College of Charleston Top Questions

I think CofC is a perfect size- not too big, not too little. It couldn't be in a better location! I wish the classrooms and labs were more modern, but it's the education that really matters and I think CofC is by far the best state school. We don't have a football team and I think when compared to say, Clemson, it's easy to say we have little school spirit.

CofC is has an amazing, gorgeous campus with a wide variety of people from all backgrounds. Being downtown makes everything very accessible, and you really don't need a car, unless you want to go to the beach or WalMart. Most people think that we are a smaller school for South Carolina, but we are actually fairly large. There is always something to do, and we rarely are in our room hanging out, everyone is always outside. Our GPA grading scale is much harder than other schools, because it is weighted differently. Most clases are interesting and professors typically want feedback and what to see students at there office hours.

Just the right size, but not a lot of school spirit because there is no basketball team.

The best thing about CofC is the diversity of it's students. You can find all sorts of people there, from beach bums and stoners to scientific geniuses who do nothing but study. Another great thing is how gorgeous the campus is. The only thing I'd change about the campus is the parking situation, but being in the dead of downtown it's expected. I think the school is just the right size. It's big enough to have a diversity, but small enough to feel "homey." People generally react more to that I go to school in Charleston than that I'm at CofC -- at least when I'm out of town. In town, it's a fairly neutral reaction. Most of the time, I'm in class when I'm on campus but that's because I live off campus. It was probably spent in my dorm room when I lived on campus. It's not really a college town but it is definitely a tourist town. There are a lot of young people due to CofC, CSU, Trident, and the various military bases here though. I really haven't dealt with the administration of CofC much, but the staff is very nice. The biggest controversy in my opinion was the destruction of a much needed parking lot to build a new science center, even though there will be parking again once the building is completed. I do believe that there is a lot of school pride. Everyone seems to be proud of CofC. The unusual thing about CofC is that since it's located in the heart of downtown and everything is in walking distance, a lot of students don't have cars which means pedestrian traffic is very heavy -- and I mean very heavy once tourist season rolls around.

Its a very strange situation. Most people have no idea there are around 10000 students here, because you never see that many people on campus. I love the library, but wish that printing was still free. The residence halls are nice when compared to other schools' facilities, but they are not governed in a way to make them desirable for students to spend more than freshman year in them. Additionally, it is often cheaper to live off campus. There really isn't that much school spirit. D1 schools usually have a football team and a basketball team to focus their spirit in, and we only have the basketball team.

CofC is a great mid-sized school. The classes are about the right size and all the teachers know your name when you are in their classes. The city is absolutely amazing. You're right downtown in a gorgeous historic city and can walk to almost anything you need.

If I could change anything, I would definitely make this school smaller. Its nice to be centrally located downtown, and that actually helps make the school feel smallerl, because it is so compact, but I still see signs of a huge campus population. When I tell people I go to the College of Charleston, they imediately ask how I like Charleston, and about the party/club/bar scene. Shopping inquiries are also very common, as Charleston is a well known shopping city. I spend most of my on-campus time at my sorority house, on Coming St. Charleston is a college/tourist town. There are both sides - the college "dive" restaraunts, etc, on the same street as Sax Fifth Ave and the Vinyard Vines store.

I love the atmosphere of the college. I love how COFC is right in the heart of charleston and how campus is small and easy to get around. I love the number of students that attend the college and how small the class sizes are. Some of the administration is really good and some is really bad. Most students wish there was a football team.

College of Charleston is just big enough to still be a community, but small enough to still have one on one personal time with professors. Charleston is diverse and has something for everyone to do. The only problem with Charleston is that it doesn't offer a lot of alternatives to those who are underage, since they cannot participate in the nightlife of Charleston due to Mayor Joe Riley's harsh restrictions on bars. The school does lack spirit. However, this happens with ANY school that does not have a HUGE sport revenue such as football.

Diversity is definitely missing at C of C. There are some black kids here, but most of them are from South Carolina and stick together. There are a few Asian students and there is a visible population of international students. Also, one thing that kind of sucks is that there are twice as many girls as guys here, so if you're a girl and used to getting attention from guys, do not expect the same to be true at C of C. C of C is a medium-sized school; you will definitely recognize faces as you walk around, but you don't know everyone on campus. Charleston certainly isn't a college town. College kids hang out at off-campus apartments and downtown because a lot of students live off-campus after freshman year. There are a number of bars and restaurants that students frequent in Charleston. School spirit is lacking a bit here; it's no William and Mary, UNC or Duke in terms of spirit. We have a basketball team that has been pretty good in the past, and many students go to these games and generally have a good time with friends. The lack of school spirit is evident because students don't seem to have a visible pride in C of C. A few of the students on my hall transferred after the first semester, which was surprising to me. For good students, the first semester with its introductory courses often seems like a breeze.