Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:46     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
What does it mean: southern culture?
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:43     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone,
I’m a Los Angeles mom of a HS junior looking for your help. My DD is considering several schools in SC and NC due to the weather. She doesn’t want to stay super close to home but wants mild winters. I know nothing of schools in the area and while it’s easy to research academics and stats I’m hoping for some more insight regarding the social aspect and types of kids that attend some of these schools. My concern is that DD is a very laid back west coast type girl and I’m worried she won’t fit in there socially. We are an affluent family but DD is not into material things. For example, she doesn’t own a single designer handbag, by choice. Her usual wardrobe is baggy jeans and crop tops or hoodies. She doesn’t usually wear dresses. She started HS at a private school and really hated it and is now much happier in public school.

These are the schools she could consider. I’d really appreciate any insight.

Clemson
NC State
UNC Wilmington
UNC Charlotte
College of Charleston
USC
Coastal Carolina
East Carolina

I already figure out that she probably won’t like Elon and she tends to prefer larger schools.

Thank you!


Prob don t have Davidson on your list for a reason. If you just missed to add it to the list though, consider it. Heard kids who were happy there but they were not from CA.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:37     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, you should visit Tulane. It sounds like it checks your boxes. Lots of kids from California. Hard to tell without knowing her stats though.


We’ve been to New Orleans before and she loves it there and would love to live there. We’re going back to visit Tulane because she thinks she’ll really like it. And yes lots of kids from CA. It’s definitely a reach for her, how much of a reach depending on this semester grades.

Someone else suggested UMiami. It’s also a reach for her. She says she would love to go to there but I wonder will she really fit in or does it also feel like a private HS vibe. She’ll need to really evaluate that aspect at Tulane also. Not sure if we’ll tour Miami. I did take her to tour Miami Ohio lol and the campus and program are so amazing but unfortunately we toured in June and there were no students. We still need to figure out if it’s super preppy still but I have a feeling the location will take it off her list.

As far as CA schools, UCSB is as reach and she has the stats to get into UCSC. I need to take her up there for a visit.

She needs more options in the 50-70% acceptance rate range.



Check the OOS acceptance rates for some of the schools you mentioned...
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:34     Subject: Re:Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
What about Arizona State or U. Arizona? Both are over 10K, mild winters and better schools than the ones on your list.


She’s considering them. I didn’t realize they were better schools.


Than ECU and UNC Wilmington? Are you serious?
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:30     Subject: Re:Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all for the replies and insight.

I’m going to try and answer a few of the questions that have come up. We are considering some UC schools, but most of them are very hard to get in now. Some are reaches on her list. Others don’t work location wise. She also really wants a school with over 10k undergrads and when you add “mild winter” as a requirement it ends up very limiting.

I wrote off Elon already because it came up on my radar sooner and I looked into it and was able to figure out she wouldn’t like it there. Also due to the size being smaller than she wants. We also ruled out SMU and TCU after she watched boulevarding videos on Tik Tok. I agree she won’t really like the Greek life, particularly in the south.

The list of schools I posted today were very recently suggested by her counselor and she’s now supposed to be researching them. I’m trying to figure out which are worth touring. Also suggested were Alabama and Ole Miss. Appalachian too but the weather doesn’t make sense.

I’m willing to let her explore and maybe she’ll figure this all out herself. I’m just worried this doesn’t make sense, as some of you pointed out.


These two sentences are diametrically opposed.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 11:26     Subject: Re:Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
You didn't list Wake Forest but that's where I went after living my whole life in Pasadena.

I think your daughter may be surprised at how southern some of the students are - that was a bit of a shock to me having spent my whole life in CA. Obviously you'll see what a lot more at state schools than somewhere like Wake, but even W-S was more southern than I had expected (I had visited it before accepting but hadn't really gotten a vibe from that). Now, I went to college in the late 90s, which was quite some time ago, but I imagine still the schools you listed are quite southern. I would highly suggest touring the schools and checking out the vibes you get.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 08:47     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
College of Charleston. DD just graduated from there a year ago. Lots of Californians there. Somewhere between 40-50% of students are from out of state and many are wealthy. That surprised us - like 10% of the school are top 1% in income. But there are also lower and middle income students from South Carolina so an interesting mix.

Not everyone is preppy, there’s a pretty big counter-culture in Charleston as well. Greeks aren’t everything there. Frats definitely throw parties but the sororities aren’t really pervasive. They just don’t have space for the big houses and I think that sort of limits what they can do.

Go for a visit! She may fall in love with Charleston the way DD did!

Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 08:34     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I will share what I learned with DD and save her hours of research on these schools. She'll have some thinking to do on what factors to prioritize.

Any thoughts on LSU?


You really need to take a week and visit some of these campuses and towns. It almost doesn’t matter which ones. Your daughter needs to get a sense of whether she’ll feel comfortable in the South, especially in a school that is mostly local students. Have lunch and talk to students in the cafeteria.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 06:10     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:Recently visited South Carolina. We were impressed. It is whiter than my kids are used to (we’re white) but did not get 100% party school vibes. Only something like 25-30% Greek. Plenty of girls in sweatpants and crop tops. Great honors program. Very friendly students of all backgrounds.


South Carolina has become very popular- especially for honors.
Anonymous
Post 02/19/2024 00:37     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
OP here. Thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I will share what I learned with DD and save her hours of research on these schools. She'll have some thinking to do on what factors to prioritize.

Any thoughts on LSU?
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2024 23:42     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
NC State is full of athletes and NC residents. If you aren’t either category, I would suggest looking for a better school.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2024 19:33     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
OP, although I enjoy reading what posters say about these schools - you do know what the problem is, don't you? Your DD has to own this. She has to embrace that this is on her - to make it work. To make this decision work.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2024 18:09     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We also live in Los Angeles and have a junior who would never consider any of those schools because of all the racist connections with the South. They exist.


Well, clearly you and your junior are superior to everyone else on this thread.


No, not superior just not racist. I think it's actually the racists who normally claim "superiority".


You do seem mildly obsessed…
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2024 18:08     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked that people recommend U SC. I’d hate to live in Columbia.


My son loves Columbia. We’ve really enjoyed visiting. The campus is beautiful. What’s not to like? The area is very liberal.

However, the biggest draw was the Common Market program, which enables us to pay in-state tuition.


Your definition of “very liberal” to describe Columbia SC is laughable at best.
Anonymous
Post 02/18/2024 18:06     Subject: Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!
Anonymous wrote:Recently visited South Carolina. We were impressed. It is whiter than my kids are used to (we’re white) but did not get 100% party school vibes. Only something like 25-30% Greek. Plenty of girls in sweatpants and crop tops. Great honors program. Very friendly students of all backgrounds.


YVMV but I can’t imagine why a kid from California would even consider moving to Columbia SC for college. And your “only” Greek number may be accurate but the Greek influence there is huge.