<p>I had many of the same concerns. Having a roommmate from OOS will help a lot, as well as living in Columbia. Many students in Columbia and Capstone are from OOS so those dorms are never deserted. My d did find that many students went away for weekends, but it is a huge school so there were always plenty of students around as well. A few of her best friends are from SC and they only went home a few times, so it just depends.
Sorry I can’t help with the football tix question - we didn’t go to Parents Weekend last year.
Good luck to your d! (FYI - are you from Eastern Pa , Western Pa? We’re from a Philadelphia suburb)</p>