College of Charleston Top Questions

The College of Charleston has a really pretty campus hidden just one block away from the famous shopping found on King Street. The classroom sizes are generally small, professors are easily approachable, and the students are fun. Charleston County has done a good job of not turning Charleston into a "college town" and has keep a lot of Charleston's history alive. This allows for students to have a lot of other things to do outside of the College. However, I feel that this is why there is not a lot of "school spirit". We don't have a football team, so our basketball team is our biggest fan based sport. We are having a brand new arena built that should be ready by next season, I'm hoping that this will help boost our support of our teams.

Charleston itself is the main attraction. The campus is just beautiful which means that there are tour-busses full of your grandparents down St. Phillip year-round. They generally stay in their busses, though, except when they eat breakfast in the cafeteria at 8AM. Even then the tourists are still nice people and you get to show off for them as a "local." Localness has it's benefits, like riding your bike the wrong way down King St on the sidewalk.

For me, this school is just right, and I knew it right away. It is a medium to small sized school in my opinion. I spend a lot of time downtown (where I live). ALWAYS something to do. Charleston is amazing. I must think to myself every single day how lucky I am to be here. You will fall in love with the place if its meant to be.

The best thing about C of C is Charleston. The town is really beautiful and the weather is great, unless is rains and the streets flood up to your knees. It's great that food places are literally a block away, King Street is right by campus, there's a mall downtown, and everything. For students who won't be driving, this is great. Be prepared to bring a bike or a skateboard. C of C has a serious lack of diversity that is really hurting the university. The Multicultural Center is a joke and not very organized, so I won't suggest counting on them if you're looking to meet different kinds of people. There are clubs like Indian Cultural Exchange and the Black Student Union that are supposed to help students get acclimated to the school, but they're not very good with attracting a huge crowd. However, the International Festival that's hosted every year is great. And, the L.I.N.K.S. and Spectra program is great for incoming freshman looking to connect with students from all over. Chris Gay, in admissions, is great in helping out minority students and really wants to change the atmosphere of the college (positively). I really wish that people on campus were more involved. I know it's a huge party school and college is about fun, but it's also about self-discovery and making a difference. People here are a little self-absorbed with their own problems and don't stop to support causes like the "Save Darfur" campaign, etc. People just don't seem to care. C of C is the perfect size school. Not too big or small and believe it or not, I run into people from high school on a daily basis. Another thing that I would change about the school is the housing situation. I lived with the most disgusting people ever, so if you're planning on staying on campus, room with someone you know (not a best friend), but someone you can live with. Try to set rules from the very beginning and don't depend on an RA to help because they just shrug off the problems. (At least the one I had did). Let them (the RA( know what's going on and if you have to move, move. The C of C administration is reflective of the university itself. I spoke with someone who was the first African American to work in the president's office ever and she's been there for about 10 years ... which says a lot. In that aspect, the school is backwards and there are definitely some professors to avoid. The Communications program is pretty good, Spanish is good but filled with sketchy characters, dance is a joke, Computer Science is very weak, math is ... math, but overall it's not that bad. Don't expect a life-altering academic experience from these subjects. If you want the high stress "challenge", I've heard that Western Civilization (honors) is a killer. And of course, Pre-med students are always running around stressed. What C of C lacks most is diversity and a willingness to change and accept that some people and things are different. Sometimes if you are different, you find yourself being punished for it. Ultimately, the closed-mindedness and prejudices of both the school and the town (yes racism still exists, but it's better masked), drove me to leave the school. The only thing I miss from this campus, besides a few people, is the easy access to restaurants, shopping centers, etc. It's definitely more "urban" than rural, but don't expect NYC!!

I think CofC is the perfect size. It's big enough to avoid the people you don't want to see... but small enough to recognize the same faces on the way to class. People overall are really friendly too! The nightlife is amazing though! Nobody worries about designated drivers because everything is in walking distance! You may need a designated WALKER though!! Especially when you're walking past Public Safety! Ha! One experience I will always remember will be when a friend of ours got in the middle of Calhoun St. and directed traffic so a huge group of about 40 kids walked across to get to a big party on King St! Funniest thing ever!

Charleston is a great town to go to school in, the campus is a perfect size, people respect the school and the education students get there, pretty decent administration although there are some issues with the 'honor board,' no football team

I love CofC for the area mainly. The city is perfect, it's not too intimidating, and there's lots to do. A great place to just walk around or shop if you'd like too. The size is perfect, where you're meeting new people every day, but seeing familiar faces at the same time. Class sizes are great too, it's a very personal experience. People are extremely friendly and diverse. I have groups of friends from many different backgrounds. The only complaint I have about CofC is the school pride, which is lacking. But ultimately, in my book, the town and everything else makes up for it.

CofC is awesome! This year I lived in dorm that was all upperclassmen, most of whom were transfers. So out of around 300 students living there, probably 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} transferred in and I don't know any one of them that is transferring out. It's like they go to 2 or 3 other schools before coming here and once they get to Charleston they don't want to leave. The size of CofC is perfect! Although the guy/girl ratio is way off, it's nice to walk down the street and recognize the same people you pass every day on the way to class. And although some classes are too big (mostly the Gen. Ed. classes that every one has to take) the best ones are the ones with like 15 people in them, you really get to know each other and the professor can help you learn so much more effectively. Charleston's weird in that it is definitely a college town within the few blocks surrounding campus, but take a short bike ride to the Battery, the Market, Waterfront Park and you realize that families and their children live in this beautiful city also and we all share the space wonderfully.

It is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen. I'm from New Jersey with friends all over the country in various schools. They all agree, it is the most beautiful campus! Alcohol is easy to get. Friends are readily available to meet. And plenty of school events help to bring everyone out and enjoy the pleasant weather. Another thing... lots of films and shows are shot on campus so you get to see movie actors, and soap stars.

I love the feeling of the campus or just Charleston in general. There are a bunch of parts of Charleston that people can enjoy; there's the water, the residential area, the campus, the city.... If you love beauty, warmth, and people then this is perfect.