Mr. Friendly’s in five points? It’s our absolute favorite, but it can be expensive. California Dreaming is a popular and a favorite with the college kids. Agree that Girabaldi’s is very good too. You all gave me some wonderful suggestions for our trip down as well.</p>
<p>My family really enjoyed the mellow mushroom. Don’t miss the pretzel appetizer. It’s my favorite. Also, you can’t go wring with Ruth’s Chris at the Hilton. We’re looking forward to going back to a few of our favorites when we visit Columbia in April for D’s sorority parents weekend!</p>
<p>LOL, I was trying to concentrate on places a family would go with a college student in tow rather than the higher end places mostly only the parents might enjoy.S reports theres a new sushi joint in the Vista he enjoys. The Liberty Tavern was hopping last time we were there, has a nice outdoor space.
Garibaldi’s might appear too stuffy at least for my S (men in jackets/ties) and Ruth’s Chris as well. Blue Marlin is about the “top” of his formal quota. We also ate at the Motor Supply Bistro. Excellent meal, probably our best in Columbia and a great space as well. But I wouldn’t take the kid there, LOL.</p>
<p>Great suggestions from all. Carolccw we did try Mr. Friendly’s when we visited last spring – loved the food and all the art work inside the restaurant. Since we’re returning for an audition and second look at USC, we wanted to use the opportunity to sample more of the local fare. Thanks to all!</p>
<p>So, D and I just returned from our campus visit, I am happy to report that she really liked it but I think I was left with more questions than before!! </p>
<p>[First, we northerners got quite a kick out of how the whole state practically shut down due to the <em>threat</em> of snow- it was quite a conversation!!]</p>
<p>anyway-- first let me say it was raining during much of our tour(cleared up later) which may have played a part in my impressions and which leads me to my questions- its hard to put my finger on it… but I think i would like to know if anyone can anyone give me an idea as to the “cohesiveness” of this student body… I think what threw me was that there I was there for 2.5 days and there didnt seem to me to be anything binding these kids together-There were numerous amenities for sure, but are there any huge, yearly campus events that sort of brings everyone together, or some kind of common campus pride?? I have been on roughly 10 college tours w/ D and you always see evidence of their campus pride or cohesiveness- ie -at Penn state, you get the “we are…penn state” chant and like it or not, you know these kids are bound by football and tradition; at indiana, they talked about the little 500, basketball, their drama program and all the campus lore- ie: kiss at the well, hanging out on Kirkwood etc;at villanova, there is a campus wide book group where the entire student body reads the same book at the same time and there are campus wide discussions (optional of course but very well attended) and you saw signs for it all over campus; at umd, all day long students rub the nose of the terp for luck and we literally saw 20 kids do it while we were momentarily in front of it during that tour- at other schools they point out where the kids will meet on beautiful days for suntanning or whatever, the campuswide ultimate frisbee games-dorms vs dorms etc; the dance marathons and other campus wide fundraisers, they rave about all of the big concert ‘acts’ that come to their school, how great their student center is. etc etc etc and anyway no matter the tour guide, by the end you can get a sense of what is important to these kids at this particular school.</p>
<p>But I couldnt see it here- maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the tour guide, I am not sure… but when a student asked about football games, it didnt seem like there were tailgates or the usual hoopla-my D asked about the entertainment(meaning ‘the big acts’ that come to town and she was told about acrobats ( I think she was thinking Beyonce or justin timberlake!!); the fitness center is to die for but it seems like a very independent place ( not used for big events- the girl told us that hardly anyone ever shows up to use that rock climbing wall!!) , the horseshoe looked like a perfect place to find kids gathering between classes ( like ‘the green’ at umd) but alas, there was no one there and it didnt look too ‘used’- </p>
<p>i was also put off to learn that the majority of students move off campus at the end of freshman year- in most schools it tends to be after sophmore or junior year-</p>
<p>oddly enough, unlike the earlier poster- i did see kids in the city at night- we ate the first night at the liberty tavern and there was a decent crowd for a wed night, 5 points did not look like a ‘ghost town’…but the campus did look sort of dead- russell house had kids millling in and out but other than that, i didnt see many kids- but again the weather wasnt great…</p>
<p>so usc students and parents…what did I miss- I get the academic strengths of usc but what brings these students together- all campuses are diverse but there tends to be things/events/spirit that bring them together and they share- the commonality that brought each of these particular kids to this particular school---- what is “it” at USC?</p>
<p>hmm lets see…its a holiday weekend …no classes Monday. The campus was overrun byRepublican politicians on saturday,did you see them? Maybe they kept the student crowds away. Football season is over but Gamecock fever is overwhelming and the tailgating is legendary.There are many events surrounding football in the fall,like homecoming,the Clemson rivalry etc. The Horseshoe is used for major hanging out, but to southerners this weekend was the coldest they’ve seen in years so I dont think anyone was hanging outside.Maybe some of it was just a poor tour guide. They told you about the Chinese acrobats because thats the next big event at the Colonial Center,tickets are free for USC students.Look up “Carolina Productions” on the USC website search feature and you’ll get an idea of what is happening, what has happened in the past as far as events are concerned.I dont recollect the Strom fitness center being u used for major events b/c they have the Colonial Center and the Koger for those events.
All freshman read the same book and have a small group discussion and guest lecture by the author during Orientation. Maybe your tourguide forgot to mention that to you. The campus houses about 7,000 students. Many students stay for the soph year, as my S has, but they tend to move off campus as he will be next year (signed his lease today!),two years of dorm are enough for him and his costs will be the same on or off campus. Truly, I think the presence of the politicos this weekend and next has chased some of the kids off the premises.lets see, I cant think of anything else right now…anybody else??</p>