University of South Carolina - Columbia

Overall, I would say my time at the University of South Carolina was well spent and I would recommend the university to others. Regarding academics, I was pleasantly impressed by the faculty at USC. I remember most of my professors fondly and their enthusiasm for their subjects was what made learning engaging. The facilities were less impressive, USC is a business minded school so oftentimes the science facilities and their needs might have fallen in priority, but we did receive a much needed new... Read More lab in my last year there, so I can't complain too much. The student life was unmatched, I've met some of my closest friends there and the sense of community around football and other sports was truly a treat. The student resources were also an impressive area of note, I never felt like I didn't have what I needed in the way of mental health, learning assistance, or just general help with the bureaucracy of college. A great school over all, would do it all over again.

I am currently a student enrolled in the MSW program. I came in as a transfer student at the start of fall 2019. I am still attempting to gather my thoughts in regard to the curriculum and how classes are conducted. The classes are three hours long with no lunch break in-between. You sit in class and listen to professors lecture on the subject matter, some make it intriguing when it comes to the field of social work, while other professors make you question if social work is really for you. They... Read More also incorporate discussions into their lectures but as an adult, these so called discussions are surface level and uninteresting. There has been much confusion in regard to the program schedule that was changed in order to accommodate the students and faulty in order to receive a lunch break during the day. To my surprise, that meant that you would be attending classes from 8:30am to 8:40pm during the weekday. Students and faculty were not happy about this change and started petitions and even threats of lawsuits due to the schedule change from parents of the students. The director of the program, Dean Sarah Gehlert, decided to hold off of the change of schedule but was not happy about it. Dr. Gehlert stated the UofSC is not a commuter school and will never be. Mind you, most of the MSW students travel to Columbia in order to attend classes during the weekday. I am confused as to why the classes are set up the way they are and if you are a full-time student, why can't one attend classes on Saturdays and even UofSC campuses that are located across the tri-county area. While this is my first semester in this program, it honestly reminds me of undergrad with so many group projects and surface level class discussions. Thinking I made a mistake transferring into this program. Soo many issues from the start and I feel really unhappy here.

USC is by far one of the best universities to attend. They are culturally diverse and make everyone feel welcomed. We have the BEST student crowd, especially for game days in Williams Brice Stadium. Who doesn't love a good college life experience?! The university provides many student success opportunities throughout your undergraduate career. They also have a wide array of majors to choose from and a ton of extra curricular activities that you can be involved in. They encourage friendships and diversity... Read More throughout the campus. The Exercise Science Program has been rated number 1 in the country for quite some time now, and I think that the ranking should speak for itself. Our faculty and staff at USC in that department are exceptional. I have learned more than I could ever imagine about this field and I am so thankful I chose USC for that reason.

The University of South Carolina-Columbia campus prepared me immensely for life after school. The professors in the Theatre department are top notch because they care, they listen, they challenge you as a student and they have a breadth of knowledge and experience to share with you. In my common core classes, even though class sizes were quite large, I never just felt like a number, but rather I felt respected and valued in the classroom. I received my undergraduate degree there as well as a post-graduate... Read More Certificate degree at USC. In both programs, I was excited by my faculty and challenged by the coursework. The campus itself is beautiful and expansive. I remember sitting on the lawn in between classes and loved looking up at the large oak trees and enjoying the outdoors. The town of Columbia, where USC is located, is simply booming. So many arts and cultural programs are happening consistently at the museums, theatres and all along on main street. You never get bored at the many restaurants you get to choose from to eat at! USC is overall a wonderful college and campus. I felt safe there as well. USC is also a research-focused university and so the courses require that you investigate topics and subject matter through research methodologies and strategies. By doing engaging in research approaches, it makes you, as the student, harness your critical-thinking skills while being creative and relevant. I truly enjoyed my time at USC and remember both my undergraduate and certificate program experiences with a fondness and appreciation.

School is completed on Blackboard. It is mostly asynchronous in that you can complete the necessary work on your time. We have had to complete several group projects where I needed to accommodate other classmates schedules and that was difficult for me. Statistics online also proved to be a challenge for me but it was "doable". I had the option of taking one class per semester or 2 and I am glad I selected only one at a time. It is aprox. 8-10 hours of reading and study per week per class. Overall... Read More I am very happy with this program and would recommend it. They do not require GRE or MAT and that was a plus for me.