Charleston Southern University

Charleston Southern University is a great school, not only challenging for the mind but also a safe place for students to get to be with God and be able to have certain conversations and debates. Our football team is also d1, and we have a lot of adamic clubs like African American Society and the Student Government Association, which is for poets and people who are passionate about making films, writing, and drawing. This school also makes me feel safe, and they have a good student plan as far as your meal plan. 

Charleston Southern University is a great school but, with every school, there are always a few things that are falsely advertised and just are not helpful to the college student experience. The school itself has a great community and it is really not hard to make friends as long as you get yourself out there. However there can sometimes be little cliques with students, and the athletes and students are very separated. The cafeteria food was great when visiting as well as the first week I attended, but gradually it became so bad that a couple times I only had ice cream for dinner. As a Graphic Design major, I love the people in everyone of my classes. The people, specifically the students, are what truly make this school great. The art majors (including me), however, have a shack in the back of campus that is behind the quads, which are where the majority of the men live on-campus, and there is a sketchy path near it as well, so it can be a little scary, especially with later class times. I thought, with a women dominated major, they would not put the art students in the most sketchy area of campus, but here we are. The students who live on-campus are not supposed to drive to the shack but are required to walk, so night classes are also very scary to go to. However, I do drive there because I'm too scared, as a women, to walk there in the dark, so if I get a ticket for that, oh well. Another area that graphic design majors have classes is the library basement. The basement is a bit harder to breathe in, especially when one has asthma, like me. On top of all this, the classes in each of these buildings can last up to 2.5-3 hours, two days a week. And that's only for one class (3 credit hours)! This is mostly geared toward Graphic Design and art majors, however it tells a lot about how a school treats art students. A couple positive things about this major however, are extremely helpful advisors! They know what they're doing and are intelligent with their answers. The majority of the classes, at least for freshman year, were pretty challenging but I was taught so much that I will carry into my career!

The school is very community oriented. Mostly everyone knows someone here.

I liked how professional everyone was and the occasional chapel meetings that they had. They also made everyone feel welcome and made you feel like they were part of your family in a short amount of time. All the professors are there to help you and they make sure to tell you that they are there by stating their office hours.

It'a nice and welcome environment. All the staff and the students are really nice and welcoming, especially to new students. They did a great job at preparing new students for the upcoming semester. The food is okay, but better than other school's food by far.

I think CSU is a really good school. The food isn't the best, but there are always places to plug into student life. It takes an adjustment to get used to from high school. I won't lie and say that I sometimes feel lonely, but I think that's because I am what I like to call an introverted extrovert. I am really shy until I get comfortable around the people I am with. If I had any advice to give to a new student, it would be to not be afraid to ask for help whether it be academically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The staff at Charleston Southern are there to help you, no matter what. There are always things to improve, but I don't regret my decision to attend here.

I fell in love with this campus the minute I stepped foot on this campus. It is very safe and makes me feel at home. There is absolutely nowhere else I could see myself living for 6 years. I was very unsure where I wanted to attend, but after my visit I knew it was home.

First off, this website does not recognize my major. I had to pick a "general" major, but it's like picking "Science" if you are a Chemistry major. Yes, it's accurate, but Unigo needs to do a better job of allowing us to choose majors that are offered by the schools. Also, if you go back to edit your review, you have to reselect the options about security, Greek life, etc. Any website from the last 20 years should be able to keep that information selected. Second off, on the subject of the school itself, it is an absolute mess. The class sizes are small, and a few of the professors seem to care about students, but overall the entire place feels like it is run by middle schoolers: * Parking is absolutely atrocious on campus, even under normal conditions. Add to the fact that the school randomly hosts about 2-3 events per week, during which they block off 50-150 parking spaces in one of the commuter lots (The lot closest to the Science Building). They don't give students a heads up, no advance warning. If you happen to be running just on time for class and show up to find the lot blocked off for an event, you have to park further away and probably miss class. Parking for the residence halls is just as bad. There aren't enough parking spots for the female dorms, and a lot of the girls have to park across the street by the basketball venue. Topping that off, during basketball season, there is generally not enough parking for people going to see the basketball game, so they overflow into the women's dorm parking lot, which means if you are getting home after a basketball game starts, you are probably going to have to park on the entire other side of campus. * On the issue of dorms, they started a tiered housing system, where if you want to only have one roommate, you have to pay extra for it. If you want to live in the residence hall with a kitchen, you have to pay extra for it. A lot of people don't mind living with 2 other people in a 9' x 18' room and sharing a single bathroom with a total of 4 people. However, it is such a pain to try and get moved from a room if you have issues with a roommate. I know several people who have had roommates that steal stuff and nothing gets done. Security can't do anything since they don't have proof, and it pretty much takes punches being thrown between roommates before housing will let you switch rooms. * There are several computer labs on campus, however, there is only one 24 hour computer lab, which is also in the middle (Literally, the 2nd floor center stairwell area of a 3-story residence hall) of a dorm. That means that anyone working in the lab late hours has to be super quiet in order to not receive a noise complaint. There are also only about 6-8 computers in the lab, making it the smallest lab on campus, when plenty of people try and do cram sessions and last-minute papers. Speaking of which, once your paper is done, there is only a 20% chance that the printer will have paper. The printer is almost ALWAYS out, and there is no place to get more paper in the middle of the night, with the exception of the security office, which is not supposed to hand out paper because each department has their own budget and buys stuff from that budget. * Despite having cameras literally EVERYWHERE on campus, the cameras don't ever seem to be useful. If your car is broken into or hit by another vehicle in front of the security office, with two cameras pointing at it, they still don't have any way of viewing the incident. Either the cameras are dummy cameras set up to scare people, or the cameras are completely garbage. * Some of the security officers have absolutely no idea what they are doing. There are definitely rules on the campus, some super strict ones at that. But, some of the security guards take things to an even further extreme. I've seen people getting jumped on by security officers for literally holding hands while walking to class. There is a vague reference to "excessive PDA" in the Student Handbook, but even as subjective as that term is, how can anyone determine that holding hands is "excessive"? * For anyone who isn't really knowledgeable about running a University, dealing with the people in the Hunter Reception Center is a nightmare. You go up there to ask about dropping a class, you end up talking to three different people that they send you to because each one handles something different, and everyone says that doing so will not effect your financial aid. After dropping the class, you get a call from financial aid, saying that you need to add another class or $3000 because it did, in fact, effect your financial aid. Why did I spend over three hours talking to people up there if it's a coin flip whether they give you the correct information? The excuse is, "Oh, we see a different screen than financial aid" or "We don't have access to that information". * Back to last minute projects, or just generally wanting to watch a show on Netflix, the student wifi is worse than McDonald's wifi. There is a 24/7 help line, that doesn't ever operate 24/7. There are also major outages, at least a few times a semester, where even if you get a response, it's literally just to tell you that there is an outage and the service will be restored Soon™. Which is usually at least 3 hours after your paper was due. * In addition to the fact that the wifi does not work half the time, you also have to download an intrusive piece of software before you are even allowed to access the wifi. That software also messes up sometimes and won't communicate with the server to say that your anti-virus is up-to-date, you have the latest Windows Update, etc. When it doesn't communicate, you can't use the wifi, and sometimes you have to restart the computer a few times before it works, and sometimes it just doesn't work until you try it the next day.

Charleston Southern University is a wonderful campus if you want to grow into your education with the foundation of Jesus Christ as the chief center in your studies. The environment feels safe and everyone is on one accord. There is also on-campus and off-campus activities for housing and commuter students to get involved to gain friendships and enjoy your college years. As of right now, I am a transfer, commuter student in my junior year. I hope to fulfill a knowledge of the Lord as I am on the path to achieve my Bachelors in Computer Science.

I graduated from Charleston Southern University in 2011, and it was a wonderful experience for me. I majored in Business Administration (Management concentration) and minored in Music. The campus is beautiful and is located near great eateries, shopping places, and of course Wannamaker Park. The price is a little high, as is expected of most private Universities, so be prepared to do some scholarship hunting! This is also a tobacco-free campus, which is an added plus. The sports culture there is infectious! Also great for Sunday morning services and weekly Christian events! I just may go back to try to earn my MBA.

CSU is a school made for everyone. Very accepting and welcoming. Could not imagine being anywhere else. CSU has provided a second home for me. I have made many friends in such a short amount of time. All the faculty and staff are willing to help. I love CSU!

I love the environment of Charleston Southern. Most people welcome you with open arms. When I arrived my freshman year, I thought that I wouldn't fill in, but students were so nice to help me out when I didn't know where to go or had a question about professors.

Charleston Southern University is a lovely Baptist university. Whether you are a Baptist or not you and your opinions will be respected. The environment is safe and enjoyable. The class sizes are small and professors are constantly available as well as well equipped to teach. Most classes are engaging and fun to attend. Professors respect their students and clearly enjoy seeing their students succeed. The university also has an abundance of resources to ensure academic success and provides opportunities that can push students into successful jobs.

I will be a student at Charleston Southern University in the fall of 2019, and I would like to say that I have never felt more comfortable and more welcomed on any other college campus before. The students at Charleston Southern University are welcoming and kind, regardless of your situation. The campus itself is peaceful and you feel like you just belong there. It's also beautiful that the school is religion-based because you feel a connection with God that you may have never felt before. The resources offered at Charleston Southern University are also amazing, as they offer tutors for any class you may need help on, they also offer resources for safety, such as emergency phones and escorts from the security guards if you feel unsafe or afraid to walk to your dorm after it gets dark. It is a phenomenal campus and space to be for four years and I hope anyone who is looking for an amazing place to be educated will choose Charleston Southern University.

Overall, I like Charleston Southern University. It's close to my house, has a mostly-Christian environment, and is fairly small. The smaller size of the campus almost entirely ensures that classes will be smaller, giving students more of an opportunity for one-on-one teaching should they require it (like I do). Some departments have more attention than others, and some departments are better than others. It's normally a coin-toss as to whether or not a professor will be good, especially if you've had them for multiple classes. However, there are gems of professors scattered throughout the university regardless of department; several professors who teach classes I don't need to take know me by name and care how I am during the semester. The main reason I want to stay at CSU is the Mathematics department. All of the professors know their subjects extremely well, and most inspire their students to learn more in the field.