StudentsReview :: Clemson University - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Clemson University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityC- Faculty AccessibilityB-
Useful SchoolworkC- Excess CompetitionD+
Academic SuccessB+ Creativity/ InnovationD+
Individual ValueD- University Resource UseB
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyB+ FriendlinessB+
Campus MaintenanceD+ Social LifeC-
Surrounding CityF Extra CurricularsB
SafetyA
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Arrogant, Approachable, Snooty, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly

Female
SAT1350
Bright
Lowest Rating
Surrounding City
F
Highest Rating
Safety
A
She cares more about Individual Value than the average student.
Date: Dec 12 2014
Major: Preparatory (This Major's Salary over time)
So I am an in-state student, but not really. I went to 4 different high schools in 3 different states and 2 different countries. However, the last high school I stayed at for 2 years was in Fort Mill, SC, hence the "in-state". But that gives you some insight on me: I am extremely open-minded and have an extremely diverse friend group. Clemson University was honestly the last choice on the list of colleges I got accepted into, including Brown and Vanderbilt; Clemson gave me the most scholarships. Oh, I am also Asian, which in most cases, your family expects nothing but Ivy League and top 25 universities (ranking of both public and private ones) from me. I also spent the first 15 years of life in Taiwan, where 70% of the nation's population reside in cities. The closest I've come to "southern" culture and the countryside was Fort Mill, SC, and that is still less than 10 minutes away from Charlotte, NC.

With all that said, Clemson can be great for you, if you're 1. from the South 2. into traditional, conservative ideals 3. love anything preppy 4. love the nature and the outdoors I am clearly not any of those. I am a city girl and always will be, and being at Clemson, other girls will criticize you for dressing "too revealingly" and pretend to be proper "southern belles" while they openly and sloppily hook up with strangers at parties. Almost everyone will be "friendly" and "polite" to you, until you realize they are racist and only being nice to you, because they are taught to do so, and that's being fake in my mind. As a school that only became a national university that caters to populations outside of the state of South Carolina in the past few decades, Clemson's quality of education is mediocre at best. I am not the smartest student, but I did find the majority of my classes at Clemson to be taught rather slowly and the material to be unchallenging, until you meet a few tough professors teaching high-level classes specific to your major, and I've had 3 of those in my almost-3-years at Clemson (I am a junior).

I am very involved on campus: honor societies, community service clubs, CUSG, etc. But being the Director of Council of Diversity Affairs in CUSG, you realize how difficult it is to get support when you're 1. not in Greek life 2. vouching for minorities. While I am not against Greek life (I have friends in it), I do believe that Clemson makes it seem like going Greek is the only way to go; what about the people that think sisterhood/brotherhood is cliche and the people that can't afford it? There seems to be a lot of racial tension on campus, if not always apparent. While there are a lot of open-minded folks like me, I know many that didn't grow up the same way many South Carolinans did came to Clemson and conformed. As for social life, good luck finding something truly fun to do besides the outdoors, a tiny "downtown" without any clubs, and Greek parties. Like I said, Clemson could be right for you, but I love electronic music and raves, and there is no outlet for that here. Most of the social scenes you will encounter here will pay the top 40 songs and country music. There is but maybe 3 quality fashionable stores to shop at. And the choices of cuisine go as far as Thai and Mexican.

I cannot say Clemson is a really bad school, because it does have some great professors who truly care about your success, and it does have some great career resources. And the school has been really trying to put some initiatives into bettering the campus climate, especially pertaining to diversity. However, it is a conservative school, and traditions come first, so many changes are done slowly. I am leaving after this semester to the University of Miami. And I truly hope Clemson will become a more open-minded school one day.

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