<p>I know it’s in the south so it will be different, but how different? I’m pretty liberal and I wonder if it would be hard for me to fit in here?</p>
<p>It won’t be hard for you to fit in at all. There are a ton of out of state students here, and plenty of people with liberal viewpoints. There is a distinctly Southern culture, but it’s not something hard to adapt to, and it’s not exclusive at all. They don’t ostracize you if you hate boiled peanuts!</p>
<p>^Boiled peanuts is a southern thing? Hmm. You learn something new every day.</p>
<p>I have a bunch of yankee friends and although I don’t go to USC or live in Columbia, I do live in South Carolina and they seem to be fine.</p>
<p>I also have a friend who goes to the Unviersity of Chicago. So he’s basically done opposite of what you’re thinking of doing, and he’s fit in really well up there. So, I don’t think it should be too big of an issue for you.</p>
<p>Plus as mentioned above, USC has a large out of state population.</p>
<p>I’ve lived in SC all my life, will be attending USC this fall, and I’m a liberal athiest. Not everyone here is a bible belt fanatic haha</p>
<p>^lol. Ain’t that the truth. Actually… I’ve lived in SC my entire life as well… and the majority of my friends aren’t conversative and they aren’t Christian. (Mix of agnostics, atheists, jewish, etc.)</p>
<p>You’ll definitely find a LOT of conservatives here… but I’m willing to bet that you’ll find enough people at USC who either A) don’t care about your politics or B)are also liberal.</p>
<p>I’ve never let my Christian, conservative ways block me from friends. If I did, only like one of my friends would qualify. haha</p>
<p>My daughter’s roommate is from the Chicago area and I think her biggest adjustment so far has been the weather. She was simply not accustomed to warm weather in winter when it was a blizzard in Chicago… haha! She has not had any trouble AT ALL fitting in at USC.</p>
<p>Hi Chris9604, </p>
<p>First, some background. I’m a dad, not a student. Our son will be attending USC, starting in August. For a big chunk of my life until I turned 30, I lived in the Northeast; mostly in the NY-metro area. I also lived in Chicago – downtown, as a matter of fact – for almost 10 years. </p>
<p>There was a time when I was VERY prejudiced about Southerners. You name it, I used to think it…Bible-thumping zealots, narrow-minded bigots, etc., etc., etc. But, I married a woman from the South, and changed my opinion when I met her family and friends. Then, in the 1990’s, my career brought me to the Southeast; not to South Carolina, but not all that far away.</p>
<p>At first, living in the South took a bit of getting used to. For example, during the first year, I would occasionally run into people with such pronounced Southern accents that I had to depend on my wife to translate for me. That’s not an exaggeration! And, it took me awhile to develop a taste for local delicacies such as pulled-pork barbecue. </p>
<p>Another major issue was learning to trust people. After decades in the NY metro area and Chicago, everyone was so nice that it made me suspicious. I was always thinking to myself, “What’s that guy’s angle? What does he want from me?” </p>
<p>Eventually, I realized that most people down here are as nice on the inside as they appear. Now, whenever I return to NY or Chicago on business, the contrast makes me VERY happy to get home. I would NEVER live up North again. If you are still skeptical, then type the following into Google: </p>
<p>site:collegeconfidential.com cathymee. </p>
<p>That will get you to the zillion posts that a Cathymee did about her son, a McNair Finalist who graduated from USC’s Honors College last year. Any number of times, she describes how much her half-Jewish, liberal, non-religious, NY metro-area son absolutely loved USC.</p>
<p>Great Post I agree whole heartily, leaving this week for graduation on Saturday. It has been a great experience for our daughter and us. GO GAMECOCKS!</p>
<p>People from Chicago are really weird. They look funny. They eat funny food. They wear really strange cloths. Most of them have no Idea what Walmart is or have never eaten at a McDonalds. Someone told me that they drink with their finger and sit on their face. </p>
<p>By the way, what country is Chicago in anyhow? Or is it on a different planet where all the little green martians walk around with ray guns saying “take me to your leader”?</p>
<p>Now if the OP was from anywhere in the US, I think he would fit in just fine at USC.</p>
<p>It’s amazing, as imagep notes, that, “Most [Chicagoans] have…never eaten at a McDonalds.” That’s why Ray Kroc chose neighboring Des Plaines for his company’s first franchised restaurant. There was no reason to open in Chicago proper when he would have had no customers! :-)</p>
<p>Oh, I had forgotten about the trust thing! MeadowbrookCourt, you are so right about that! It was a bit unnerving to me at first to see how friendly everyone was. It caught me off guard- and still does sometimes! It’s nice though.
And AUGirl, they are very much a southern thing! I’m still not a fan, but I think maybe the problem is that I just haven’t had good boiled peanuts. Not sure.
Anyway, Chris, I’m sure you won’t have any trouble adjusting whatsoever. There’s a place for everyone here- you’ll find your niche and fit in just fine!</p>