I come in Peace. My son was accepted to USC and got a scholly: Updted

Thanks. I would like him to be in a program like that.

Tell your son to apply to the Honors college. It looks really good on everything in general (SC has the best public Honors College in the country) but especially graduate school applications. The Honors Dorm is really nice too, it's pretty centrally located (important because SC's campus is spread out and freshmen typically have classes all over) with one of the best cafeterias on the ground floor and it's pretty close to Swearingen where he will probably have a few classes at least in the 2nd semester.

I lived in Bates West my freshmen year, I was in the Honors College but at the time they were building the honors dorm and all of the honors students couldn't fit on the Horseshoe so that's where I ended up... it was all guy's at the time (08-09) and like half of the dorm was pledging a frat so it was really loud and crazy. Basically your idea of what an all guy's college dorm is like. I basically partied really hard and my freshmen GPA sucked so I couldn't continue in the Honors program.

Carolina is a great school but it's also a school where it's easy to find a party... so if your son is serious about academics then I would suggest Honors dorm first, then maybe Preston (our most 'unique' dorm, if your son is eccentric, worldly or quirky send him here), Capstone, Columbia Hall and anywhere on the Horseshoe... all of those dorms are pretty much central campus so they're quieter.. the further out from central campus you go the crazier the dorms get.

Whatever you do, stay away from Bates, Bates West and The Roost.. those places are madhouses. Try to avoid the Quads (especially East, but try to avoid South as well) if you can, but they are hit or miss, some floors are quiet and some floors are loud.. When I was a student East Quad was the party dorm on campus because the athletes lived there. It's probably different now though because all of the athletes now live in 650 Lincoln, the newest "dorm" on campus. Although, West Quad is better, quieter at least, and closer to Swearingen Hall (Engineering building). When I was a freshmen, 1st year students couldn't live in the Quads (kids with apartments, living on their own for the first time.. imagine the debauchery) but freshmen are allowed to pretty much live anywhere on campus now.

If nothing on campus works then look at off campus. They strongly encourage 1st years to live on campus (I strongly encourage it as well, at least until he really gets to know the city) but the good thing about USC is that there are tons of apartment complexes for students that are near and sometimes essentially "on campus".. and they are building more every year it seems because the school's enrollment growth is almost exponential at this point.

Thanks. That's very useful information.

I'm an engineering major at Carolina.
First year students can join the living and learning communities if they don't get into honors or capstone. I lived in Bates West my freshman year and it sucked horribly.

My advice would be the quads (west or south) because they are pretty nice and close to swearingen engineering center.

I'll tell you this. Both UF and SC are very good engineering schools.
Plus the cost of living in SC is much cheaper than most states.


South Carolina's engineering program is very respected nationwide. I'm a mechanical engineering major myself. We intertwine with the electrical engineering students and classes based on requisite material needed.


And depending on if he applies/accepted into the honors college, that's where you want if you can get it. It's close to everything, and right in the middle of campus. The student union, library, leconte college (math) and a lot of the freshman courses that he would need as an engineering major are very close by. Some are also taught in the honors dorm for honors students. The engineering buildings (swearingen and 300 main) are right down the hill from honors.

Bates west is where the "living and learning" community is for engineering students. I'd personally avoid that if I could. I lived there my freshman year because I was a slacker and waited too late to apply for honors. It sucks and it's gross. Lots of cockroaches in that particular building.

Aren't most of the dorms suite style now? Stay away from McBryde. Don't let him stay there. I can't believe that dorm is still standing. Stay away from the Bates dorms as well. I think Bates is slated for demolition in the not too distant future.

Yes, getting accepted to Vandy looks pretty difficult. It's also a long distance from Orlando where we live.

Thanks to everybody for the great information. I really do appreciate the help.

I wouldn't be too torn up about Vandy. My cousin is a staff member there, and he says it's not close to being worth the money.

I lived in Preston for a year, and I liked it pretty well. I'm sure it's a hipster haven now, but the location was nice, and the chow hall was excellent. The reputation it holds as being eccentric or odd wasn't well deserved-at least back then. Followed that up with a year in the Greek Village.

USC is an interesting place, because it feels like an intimate liberal arts college, despite being a major state school. I didn't get into the party scene much at all, and if he's an engineering student, he won't either.

Hope he chooses Carolina. Are you taking a tour, or have you already been on one?

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As crappy as Bates was.

It was pretty fun.

Far AF though.

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Lived in Bates West.. almost as crappy as bates, but apartment style haha.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed my time living there. Sure, the roaches were a problem but I had a great time in Bates West. My floor was really close.. people never closed their doors except during quiet hours. We all just kind of hung out and played guitar hero/rockstar in each other's rooms. Patterson girls always hung out in Bates West for some reason. Moths to a flame.

Yeah it was far AF.. but there was something about being that far away from everybody else that made it feel like we were in our own little world down there. It was like we had our own thing going away from the hustle and bustle of central campus. I can't really explain it, but I'm sure anybody that lived in Bates, BW or the Roost knows what I'm talking about.