College of Charleston Top Questions

I feel like there is a great deal of diversity at C of C. College is a place were cliques are out the window. People that didn't hang out in high school because of popularity order end up becoming best friends in college. This college has a place for everyone.

There is a huge mix of students that come to CofC. There are alot of those that grew up in South Carolina and if you grew up here you feel a certain kinship with other people that did as well. I think that makes it easier for those from South Carolina to adjust to Charleston and campus as freshman. Then there are alot of people from up North; New York, New Jersey, Conneticut, ect. I have several friends from up North and they have said that it is very hard to adjust to the differences between living down here verses at home. I can't even imagine going to school up North, I'm a southern girl born and bred! Of course, the biggest drawback about being a woman student at CofC in the lack of men. I think that ratio right now is something like 4:1. So it can be hard to meet guys here. There are alot of girls that dress in the typical "Charleston attire", which usually consists of Lilly dresses, or something Lacoste, with Jack Rogers and pearls. This is a very broad generalization, but it is also very true. Alot of girls at CofC pride themselves on their appearance and dress to a T even if just going to class. It might sound snobby to say, but we do have alot of attractive people that go to school here. With the beautiful weather, so many people are active in outdoor activities. We also have a very prominant "stoner, hippie" group of people that go to CofC. We are a liberal arts college and that shows. "Stoner, Hippie" is also a big generalization, but that is the only way that I can think of to classify those people. I am involved in a sorority, but being Greek isn't a huge part of being a student at CofC and I have alot of non greek friends. It's easy to meet people in Charleston if you try and overall, I think we have a great mix of different types of people that attend our school. Everyone can find their niche somewhere.

I found the student body at the C of C to be quite diverse. There are students from all over the place.

going with the idea the cofc is a city's school - there are numerous different types of people to make up that city -- there may be a few groups that are a far bit more identifiable (the southern belles with there monograms - or the guys basket ball players, who's heads you can see far above the crowds ) but it seems to me that people with similar interests gravitate towards each other through classes, dorm life, or other activities.

I am an active member in a religious group, and my experience has been awesome! There is really no kind of student that would feel out of place on campus. Everyone is pretty much friends with everyone. If you isolate yourself, then yes, you will be left out. But it is hard to do that with all of the different groups that you can join. Most students wear casual clothes. You have some students that love to dress up for class, and then there's that small population that just roll out of bed and come to class. Different types of students do interact, but you usually see the same type of people hanging out with the same type of people. The four tables in the lunch room: sorority sisters, african american, theater kids, and then the other kids that don't really care what people think of them. Most C of C students are from the north I have noticed. Financial backgrounds that are most prevalent are usually upscale. Yes! students are politically aware and active! Most students that attend the college of charleston are liberal, but that doesn't mean that everyone is liberal. Most students do talk about how much they will earn one day, if that topic does come up in typical conversation.

Honestly the school is not very diverse; there are blacks on campus, and they generally hang out together in their own groups, and there are some, but not many Asians and Hispanics. There do seem to be a lot of foreign exchange students, which is cool. It seems like most students are either from South Carolina or from up north (namely Maryland, Ohio, and New York).

There is so much going on around campus; there are clubs and organizations for just about every cause! Alliance for planet earth is currently pushing for the installation of solar panels and other greening procedures in the new buildings. The first Thursday of every month is house of representatives; an event where all student organization presidents meet to discuss their clubs current activities and ways that clubs could work together to cosponsor on campus events and get students involvd. The student body is extremely unified. Students are politically aware and very active. The great thing about CofC is that students represent a variety of political backgrounds from the oober liberal to the oober conservative, and moderate inbetween. The college of charleston has a spanish house, a french house, a women and gender studies house, as well as 2 streets of sorority and fraternity houses. This enables students to engross themselves in a specific lifestyle and mongle with people who have similar ideas and passion as they do (in the language houses students are only allowed to speak that house's language; the womena dn gender studies house is a perfect environment for budding feminists/w&gs minors). About 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are in state, but there are another 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} from all over the country and the world (I know a variety of exchange students spanning from Osaka Japan to France to West Africa).

cofc is a very diverse school. it would be very hard to feel out of place at cofc because there is something for everyone. most students wear jeans and a tshirt to class, however, there is the occasional girl who is decked out in make up with their hair perfect. while most cofc students are from south carolina and other southern states, i have a lot of friends from up north who came to charleston for the warm weather.

I haven't experienced any racial, religious, etc. problems. Most C of C students are tolerant and accepting. This isn't high school. No one would feel out of place at the College and I see students from different backgrounds and ages interacting often. Students at the College are politically active but not in an overwhelming way. There have been a few demonstrations here and there but I can't remember any violence. There are always fundraisers and the like.

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Coming from an upper middle class almost all white community and going to the college of charleston was a bit of a swing. Although the majority of kids who do go there are just like me, I realized that there is in fact still racial tension going on in the south that I had no idea about in Washington. Although I still have friends from every racial background, the majority of kids in the same race will still hang out with each other. The people who are rich will show it off with monogramed designer, and the people from the lower class will try their hardest to cover it up by getting the knock-off.

CofC is maybe not the most racially diverse school, and it is also majority female. But I love how there seem to be groups or activities for EVERYONE. Politically people tend to think CofC leans toward more liberal political views, but in reality, majority of people at the college are from the south and most southerners won't stray from their conservative views. It does get expensive to attend CofC once you encounter dorm expenses, meal plans, etc.; so sometimes I feel like it is predominantly middle-upper class students that attend, basing that on the appearance of quite a bit of students.

Every school will always have certain social cliques because that's how humans work; however, the activities and clubs provided by the campus encourage accepting and liberal points of view. Since the college is located in the south then the majority of students are from the south, but it is not a conservative campus. Everyone is friendly and welcoming.

CofC's student body is predominantly female. Sororities and fraternities are very popular and a great way to meet other students. The students come from varied backgrounds and reflect a good mix of racial, religious, and socio-economic diversity.

very political, either very left or very right. recycling is big, hot sopt for presidential candidates. if not in greek life, most people mix with other groups

My experiences with diversity on campus are pretty vast. We are becomming more and more accepting of all groups of people. Racially, white females are definitely the most prominent group with white males right behind that. We don't have a huge minority group, but are slowly diversifying. Students wear comfortable clothes to class. PJ bottoms are not rare. Flip flops are the shoes of choice. T-shirts and jeans are quite common. Some students dress up occasionally, and no one looks at them any different. I would say many of the students are well-off finacially, but not all of them. Many students pay their own way through school, including myself. Students seem very politically aware. We have a very active Student Government Association. This semester we had Edwards, Obama, Kerry, and McCain among others all visit the school. Their speeches were very well attended and talked about afterward.

Everyone is very nice and laidback. The stereotypical "preppy" or "snobby" sorority girls are just as nice as the rest of the girls, and the guys are wicked chill. I feel so comfortable talking to a sorority girl, sailor, or biology student. People are all different, but equally friendly. For the most part, people are middle class and live comfortable lives. There are always groups to get involved in. I would definitely say that the students are aware of politics and current issues. There are clubs for various interests and people have a great time with things they become involved with.

People aren't that into sports and typical school pride, but everyone is proud of the school because of the awesome social aspects

students are awesome! everyone seems to be chill and relaxed. we are so close to the beach we all just go and relax on the wknds in the warm weather and hang inside during our crazy storm seasons. very involved student campus. we like to be involved in things nation wide, state wide, or just locally. great interactions with students and teachers as well as our pres.

College of Charleston is comprised of many different groups, including LGBT, African Americans, sorority/fraternity types, and many GDIs. I think that a Hispanic student would feel most out of place on campus. Most students wear comfortable clothes (lots of sweatpants and athletic gear), but students also like to look nice for class. One common accessory for all students is usually a pair of flip flops. I think that there is a healthy interaction between students of different groups; College of Charleston is essentially a big melting pot of students of all races, ethnicities, areas of the country, and sexual orientation. Most C of C students are from South Carolina, although there is a large portion from Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

not a lot of racism between students, though it's huge in the surrounding city, some religious radicals but not too many, very liberal and accepting campus, we all love one another and celebrate the diversity, LGBT is big here and accepted widely, huge chasm between rich and poor students, usually local instate vs. spoiled out of state Four tables in the cafeteria: Jocks/sorority/frat/athletes. LGBT and artsy nuts. Nerds, serious academics, business tycoons. Poor, local students and black students. Lots of rich white folk on campus, mainly from New England area, really spoiled and snobby, don't understand having to work through school, buy thousands of dollars worth of overpriced clothes to look cute instead of crawling out of bed in sweats for a few hours Students aren't too big on campus activities or politics, but are pretty active outside. Mixture of politics, lots of libs, lots of conservatives. We get along though, laugh at each other

If you are a social person, you will love C of C. If you are a quiet reserved person, I will say you will find like-minded people everywhere. Enjoy yourself, the campus provides a balanced look on religion, cultural and social classes and programs.

Everyone fits into CofC. Most of the students are from instate, but we do have a large range of students from out of state (and out of country). Because we're a liberal arts college, most of the students I know are politically active, engage in volunteer work, and liberals. Especially with Charleston's rich art scene, the students are very active in working with Spoleto, film festivals, and other art events around the college and city.

Overall I think the students here fall into one of two categories: staunchly Republican Christians or bra-burning liberal activists. It's hard to find a group to fit with when you are not one of those types of people. Also, I don't like drinking, and it is frustrating when I hang out with someone and they expect me to get drunk with them. Some people - like me - just don't like to drink! Accept that!

There are many different kinds of people here. No matter how you were before, you will find people like you and you will find people who are really different from you, but would be one of your greatest friends. Most groups of people do interact with others very well. Even different clubs will interact and host different events together. People would mostly say that there are mostly rich, preppy people here. To some extent that is true, but there are other types of people here too. You just have to look for them.

There is not very much diversity, I would love to see more minorities at CofC it is pretty rare right now. Most students wear very casual clothes to class. I think if you are a goth kid you might feel very out of place here but I guess feeling out of place is a part of being goth. We have our range of stoners and wanna be hippies like most college campuses do but mostly its girls with polo shirts and jean skirts and always with the damn pearls!Most students are from SC or up north like boston, NY, NJ etc. Most students here have more money than they know what to do with. People here are depressingly inactive when it comes to politics and other issues. I mean this is the south and the bible belt. people have their beleifs but noone really does much to support their beleifs

Many students are rich and snobby, although I'm not sure why. They generally gravitate to the sororities and fraternities and are therefore easier to avoid. We do have a lot of liberal students, which I think makes many people more accepting of and willing to promote diversity.

CofC students come from a variety of backgrounds. However, it is a relatively small, southern school, so there are relatively few international students.

There is such a diverse population around the C of C campus. I feel like at any school you will find the preppy kids, the jocks, the Greek kids, and so forth. But its really laid back. I'm personally more of a nerd, relaxed individual who likes everyone. So I don't really see a major racial, religious, or socio-economic lines. If you can get into to C of C and afford it, then thats always going to keep you connected with other students. There is not reason to discriminate against each other because someone's got more money or better clothes. I'm not saying there aren't those people, I've just never had to meet them.

The student body at CofC is very diverse. You will find people from all different walks of life and I'm sure you will even find people very similar to yourself. I don't think there would be anyone who would feel out of place at CofC because there is such a diverse group of people here. Most of the students that go to CofC are from South Carolina, but you will find people from all over. There are many student groups on campus and lots of different political groups for students who are interested to get involved in.

many of the guys are gay (or dress like it) many of the girls are annoying and sort of "cheerleader/camp counselor"--which highly annoys me.

CofC is predominately a white school. There are a very small number of other ethnicities. There is however, a very diverse group of people at the College. You've got everyone from jocks to nerds to theater kids to Greeks...its just like high school in that respect. Financially, people are also very diverse. I'm friends with people who have lived in a trailer as well as people who own their own plane. There is no excuse for not finding anyone you click with. There are so many different, interesting, and wonderful students here, it would be very hard NOT to find someone to be your friend. Most people are really laid back,friendly and approachable.

NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY!! College really needs to work on attracting minorities, especially from the Charleston area. I am not a minority but I was very disappointed by the lack of concern for diversity at the College. I feel that this really damages its image as a University

Egh... again, most kids more into partying than studying and I often found my own values of college education being laughed at. Many serious religious fanatics but many liberal students as well. The combo is a little awkward and I don't really think that the diversity makes ANYONE open-minded but it does allow you to meet who you want to. Again, many different types of students-- young and old, prissy and not, religious and atheistic, stoner and uptight prick, et cetera.

The student body is fairly diverse, but white females definitely dominate. Someone who is looking for a big, party school, with lots of exciting activities (sports, fraternities, clubs) would not be happy at CofC.

predominantly white. Both liberals and conservatives found all over

white, upper middle to upper class... which means that most are right wingers. But there is a good mix

tries to be diverse, but not very. groups don't really intermingle. large student body, but i still feel like i know everyone.

To my knowledge there is not a huge LGBT community; I'm not sure of exact percentages but I'd say it is mostly a white campus. In a 25 person class I will sometimes have 1 or 2 black students, sometimes none. The male/female ratio is absolutely appalling: 40:60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. Most CofC students are from in-state but the College seems to be growing in the people it attracts. It is not the easiest college to get into (especially for out of state) and those requirements are only increasing in difficulty, so the kids who go to the college are generally smart kids in the tops of their classes. Political activity is high on campus, especially with it being an election year, and all political ideologies are represented. As it is a city and also a liberal arts college, there are a lot of leftist attitudes, but the conservative South is prominent as well.

The student body is relatively diverse. But there is a noticeable amount of white females. Many, but not all, choose to join sorroities, which are all located on campus. There are many extracurricular activities to take part in in Charleston. There are numerous restaurants and bars within walking distance of the college and one of the major retail areas of Charleston runs along the road adjacent to the college.

i honestly feel like everyone at cofc pretty much gets along with everybody. but there are definitely people who dont fit in, which shows from how many people transfer after their first semester. but the people who like charleston, LOVE charleston, and its really hard to find anyone who you don't get along with. everyone pretty much just fits into the groups where they feel most comfortable, but everyone parties together and rather than being cliquey, the clique here is basically just college of charleston students, because it seems like we all just band together for the one reason why we're here, and we all just connect because everyone here ends up falling in love with living in charleston.

There are 65{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} girls and 35{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} guys. This though is not that noticable. Most students are upper middle class and beyond. Students come from all over so no one feels out of place. Also there are kids from small towns to kids coming from boarding schools, so there is a place for everyone.

I live off campus so I'm not totally involved with the student body.

C of C has an awesome student body. Different types of students sometimes interact with each other. I guess that it all depends on the individual and the people he or she meets. Students could be more involved with the Student Government Association.

Very minimal amount of minorities on campus. From a male point of view, it is close to heaven; the women are beautiful and slightly reserved, its not a free buffet.

The majority of students are middle to upper class Caucasian. There is a high population of students from South Carolina. Other popular states are Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, and Georgia, in addition, I have met students from most states throughout our country. I think whatever your style or preferences are you can find a niche of friends to fit you. When students to go to class their clothes vary. In the morning you may see one person in their sweatpants and sweatshirt or you might see a person with ironed shirt, done up hair, and perfect makeup. Its common to see flipflops on in the warm weather and uggs in the winter. Many of the girls wear designer jeans. If its cold most students will wear a fleece because it never gets cold enough to need a heavy jacket. I would recommend keeping an umbrella with you in the fall because it could look beautiful when you walk to class and then be down pouring when you leave. Students come from all different types of backgrounds. Some students are VERY rich and some students are paying for their education on their own. Since CofC is located in the city there are tons of jobs available for students to apply for (food and bev/babysitting/retail).

A little bit to the left, but makes it fun if your a republican. If your a democrat, your in good company here too.

CofC has a rather liberal student body and are extremely open. I would say it is a good balance between all opinions and I truly cannot peg the students as generally believing a certain way. There is a very unique style and ideology among the students and an anything-goes sort of acceptance--very inviting.

There are many different types of students at CofC. The good thing about college is that you can be yourself and not be judged. In the morning, most students wear their pajamas to class, and during the day they wear comfortable pants and shirts while they attend classes. Soffe shorts are very popular. Many students hang out with people who share the same interests as them. A student who is quiet and keeps to themselves may not enjoy CofC's atmosphere. It is a social college in the middle if a city where most students go out to meet other people. A quieter college campus might be better for someone with that kind of personality. My former suitemate fit this kind of personality and is now transferring to a different college because she did not fit in with the atmosphere CofC offered. As far as experiences with race, religion, LGBT, and other groups. I found no problems with discrimination. I feel that CofC students are accepting of others with a different lifestyle than their own.

not really. Sometimes they try stuff, i just never fell into the scene.Most of the students all come from very well to due backgrounds, so if your poor its hard as can be to afford school because the only thing they really offer is student loans and limited grants.