(Clemson) Okay, so I'm literally just writing this review to

How this student rated the school

Educational Quality	B-	Faculty Accessibility	A-
Useful Schoolwork	B+	Excess Competition	C-
Academic Success	B+	Creativity/ Innovation	B
Individual Value	B	University Resource Use	C+
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	B+	Friendliness	B-
Campus Maintenance	C+	Social Life	D+
Surrounding City	F	Extra Curriculars	B
Safety	A-

Describes the student body as: Approachable, Closeminded Describes the faculty as: Helpful, Condescending

Female

Average

Lowest Rating Surrounding City	F

Highest Rating Faculty Accessibility	A-

She cares more about Surrounding City than the average student.

Date: Jan 25 2013
Major: Engineering Department (This Major's Salary over time)
Okay, so I'm literally just writing this review to warn/help/advise others on what to do if you're thinking about coming here. Background about me: in-state, engineering major, seriously still can't decide how I feel about this place and I'm not sure if I ever will. There are some truly great things about Clemson in my opinion. The campus is well-laid out, the school runs well, systematically run campus. For some people, this school has everything you will ever want in a university. However, this school may 'shrink your world' in the process. I believe that a university setting should expand your world. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Clemson (the majority of the time.)

Clemson may not be a good fit for you if you…

love sports—love watching them, playing them, whatever

love the idea of Greek Life - Greek life here is huge - I personally don't know too much about how it works on the inside, but from the outside - everyone that's in it seems to think the world of it. In fact, it seems to be their world.

are very focused on maintaining your faith. This definitely isn't a negative aspect. Religion helps people remain grounded. Again, the majority of these are religious organizations are Christian. So, if this is something truly important to you, you'll find friends.

Clemson may not be a good fit for you if you…

are used to a more cultured atmosphere - if you've spent your life interacting with people who are extremely knowledgeable about affairs in the modern world, you might be surprised by the lack of open-minded thinking here. Many people are going to hold the same, conservative opinions. I'm not saying everyone's like that..I've met plenty of people that are extremely knowledgable, cultured, etc, but it's not as common. This is coming from someone who considers themselves to be conservative.

aren't so enthusiastic about the outdoors. Clemson is hardly a town - it's not even really a village. Literally, downtown is one street. AGAIN, plenty of people love going downtown, drinking, but there's no active 'night scene.' People go to frat parties and such, but if you're looking for entertainment elsewhere, the closest city is Greenville, which is quite popular.

are looking for a college with a lot of diversity. Whether it's good or bad or really doesn't matter, Clemson is not diverse. It's one of the least diverse campuses in the nation. This really isn't a big issue to most people. I suppose the only people that would really notice are the people that aren't white…but whatever. That's a fact you should take into account.

Clemson has great weather, great sports, and some fantastic students. It all depends on what you're looking for. I tried to make this review as helpful as I can. I don't want to bash Clemson. It really has some positives, but there are negatives. If you really want to come here, make sure you understand what it's like.

If you're out-of-state, I'm not sure why you would come here if you weren't planning on rushing, playing a sport, or didn't have some national scholarship. I'm sure the schools in your state are great.

If you're in-state, you're still getting a good education for a reasonable price comparatively. Just know what kind of your atmosphere you're looking for in a college.

Responses

Hi,
I really appreciate your honest insite. Our son is coming to Clemson in Jan 2015! His best friend is there now and happy so far. We're from Ft. Laud. He was accepted to FSU but at 55K students; not a great town, all about football, decided no. He's at UCF for one term because applied late. Money is no object and we loved your campus, small student body 16K. We're caucasian but his dad is from MA. We know it's not very diverse. Our son golfs and is interested in the rowing team. Likes the mountains closeby. I'm a single mom and actually moving to Greenville in two years. Other family moving near Asheville. But I have my worries for our son. He's very bright! 32 ACT 2010 SAT and because he let grades drop from 4.2 to 3.6 in senior year- he's at Clemson and not Ivy league. Long story but he has A's again this term at UCF. Another huge Univ in FL! Anything you can say or add, I would appreciate your input. Thank you! Daughter thinks the health sci programs are small there? Looking into it. Good luck! Shelly

Thank you for your frank review! I'm from California, and I'm looking for out of state schools due to excessive competition. Diversity and culture is very important to me since I'm a Cali girl at heart. This has really helped my university decisions. Would you suggest any other SC universities you think would have more diversity and culture?

Hello guys! I'm the original post here - I wrote this review nearly two years ago and I randomly went back to look at other ones. I see that two people have actually commented, which is nice. I'm glad you all liked my post and I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability (I'm not sure when you wrote them as well.)

To commenter # 1: If your son already has a friend there, I see no reason as to why he wouldn't enjoy his time at Clemson so long as they don't end up quarreling over something. As far as your son is concerned, I feel like Clemson and UCF are on similar academic levels for the most part. He should be fine if he's doing well there. For me, one of the biggest issues is diversity. If that isn't an issue for you all, then as far as golfing/rowing is concerned, Clemson would be a great for him. However, be warned - FOOTBALL is huge here. Larger than any other sport, it certainly has the biggest fan base. If he isn't a huge fan, he may end up being bored on Saturdays when 95% of the student population, or so it seems, is off cheering the team as if they're messiahs. Aside from that, I'm sure he would find many friends there. I have some friends in the health science program and they seem to enjoy it. Hope I could help, Shelly!

To commenter # 2: No problem about the frankness. I really hoped that my thoughts would help others. To be honest, California in-state schools are fantastic! It would be great to go to a UC school at an in-state price. They're well-known with great facilities. However, if you believe that you wouldn't get selected for a UC school, I see why some other universities could be a better option. In terms of diversity, no single school in South Carolina is going to be very diverse unfortunately. The University of South Carolina is I will admit more diverse than Clemson, but not so much more so where it would make a significant difference. It is definitely nowhere near as diverse as some schools in California. Clemson USC are the best public universities in the state. Clemson is in a smaller town that USC is though. Therefore, Columbia will have more of a cultural vibe than Clemson. Depending on your degree, you should choose one of these schools.

Again, I would suggest going to a UC school over either of these. If you're determined to go to a school in South Carolina, then USC would have more diversity for sure. I'm not sure how much money or aid you would get or if you need it. Try looking at public universities in the Northeast. Some have great programs and are very diverse.

I hope this helped you all and I wasn't too late in replying!

Best of luck in the future!

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