University of South Carolina ⋆ College Magazine (2024)

The Vibe

As classic as a SEC school can get

What it Feels Like to Go Here

USC’s Instagram

Get ready to buy an abundance of garnet and black clothing if you’re headed to the University of South Carolina. This university exceeds all expectations of an SEC school. Football plays a big role in the daily life among the Gameco*ck students. And on the weekends? Every football Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina stands as the social event. Aside from football, Greek life swarms USC’s campus. If you’re looking to make friends at a school of over 25,000 students, considerrushing. If you’re walking around USC’s campus and head to the center, AKA The Horse Shoe, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful buildings and never ending brick paths. No matter where you find yourself at USC, be prepared for the intense enthusiasm of Gameco*ck spirit.

Awesome Alumni

Two words: Darius Rucker. While attending USC, he founded the famous band Hootie & the Blowfish. Another famous alum, Ainsley Earhardt, writes for FOX News as a journalist. Jasper Johns, the famous artist who participated in the abstract expressionist movement, attended USC as well. If you’re an avid Entertainment Tonight watcher, you’ll recognize co-host and Celebrity Apprentice winner Leeza Gibbons, who also attended University of South Carolina.

Where We Hang

On a Friday night at the University of South Carolina, or for brunch on a Sunday, most students head to Five Points. Full of college bars, hip restaurants and boutiques, every Gameco*ck hangs out at this hot spot. On game days at USC, you’ll find students tailgating at the majestic brick fraternity houses in Greek villageor getting down at the parking lot next to Williams-Brice Stadium. For the music gurus, most concerts at USC take place at Colonial Life Arena which also houses USC’s basketball games. Date night? Head to The Vista for fancy shopping, A+ restaurants and lively nightlife.

Q&A

How much are students partying?

“Most students here are insane. If your motto isn’t blackout or back out you’re not doing it right,” saidUSC freshman Alexa Ford.

How much sex are students having?

“Anywhere downtown is full of fraternity guys and horny dudes looking to get laid…all a girl has to do is go downtown looking good and she’ll find a guy easily,” said USC freshman Jack Breur.

What would you tell incoming freshman about your school?

“I would say USC is an amazing school because of the beautiful campus, great weather and challenging academics. We’re located right in the capital of South Carolina so it’s a pretty cool city with history and there’s always something to do from football games to going to a lake just ten minutes away,” saidUSC freshman Kiersten Pues.

Is your coarse load challenging/overwhelming?

“There’s definitely a bunch of work you always have to do at USC. It depends on your major and teacher,” said USC freshman Kiki Dolan.

Overall Experience

“At USC, everyone’s just really happy to be here and even though its like the most random city in America, there’s always stuff going on.” – Kerin Cahill, Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2018

“There’s so much going on at school it’s so easy to get behind on classwork. My greatest challenge has been balancing my school and social life.”– Rush Cromer, Chemical Engineering, Class of 2018

“I literally don’t know what I would do on Saturdays without tailgates and football.” – Amanda Michel, Early Childhood/Special Education, Class of 2020

“I was really freaked out, coming out of state from New York that USC was going to be really Southern. But, its like a real college town and you don’t feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.”– Jackie Castaldi, Public Relations, Class of 2020

“What is special about USC is the variety of people that go here. When walking through campus, you see different kinds of people and hear a variety of different languages. It is so cool to be surrounded by a million different ways of thinking while at the same time feel united by the shared experience of attending USC.”– Rory Brown, Political Science, Class of 2018

Top 3 Majors

1. Physiology

2. Pathology

3. Related Sciences

Top 3 Most Popular Student Organizations

1.Greek Life

With 44 Greek organizations, going Greek at USC is a no-brainer. “There are thousands of different cool people at USC, and I got to meet some because I chose to rush,” saidUSC junior James Meisenheimer. Greek life provides an easy pathway to volunteer, get involved on campus and help in finding future internships or jobs. Joining a sorority or fraternity also creates a close-knit environment at USC. “When I came to USC, I expected each fraternity and sorority to keep to their own. However, I found Greek life to be one large community,” said freshman John Cromer.

2. Carolina Productions

As a student-operated organization, Carolina Productions devotes itself to entertain students all year long. “My favorite aspect of this organization is that there is a place for everyone,” saidCarolina Productions President Keifer Negri. You can get involved in Carolina Productions through committees ranging from Daytime Events, Special Events, Comedic Events, Cinematic Arts and Marketing and Concerts. Ranging from weekend movies in USC’s own movie theatre to big name rappers such as Rae Sremmund who brought out over 8,000 students, this organization continuously succeeds in matching what the Gameco*ck population wants.

3. The Daily Gameco*ck

Written for students, by students, The Daily Gameco*ck publishes an editorially independent, student newspaper at USC. This newspaper has the 411 on sports, art, culture along with opinion and daily news of USC students. William Outlaw, a junior at USC and writer for The Daily Gameco*ck has been writing for the USC newspaper for 3 semesters. “I think The Daily Gameco*ck is a great organization because it exemplifies some of the great things about college and allows you to share your opinions, talk about your passions and practice your writing while building a community of people with common interests,” explained Outlaw.

Getting In

For USC, high school grades make or break your admittance into this university. The courses you took in high school along with your SAT/ACT scores remain the most important influence of acceptance. The 65 percent acceptance rate at USC makes this university more selective, leaving their early acceptance rate only at 30.9percent. They tend to look for students with high GPAs, so make sure to do your best in high school so you can be a Gameco*ck.

Stats

Location: Columbia, SC

Tuition & Fees: In-state – $11854 / Out of State – $31282

Total Cost on Campus: In-state – $23704 / Out of State – $43132

Undergrads Enrolled: 25,254

Grads Enrolled: 8,518

Total Enrolled: 33,772

Acceptance percentage: 65

Percent Admitted who Enroll: 5,190

Enrollment: 33,772

Percentage of Male Students: 46%

Percentage of Female Students: 54%

Percentage Receiving Financial Aid: 85%

Percentage Receiving Federal Grants: 40.9%

Percentage Receiving Federal Loans: 51%