Coastal Carolina and University of South Carolina

[Anonymous]

My junior daughter has both of these schools on her list. She has about a 3.8 (UW) but has taken no honors classes (has anxiety, dyslexia and ADHD so we did not want to overwhelm her). She has 2 honors classes on her schedule for next year. Goes to a not terribly competitive private outside the DC area (not bad, but not a pressure cooker). Strong schedule (real electives and no fluff). One strong EC outside of school that takes a ton of time (basically, an individual sport) and some varied service work, but no in school ECs. She is liked by her teachers and will likely get good recommendations. Will go test optional, although for those schools, she may be ok to submit. Major is likely marine bio (I know, not the best but we are letting her drive).

These seem to be safety/targets for her. Thoughts?

We are not from SC (or the Atlantic coast for that matter). What experiences do folks have with those schools? She is also looking at Eckerd, but prefers somewhere a little larger and does not want to be at the "weird kid" school (has gone to 2 tiny private schools that were LD friendly, so varied kids with a range of issues and she just wants a broader pools and less coddling).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My junior daughter has both of these schools on her list. She has about a 3.8 (UW) but has taken no honors classes (has anxiety, dyslexia and ADHD so we did not want to overwhelm her). She has 2 honors classes on her schedule for next year. Goes to a not terribly competitive private outside the DC area (not bad, but not a pressure cooker). Strong schedule (real electives and no fluff). One strong EC outside of school that takes a ton of time (basically, an individual sport) and some varied service work, but no in school ECs. She is liked by her teachers and will likely get good recommendations. Will go test optional, although for those schools, she may be ok to submit. Major is likely marine bio (I know, not the best but we are letting her drive).

These seem to be safety/targets for her. Thoughts?

We are not from SC (or the Atlantic coast for that matter). What experiences do folks have with those schools? She is also looking at Eckerd, but prefers somewhere a little larger and does not want to be at the "weird kid" school (has gone to 2 tiny private schools that were LD friendly, so varied kids with a range of issues and she just wants a broader pools and less coddling).

These should both be sure admits. If DS can get good standardised test scores too, both should offer very considerable merit aid also. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Friends and family at both schools and they are very happy.

What does she want to study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friends and family at both schools and they are very happy.

What does she want to study?

Marine bio right now. Honestly, I see her more in accounting or finance, but it’s her career.

[Anonymous]

UNC Wilmington also has strong marine biology.

[Anonymous]

Coastal Carolina for sure. USC not so quite sure with no honors and no test scores. Course rigor matters a lot. What math will she be in senior year?

[Anonymous]

My son went to South Carolina with anxiety and learning disabilities. They are great with accommodations. He went on to get two masters (graduating with his second one last year) plus he liked the SEC party aspect. He was happy with his experience and so were we.

On a side note he got caught with a decent amount of pot in his dorm. They made him drug test the rest of the semester which as a parent I appreciated but they also allowed him to keep his scholarship (contingent on negative tests.) I thought this was a fair and responsible solution. Yes it’s only weed but it’s the south and was against the rules of the school and his scholarship.

[Anonymous]

We just visited both in April. DS (and I) hated Coastal Carolina. Myrtle Beach felt very depressing and the campus vibe of CC wasn't great. We noticed upon arriving that every student we saw walking around campus was alone, no one was walking in a group with friends or even one other person. The buildings all felt dated- we left the tour early both feeling like it felt like a high school more than a college and definitely had a very "commuter school" vibe to it.

We absolutely LOVED USC. Beautiful campus, their business school was very impressive. Columbia seems to a fun little city. Al the students were happy, super friendly, it was a great vibe there!

[Anonymous]

Also take a look at UNC Wilmington for Marine Biology. Cousins went there and loved it and Wilmington is a nice town.

[Anonymous]

Eckerd has a great marine bio program. It is a small school but St. Petersburg is a fun, funky little town (and I hate Florida). So it is worth a visit. UNC Wilmington would be good for marine bio. What about College of Charleston?

[Anonymous]

I think those would be good fits! Sometimes USC will give strong out-of-state kids in-state tuition. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coastal Carolina for sure. USC not so quite sure with no honors and no test scores. Course rigor matters a lot. What math will she be in senior year?

Pre-Calc. She has a 99 in Algebra 2, so we should have pushed her ahead, but she had major mental health problems in 8tj and part of 9th so we were being cautious. We got a good psychiatrist and he adjusted her meds. She has been doing great work in therapy. Now she is like a different kid. We were basically trying to keep her alive and stable in 9th and it made sense to repeat Algebra to be sure she got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UNC Wilmington also has strong marine biology.

Is that doable OOS with these stats? She mentioned it and I thought it was a reach with her stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coastal Carolina for sure. USC not so quite sure with no honors and no test scores. Course rigor matters a lot. What math will she be in senior year?

Pre-Calc. She has a 99 in Algebra 2, so we should have pushed her ahead, but she had major mental health problems in 8tj and part of 9th so we were being cautious. We got a good psychiatrist and he adjusted her meds. She has been doing great work in therapy. Now she is like a different kid. We were basically trying to keep her alive and stable in 9th and it made sense to repeat Algebra to be sure she got it.

A tad weak for USC, I think, esp with no honors or test scores and no calc. I’d put in the reasonable reach category. Good Luck!