Clemson University

Date: Dec 03 2007
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
Some background info about myself:

I grew up in Upstate South Carolina and transferred into Clemson after spending one year at USC Upstate in Spartanburg. I transferred into Mechanical Engineering, and then two months later transferred to Food Science.

Location / Surrounding City:

This is a much talked about topic with Clemson. In case you don't already know, Clemson is located in the rolling foothills of Upstate South Carolina. The surrounding area is very much rural, with plenty of farms and generally a beautiful hilly landscape. The city itself is tiny, with only about 11,900 permanent residents. If you are from a big city, Clemson will be a huge change for you. There are no major music venues, no huge shopping areas (other than a wal-mart), and not much in the down town area, except for bars. Needless to say, the immediate vicinity of Clemson leaves much to be desired for a night life. Bars are plentiful, so if thats your thing then its a plus. If you want to go shopping, or experience some amenities that larger cities offer, you can travel 30-40 minutes east to Greenville. This is a good way to spend a weekend, as Greenville has several things to offer. Anderson, Easley, and Seneca are all larger cities than clemson, and are within 15-20 minutes of campus. These cities offer some good stores for shopping.

Be forewarned, if you stay here during summer or between semesters, you will be bored to death. The town literally shuts down pretty much without all the students. Some businesses will even close until the students come back.

If you are an outdoor person, then this place is definitely for you. The foothills region of NC/SC is literally covered with hundreds of parks, hiking areas, camping areas, waterfalls. I often travelled to Caesars head State park in northern Pickens county (1 hour from campus) for a day hike with friends. If you are a mountain biker, then the Isaqueena falls area will be like heaven for you. It is located about 4 miles from campus, and has literally 60+ miles of mountain bike trails.

Campus:

I feel that the campus is quite beautiful. The grounds are always kept nice, so a big Kudos to the people who take care of it. In fact, the whole campus gets soo messy and Trashy after football games, but the grounds crew always has it spotless by classes on Monday Morning.

The campus itself is rather large, but I feel it is not too large. You can easily get from one end to the other in 15 minutes walking, which is the time allowed between classes.

Parking/Transportation:

Parking has slowly become an issue for the campus. I can't speak for people who live on campus, but off campus commuters such as myself can expect to fight for parking spots unless you arrive before 9am. The university is currently addressing this issue, and a parking garage is being planned for 2009 I believe.

If you don't have a car, don't fret. Clemson is home to the CAT (clemson area transportation) service. CAT Buses run day and night while classes are in session, and service just about anywhere you could want in the Clemson Vicinity, including Seneca, Central, Anderson, Pendleton. The CAT Buses are top notch, and have even been rated among the highest of transportation services on the east coast. Best of all, its free (kinda. You have to pay a $35 transportation fee each semester in your tuition). If you don't feel like taking a bus, bicycles are a great option here too.

Academics: Like any Big University, you can't base Academic quality on the entire university. So i'm giong to discuss the two majors I had experience with

I started off in Mechanical Engineering but soon transferred into the food science program. In engineering, i was treated like a number, and the classes were very difficult. Engineering is what this school is known for though. If you plan on going into engineering, plan on long nights studying, but it will be worth it. A Clemson engineering degree goes a long way.

Apart from engineering, the school is known for its strong agricultural programs. I am having the best time in Food Science. Its a smaller department with smaller classes. Each teacher knows you by name and are willing to help in any way they can. I have been presented with numerous opportunities including two well-paid internships, ability to help out faculty with research projects as an undergrad, numerous field trips throughout the southeast, and so forth. The major offers a great hands on approach to learning, and the things you will learn will be applicable to real world work.

If you are considering coming here for something like art or music, you should probably look elsewhere. This is definitely not a school that is known for a strong liberal arts program. Once again, Engineering and agricultural sciences are what shine here.