College of Charleston Top Questions

C of C has a pretty diverse campus in terms of religious beliefs, political beliefs, etc. However, there is very little ethnic diversity, not to say though that students aren't accepting. There are a lot of well to do people that go to Charleston, but not all of the students are well to do, and most of them don't have too much of an attitude about it.

There are clubs and organizations that support different religious beliefs or strange hobbies, but whether you are interested as well or not, no one I've met will judge you if you don't believe what they believe. Everyone is very accepting. In general, a lot of people are from the south, but there is definitely a big percentage from elsewhere... it provides for a healthy variety. People also seem to be of all different financial backgrounds and political beliefs. I would say a fair amount of girls dress up a bit for class, but I think the majority of people (both men and women) wear jeans, and tshirts with flip flops or sperry's for shoes.

CofC is a predominantly caucasian school with much of its diversity stemming from the different regions of the country that students come from. There are a lot of out-of-state students at CofC. I've had roommates from South Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Italy, and friends from Ohio, New York, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Canada. I would say most of the out-of-state students are from the North. There is a belief from outsiders that Charleston girls dress up to go to class, but this just isn't true. The ones who do wear dresses to class usually also wear flip flops. Most just wear t-shirts and sweats. Wealthy financial backgrounds are most prevalent, but there is definitely a mix. It almost feels like a private school at times.

I really enjoy singing so I decided to try out for the CofC choir. On the registration sheet it asked which choir you were interested, and when I saw Gospel Choir I immediately got excited. I'm not a very religious person, particularly just because i wasn't brought up that way, but I absolutely LOVE the music. It has a way of touching people and lifting even the heaviest spirits. However when I was in my audition the choir professor noticed that I wanted to do Gospel Choir as well as the concert and decided to mention to me that the gospel choir is composed of mostly african american singers, and very few, if any, white students. Being from a small town in Wisconsin where the only African American I had ever talked to was Donald Driver of the Green Bay packers, i was a little hesitant. I immidiately signed up for gospel choir after my audition, because I wanted the cultural experience that I realized I so desperatley needed. I absolutely loved it. The people in the choir are amazing! They were all so talented, and had such vibrant personalities. The professor was a strong, spiritual, and kind man; the type of figure I had never had in my life before. He saw my potential and helped me achieve it. I really grasped the idea of spiritual, racial, and phisical differences between people and grew to understand the world around me better. The experience I intentionally put myself through has proved to be one of the best choices of my life. Thanks to stepping out of my normal boundaries I grew more in my one year of college than I have in any other year of my life.

It defiantly bothers me how "white" of a campus is at CofC. Coming from the D.C. area, I am used to having more diversity, and I wish that people from around the country could be exposed to it. We are in the 21st Century, and racial stereotypes need to be broken, and I believe that college is a good place for those to be broken. If you love the beach and the city, Charleston is defiantly for you. It may not be the fastest city, but it is a fun place where there is always something to do. I know that when I'm bored, my friends and I will go take a walk in Marion Square or go window shopping at the Market. I mainly hang out with all of the sports people at Charleston, so they tend to be from all over the country. However, I think that most people are from South Carolina.

There are a lot of out-of-state students, mostly from the Northeast, which makes for a really cool atmosphere for a college in the heart of the South. There are two veins of fashion at CofC: people who wear sweatpants and tshirts to class and people who dress super-fashionably for class. It's an interesting mix.

In my honest opinion, no student would feel out of place at C of C. Of course, you're always going to have those people who are ethnocentric (especially in the South), but they are few and far between at C of C. Students at C of C are definitely in left feild politically speaking. I am as well. Barack Obama speaking at the college was one of the highlights of not just my college experience, but also a life experience. Financially speaking, most students come from a middle class, upper-middle class background. But, since I am an independent student, there are students like myself who are from a more lower-middle class background.

One thing I've never liked about CofC is the lack of racial and economic diversity, but that's honestly something that comes from being in the South. The school is always working to improve diversity, but we're still overwhelmingly white-middle-class. I would also say that the student body tends to be fairly clique-y. Not everyone falls into those catagories, but sometimes it's difficult to navigate socially-speaking if you don't.

our campus is so diverse! people wear anything from lily dresses, pajamas, or goth clothes to class. there is no 'typical' cofc student, which is part of what i love you most.

The student body is diverse, unique, and definitely fun at CofC. However, most classes at the college are not that diverse. I have had a few all Caucasian classes in the two full years I have completed here, but I do not feel like any particular race, religion, creed, or socio-economic status would feel unwelcome or out of place here. The student body is quite friendly and laid back. Several people a month into the semester will start wearing pajamas and sweat pants to every class.