Clemson University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Madison

I wish I had known that there was going to be so much construction before I came. I have walk to class a different way every week because of closed sidewalks and I never know what sidewalk is going to close next. I also wish I had known how hard it is to get an on campus job. I wish I had known that the dining halls would be very repetitive or that Clemson offers a payment plan for your bill that you have to sign up for early.

Jenna

Honestly, I wish I knew how far away Clemson is from a decently sized city. Growing up in a suburban/urban setting, I've always lived from 20 mins or less from anywhere I wanted to go. Greenville (a very cute, small city) is about 45 mins away... but that's the biggest and closest city you're going to get. It is also a different atmosphere from growing up in the North... where stores are open veryyyyy late...and alcohol is actually sold on Sundays. Very interesting getting used to.

Anna

I wish I had known how hard it would be to transfer in my second semester. It was very hard to make friends and get into the swing of things. I transferred because I endured an extreme hardship, and the struggle of finding my niche at Clemson did not make things any easier. I wish I had known what the people were like. I wish I had researched more about the lack of diversity at this university. I also wish I had known how big of a role Greek Life plays at this university.

Rashaud

I wish I would of learn to communicate with people of different races/ethnicities because coming to Clemson University their are so MANY students of different backgrounds. Since I wasn't very social to other racial groups, I was limited and nervous to speak to people on campus because I didn't know what to ask them.

Danielle

I wish I had known more about the ministries available to me. At my orientation session I couldn't find the campus ministries section and I really wish I could have. The thing is, I KNOW the college can offer so much when it comes to minitries! All I have to do is find them now! Although I'm a little reserved about going out and finding them for myself, I'm excited at the same time.

Diane

I wish I had known that I could have taken some of the general courses during high school and be ahead of myself. Not only would I have taken classes that I needed it for college but it would have been free. The money I could have saved and the time I could have put forth more in the courses that work toward my major are the thoughts that linger in my mind as I wished I could have done more in high school. If only I put more effort into preparing myself for college, I could have much better.

Amanda

It is a mainly caucasian campus that is not diverse.

Chris

I first attended at small techincal college. I did very well and thought i was prepared for a large University like Clemson. It turned out to be a totally differnt world. The classes are much larger and more vigorous. Little things such as walking a long distance to class can even be underestimated. A large college can make you feel unimportant when things seem to go wrong, but when its all said and done, the hard work is well worth it.

Nathalie

Probably how difficult it was going to be and how hard i would have to work!

Emily

I wish I had know that it is hard to get financial aid at Clemson if you are an out of state student, so be sure to apply for a lot of outside scholarships during your senior year. I also wish I had known more about the parking situation at Clemson because I wouldn't have gotten as many parking tickets my freshman year!

Hannah

I wish i had known that clemson's social environment was based mostly on greek affiliation. there aren't too many other options. I also wish i had know about the lack of diversity within the campus and the high degree of conservativism. These southern born individulas aren't very open minded with religion and politics which can be offensive. I didnt know that a lot of people leave Clemson on the weekends either to get away after football season is over.

Amanda

Before I had come to Clemson University I wish I had known a better system of studying and where to find a job on campus. It is difficult for me to study using the same methods I had used in high school because they are two different types of learning, but thanks to the Academic Success Center I learned new techniques. Also it is hard to find a job here so money is tight for everone, but if I had known where to find one before school it wouldn't be an issue now.

Jennifer

I wish I had known what an amazing place it was. I originally was not planning on applying, but had I known how amazing the students, the faculty and the University as a whole were, Clemson would have been number one on my list all along.

Meghan

When people knew I would be attending Clemson, the natural question they asked was, "Aren't you worried you'll miss home too much?" Going from Connecticut to South Carolina was indeed a very large distance, however, I did not realize just how hard the distance would be. For this reason, I was hit with a very hard case of home-sickness my first couple of months at college. Although I was able to combat it and get past missing home, I would have suffered much less shock had I realized just how much home would mean once I left.

Halie

I wish I would have known more about the weather here in Clemson, the living possibilities, and about the churches near and around campus.

Sam

I wish I would have looked at campus maps a little more. This is a very large school with close to a hundred buldings. I think I spent most of my freshman year just trying to find where everything was. But Clemson does a good job with directing new student traffic to where they need to go.

Whitnie

I wish I had known I had more options of career choices based on my major. I also wish I had known that my advisors are not really here to advise you.

Margaret

I wish I knew the amount of school spirit. When I was deciding which school to go, I went to a Clemson football game and realized that was where I was meant to be. Everyone is dressed in orange and bonded by cheer and spirit for our team. It is the best feeling walking around campus on a Saturday game day.

Molly

I wish I had known alittle more about the weather. I thought it would be warmer than what it is.

Caroline

I wish I would have known less people. A lot of people came from my home town, but I was still able to meet a lot of great people from other places. I already knew a lot about this school, it is a family school and a lot of older people I went to school with also attended and graduated.

Katherine

The football ticket system can be pretty tricky and invonvenient. I didn't know anything about having to sleep outside in line in order to get good seats (or sometimes even a ticket at all), and I also didn't know about alternatives to doing this. New students should definitely do their research on this to figure out what works best for them.

Sarah

A little bit more about greek life.

Spencer

Whish I had known more about the school other than hearing about football. I applied very late only after finding about the quality of the programs that were offered, the university is top 25 in the nation but dosn't seem to get the word out.

Melissa

Get a scholarship and work really hard. Never accept less than your best.

Randal

I wish I had know how much college would strain my budget.

Shaketria

Get all the information you can on school regulations and policies. You get into alot of trouble by not know the simple rules and regulation presented by the school you attend.

Bryna

That I was going to change majors and lose my religious affiliation.

Lydell

I wish I knew about college grants and schlorships

Jennifer

I wish someone had told me to go check out my professors out at ratemyprofessor.com. The college has a lot of amazing researchers as professors, but some of them just cannot teach.

Brandon

how damn hard it was going to be

TJ

A bit more about what I wanted to study. And a lot more about the on-campus housing situation.

Amy

I wish I had known for sure what major to go into. Testing out the waters in high school as opposed to college at Clemson would have been much easier. I strongly feel that better high school advisement could have helped me know what major to choose for college.

Karlye

To just be myself, because everyone will accept you for who you are. People don't judge you based on what you look like.

Hope

I wish I had known how hard I had to work.

Carson

I wish that I had known the extent of the workload before coming to college so that I would have had a better idea of what to expect academically.