College of Charleston Top Questions

There are tons of clubs and teams at C of C. There is no football team, which can deter some people, but students get pretty excited about basketball season. Charleston is known as a party school, and I'd say that is pretty accurate. Not everyone parties all the time, mind you, but you can always find a party if you want to.

Sororities and Fraternities are popular, but they are only something like 12{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, so you definitely don't have to be in one to make friends. The religious clubs are popular as well as the intramural athletic clubs. I'm on the Crew team, which is a blast. It's such a unique sport that a lot of people don't know about and it helps keep those pounds off in college! I was in Buist Dorms last year, where everyone leaves there doors open and every one got a long really well and knew everyone... however... I've heard that that is really the only dorm that does that. Unfortunately I've heard that Berry, especially, has it's share of unfriendly girls. McAllister is pretty social though. Some people party 7 days a week. There's a fair share that only party on the weekends, and there's also a fair amount that don't party at all. If I was awake at 2am on a Tuesday though, I'd be in the library... otherwise there woudl be no reason for me to be up and I would be in bed! Off campus, you can see movies and go shopping in Mt. Pleasant. There's a few bowling alleys in town as well. I've spent many night with my friends walking around town, to the battery, or watching a movie, or playing charades... etc. There's so much to do! and the city has some things every once in a while as well... like around christmas time.

Greek life is a very big party of campus so it is somewhat difficult to meet people if you are not involved with that. In Berry, the freshman girls dorm that was converted from a hotel, the doors of the suites are so spread out that noone hardly even knows there neighbors and noone ever left their doors open for people to introduce themselves like you would find in most college dorms. Upperclassmen dorms are the same way. There are a lot of activities that are planned for students for free, like once a week there is an ice skating night out in North Charleston, and there are also midnight bowling nights and new movies in the auditorium.

The first week of my freshman year there was this casino night that CAB (student activities group) put on, and of course when I was moving in my parents saw the flyers for it and told me I should go. Im an out of state student so I didn't know anybody and couldn't think of a more torturous or loser like thing to do than go to a game night (games usually require more than one person) by myself. When Friday night rolled around and I was sitting in my room all unpacked and nothing left to do, I thought "why not? If I don't know anybody, there are probably other people who don't know anybody." So i convinced myself to go. I was walking on my way there, standing on the corner of St. Phillips and Calhoun St, waiting for the lights to change when a girl standing next to me introduced herself and her roomate. They both lived in the same dorm as me and were also going to the casino night. When we got there we realized that we didn't know any of the card games they were playing so we sat down at our own table and started playing go-fish (mush less complicated than poker). Eventually other girls who didn't know how to play the casino games joined in on our go-fish. At the end of the night they had an auction where we got to bid on things with the chips we won and since none of us had one any chips we joined our starting chips together to try and bid on something. So there we were 6 girls, all from different places, already acting like life-long friends. It turned out that 2 of those girls have ended up being my best friends, and we do almost everything together. I really recomend stepping out of your comfort zone while at college and do things you never would have done otherwise, no matter how foolish they may seem. It may seem ridiculous to go swimming in a fountain with 2 guys you've never met before, but as i know from personal experience, those 2 guys can turn out to be a handful of fun (even if they are in the Navy).

Sororities and Frats are defiantly huge at Charleston. Sports events, that take place in the downtown area are also pretty fun to goto, and usually they will get a big crowd. I play for the soccer team, and our practice is out in Mount Pleasant, along with our games, and it is hard for people to get to, so we dont get as many people coming out to see us play. If your a guy at Charleston you defiantly love your life when it comes to girls. There are so many gorgeous women at Charleston that it is not hard for a guy to find one. I met my closest friends through soccer and my dorm. Charleston doesnt have its party reputation for just some silly reason. Even if it is a sunday or monday night, you can still count on people going to the bars and having a great time.

I met my closest friends in my dorm, my roommate and my next-door neighbor. I lived in Buist which is hall-style, and everyone left their doors open all the time. Sororities and fraternities are around, but besides Rush season, they don't really dominate the campus. There are some people who party 24/7 but the average CofC student's weekend goes from Thursday to Sunday.

The basketball team is pretty popular on campus (especially since we'll have a new arena for next season). The dating scene is great! A guy (like me) can (or has) choose any type of female companionship of different color, shape, background, or major. I especially love the guy to girl ratio at the college. Frats and Sororities are not that important.... Saturday nights can be filled with dancing, a historic tour, the beach, shopping, dining, a movie in Marion Square, or just a pleasant walk in Waterfront Park. I love downtown. I live off campus.

As with academics, you can really choose how much or how little you want to do here. I have friends who have never joined a club at all, and others who do nothing else. We have a lot of great stuff to choose from; sports (but no football), Greek life, activist groups, etc. The dating scene is TERRIBLE; our male/female ratio is overwhelming female.

greek life is really popular here. go greek!!

Being form South Carolina, everyone knows when someone is a Clemson fan because the main color in their wardrobe is orange. When it comes to CofC pride it just not that intense. We do not have a football team, so the school pride experienced through tailgating is simply not there. The basketball games are popular and the school even provides busing to away games. There is a "sorority row" and "fraternity way" that take up two streets that are also populated by campus housing, classrooms and off campus housing. During "derby days", a popular sorority event it can get a little loud on campus but nothing too bad at all.

Most kids seem to go to parties first semester and then people tend to hit the bars second semester (people seem to turn 21 second semester...) but there are always parties around that are a good time. The food is incredible. We just got a brand new cafeteria known by most as Liberty. Its a buffet style with tons of options; theres a grill for burgers, chicken, etc, a pasta station, a mongolian barbeque, some home cookin, a salad and sandwich section, and the desert area. The beaches are another great aspect. Folly is where most kids go to hangout and surf, but Sullivans Island is tight too with big tide pools that you can dive an flip into. We ride our bikes to Sullivans (about 30-45 minutes away) over the big bridge, but you need a car for Folly (10 minutes by car.) The dorms are really nice. I lived in Mcalister and loved it. You share your room with one other person, then ahve a common area to share with two others. You share a bathroom with only one kid and there is just a ton of living space. Not to mention you get a full sized fridge, microwave, and counters/sink. The most frequent student complaints are about going home. Guest speakers are awesome, tey also usually have food accompanying them so not only do you learn some interesting some times random stuff, but you also meet other like minded kids and eat some delectible treats. The kids I roomed with and lived down the hall from became my closest friends. If you are awake on a Tuesday at 2 am youre either hammered or studying.

Charleston in itself is a great city of partying. Sometimes too much partying. I'm not really much of a party goer myself, but that being said the environment is there and prevalent. Drinking is really common and smoking too. Both kinds of smoking. And Hooka. Plenty of great restaurants too.

Popular groups on campus include residence life, Cougar Activity Board, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Intervarsity, and Student Government Association. I am involved in BCM and we do a lot of different things together. We have a small group study every Wednesday and often plan fun events to do throughout the week or weekend, like shagging. The only popular athletic events we really have are basketball and baseball. In the dorms, some people leave their doors open but I prefer to have mine closed because it can get loud. Sororities and fraternities seem important on campus but a lot of people personally believe that those members are just buying their friends. Usually CAB sponsors activities on Friday nights that are totally free including bowling, playing card games, movie nights and things like that that don't involve any drinking and supply free food. Off campus there are tons of clubs to go to and plenty of eating and shopping to do. Often, my friends and I like to go to starbucks or Kudu coffee to hang out for a while.

Basketball is most popular. Dorms lock automatically. Nobody goes to sports other than basketball. Only the people who take theater classes go to the plays for the most part (you're required). Lot's of drugs and drinking. Fraternity and sororitys are not a major part but the entire greek life bands together against the liberal arts group. Also there are a lot of surfers who enjoy surfing at Folly beach. the city environment provides for many social opportunities.

Theat in the dorms is rare, all the dorms are not open for public access, their is always an R.A or security officer checking people into the dorms. My freshman year, we left our dorm unlooked 24/7 and never had anyone steal out of our suite. I met my closest friends through living in the dorms freshman year and through greek life. CofC students know that you have to work hard to play hard, the library will be busy until 10pm then the students head out to King Street to the bars. If you are looking for something to do, there is always something going on no matter what day of the week it is. Carolina Cup is a yearly event in Camden, SC that students get excited for and take buses to the races. Greek life is not a huge part of CofC but the students who are involved are active in almost every other organizations on campus (they hold 85{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student positions on campus).

The most popular groups are the basketball team, sailing, CAB (Cougar Activities Board), and then perhaps the radio and newspaper clubs and SGA. Theater is also pretty popular and there are a lot of student plays. The dating scene is black and white, there are people that are in long term serious relationships, and then everyone else just hooks up. Most boys wouldn't ask a girl on a "date" but rather, invite her to a party. I met my closet friends from my dorm room and friends dorm rooms, also work. If I'm awake on 2am on a Tuesday and there had been no sports on, I am probably chatting with my roommate. Traditions are few, but Cougarpalooza at the end of the year was really fun.

Amazing nightlife, can't get any better. Over 50 bars to choose from at least.

Sports and athletic events are not very big/popular on campus. There is no football team so that limits the level of school pride and how far people are willing to go to support sports teams, etc. People with flexible schedules tend to party thursday to saturday. Greek life is not that important. There are plenty of things to do on the weekends that do not involve drinking. In fact, there are groups such as BCM that plan events that are fun without alcohol.

Most everyone lives in a dorm freshman year. College Lodge was a lot of fun for me. It's pretty run down, a little sketchy, but I made a lot of friends there pretty quickly. The basketball team is popular, and the best sports are probably sailing and equestrian. I met my closest friends through each other. You hang out with one person, and then you have 20 new friends. Most common weekend occurance? Happy hour, dinner, bars, a house party...? There are still a lot of things to do besides drinking... bowling, movies, just taking a walk around the city.

The one thing that is extremely popular on campus is Greek Life. It is an amazing experience being in a sorority. You learn about the many different types of people and you get to do amazing things. The dorms are pretty good at CofC. People make friends they still have now living in dorms and I would reccomend that if at all possible, everyone should live in the dorms at least once. We do live in the city so there are stricter rules about safety, etc., in the dorms but the community experience is amazing. I worked for Res Life for four years and I know they can be tough but the things they implement is for the greater good. Your RA's can become your friends or your enemies but they are still looking out for you, regardless. But, eventually, you should move off campus because once you experience life off campus it is an amazing thing. At 2 AM on a Tuesday night, you can find that many people are awake. My sophmore year, when I was an RA, I found that staying up all night studying, hanging out, making mischief was a prime thing to do at 2 AM. I love being awake then because people are truly people when you are hanging out in the hallway talking for hours!

The greek system although not very popular with the school (ten percent) is my main form of social interaction. I do like a lot of people not involved however you don't see them as much. Its a lot more convenient to be involved with my frat. Ussually we go to a house party until public safety breaks it up and gives all the underage kids tickets and ruins their smester. Then we go to bars on King St. ot the Market and the underage kids that didn't get caught there get their ID's taken away. I like guest speakers but noone else seems to and I also have only been to one sporting event and it really wasn't fun (it was a basketball game).

Social life = amazing if you drink. If you don't, chances are you aren't going to meet anyone. Greek life is huge here, and they've been workin on college-wide events that don't include drinking. There's always the beach, bowling, movies, shopping, other ways to meet people. Clubs are a great way to meet people, especially since a lot of clubs have social events.

There are a lot of parties on campus that students have. The school does host activities as well.

Fraternities and sororities are a part of CofC, but they are not a dominating feature of the social life here. Attending but not overbearing - they throw parties, but the frat/ sorority parties are not the only thing to do in Charleston. The stereotypical college house party, complete with kegs and beer pong, is part of the CofC social scene, but there is the entire city of Charleston to have as well. The bars, clubs, restaurants, and market afford some great nights out on the town. Guest speakers and theater actually have a large turn out from the student body, especially since the College does manages to bring in some incredible speakers.

IF YOU GET BORED, YOU'RE TRYING TO BE

Lots of girls. Parties going on all the time, and unfortunately the frats suck up a lot of the extra girls from non-frat guys. On Saturday night you could wander down to one of the cities many parks.

I'm in a sorority and it provides me with many social opportunities. Athletic events are not very popular from what i can see, basketball is probably most popular. if we had a football team it would probably help. Guest speakers and theatre events seem to be very popular. the dating scene is difficult because of the ratio of boys to girls. i met my closest friends through rushing. if i were awake at 2 am on tuesday i would be studying or watching tv. Different people party different levels, all the way from drunk every night to no partying at all.

Many people stay up late in dorms or houses of friends. Many people walk around the city. The key is walking. You dont need to drive from houses to a bar because everything is so close which makes it safer for those who choose to drink.

Honestly, I didn't live on campus and didn't participate in a lot of extracurricular activities provided by the college so I dont think I can answer this question effectively.

This really depends. I met all of my closest friends either through other friends or in class. You don't have to go out every night of the week, but if you want to, there are always people going out. That really depends on people's class schedules.

Social life at the College of Charleston is very active. Many students are involved in Greek life, but many are not and both fraternize there is not a huge divide among Greeks and non-greeks. There are many bars in Charleston so many upper classmen can be found in the bars, some probably even seven nights a week, but most heavy going out nights are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Although clubs on campus do try to sponsor events, many of them are not as well attended as we would hope since the city does provide a wide array of nightlife. However, Greek life is usually successful at creating well attended events.

I'm not heavily involved in student activities, but there are alot of things to do outside of school. I'm not involved in a sorority, and know plenty of people who are not. At some schools, greek life is the only way to have a social life, but that's not the case here. While a lot of people rush, the rest of us still know how to have a good time. There are a lot of bars downtown, and if you're going to drink, everywhere is within a walking distance, so you don't need to worry about having a designated driver. There are some people who like to party almost every night, but most people only go out on weekends. If the party scene is not for you, the students activites board puts on a lot of events like movie nights, game nights, occasional concerts, etc. The main tradition at C of C is graduation. All the girls where white dresses and carry roses, while the guys where white dinner jackets. It's always on Mother's Day and outside on the cistern.

I think our sports teams are great and all of our greek life. As a part of greek life I feel like we get along as a whole far better than any other school I know. I also meet a lot of great people in my classes and its really nice getting to know them and having someone to study with. Its makes the late night a lot easier. Some people party every night of the week. I'm not sure how but I realize we obviously aren't taking the same classes. And really if anyone can figure out something to do on a Saturday night that is fun besides drink I would love to know. Because otherwise thats about all there is. Everything closes early. You go over someones house and the cops come by ten. Everyone goes to the bar and if your not 21 you go home early. Really early. Not cool.

For the most part I found that in my dorm last year ( Liberty Dorm) people were not too friendly around me and noone left their doors open. It was different in every dorm and every floor though, it just depends on your neighabors. Athletic events are not that popular. The dating scene is rough for girls and awesome for guys. Its 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female and 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} male, so guys have a lot to pick from, and there are a lot of beautiful girls and no so many attractive boys. I meet my closest friends through other friends and by being assigned to live together. You can party as little or as much as you want. The bar scene is kinda big and the house partys are painfully small. I suggest joining the greek life.

There is A LOT to do in Charleston. There is almost always something to do besides going to class. This gets a lot of kids in trouble, but once you learn how to balance play time with school time there's lots to do to keep you entertained. After freshman year a lot of people choose to live off campus, but there are still dorms for upperclassmen who choose to stay on campus. There's a lot of good restaurants walking distance from all the dorms. Bars are also in walking distance, a long with Marion Square, which is a fun place to hang out with friends, play Frisbee, football, soccer, whatever on a nice day. The party scene can get kind of repetitive if you choose to stay in your comfort zone and not branch out. There's a bunch of different kinds of clubs, bars, and house parties. Also there's the Music Farm which is a pretty popular venue for all kinds of music. This is also walking distance from the dorms. Frats and Sororities aren't that big of deal here, you can easily meet people in your dorms, classes, parties, bars, anywhere. Almost everything happens off campus. The Folly beach is about a 15min drive away, and you'll probably meet someone who has a house out there. Fun stuff, I'm a huge fan!

The greek life isnt humongous here, but its a big part of the social life. Thats good though, because if you're into the greek life (I'm personally not) there is always something fun to do, but if you dont want to constantly be around frat and sorority people, there is plenty of other stuff going on, always. Everyone is freinds, greek or not so its pretty balanced.

Cougar Activities Board, sororities, and fraternities do a lot on campus. You can always find something to do, even if you stay on campus for the weekend because of King Street. If you just want to kill time, there are eateries and the Stern Center has a pool, gym, movie rooms for reserve, and a cute little game room. Some students, however, choose to stay in their rooms. Many students don't lock their doors and it's really easy to get into Warren place. In the other dorms, people have to sign their guests in and out. I actually met my closest friends on campus because we all were a little non-traditional. We actually weren't Christians, but even we were so different from each other. We wanted to create group to help with the diversity problem, but not enough students were interested so it never went anywhere. As long as you find people to hang out with, talk to people in your classes, and make connections early on, you'll always have someone to hang out with and something to do. If not, there's always weekend trips to Columbia and in even rarer cases Charlotte and Atlanta.

I can definitely say that the Theatre department is one crazy bunch. You will never be bored at one of their parties! The department becomes a really tight knit group though. Everyone knows each other and it's great! The school holds some cool activities and then some really lame ones. I like going to see an occasional movie at the Physicians Auditorium for free! Their usually the good movies that they show before they come out on DVD. My opinion on going out and partying is that if you don't experience it, your college experience will be completely different. I think you'll miss out on a lot of fun. Even if you choose not to drink, just dressing up and making an appearance is really cool! You'll meet some really nice people and make a ton of new friends. Some of my best friends I've made were from going out and partying. Just be friendly with new people.. especially in the beginning of the year. Everyone is going to be new so everyone wants to meet new people.

habitat for humanity is pretty popular, i'm involved with the Psychology club which is active and interesting, the dating scene is not easy I'm not even sure what the scene is, I met my closest friends by living with them and through jobs, if I'm awake late at night i might be playing Guitar Hero, happy hour is pretty popular

Being a member of sorority or fraternity is not necessary to have fun at CofC, but it does help if you want to become involved in different things on campus. They're definitely one of the most popular organizations on campus. Not all dorms have the communal bathroom design (I think only Buist/Rivers does) so I think it's weirder to leave your doors open all the time, but it's worth it! Even though most of the dorms are suite style and you basically have built-in friends, it's nice to just meet random people to pop their heads in your door as they walk down the hall. This is great in upperclassmen dorms, because a lot of them are transfers and it's a great way to meet people and form good friendships with them (Kelly House dorm has a courtyard and it's perfect for making friends!). If you're the kind of person who goes home every weekend, just go to school at home. By leaving campus every Friday after class, you miss out on so much fun! It is my experience that most people here drink and go out every weekend to do that. But even if you don't drink, just staying in town and hanging out with new roommates or old friends is a lot of fun and helps you branch out and meet new people. Most people go to house parties or bars/clubs in downtown Charleston, pretty much nobody leaves the downtown area for weekend activities (except to go to the beach!)

Parties and concerts... political speakers and rallies... long days at the parks or the beach.

Greek life and bars conquer the school's social life. However, I do know some people that are involved in theater or music that have their own group of people.

I am not involved in any student organizations this semester because I have two jobs. I don't know about the dorm scene because I was a transfer student and I live off-campus. I met my closest friends in class. People party a fair amount, but not like at some schools because most of Charleston is rich people who call the cops when the parties get too loud. No one gets arrested, but they do make everyone go home. Most people go out to bars because of the amount of families living around campus. CofC isn't a huge frat or sorority school, but there are a few. Last weekend I went out to bars downtown. CofC is in the middle of downtown Charleston, so you can walk everywhere. I like to go to the beach and go to art functions with friends.

CofC has such a wide variety of activities and student organizations that it would be hard for anyone not to find one that they wouldn't be interested in checking out...however, if that does happen you can always start your own! Dating scene....Great!! Gay, straight...whatever goes. Any night of the week there will be a party or some outrageous event going on downtown...fashion week, beach parties, block parties, dock parties, open bar, Playboy parties, costume parties, trivia, etc. 24/7 you can go out and party at CofC if that is what you're going for. However, at the same time...you can hit the books hard on our campus especially at our super nice, top of the line, brand new library. Nevertheless, for those who don't drink - Charleston is PERFECT because there are always music festivals, art walks, awesome food festivals, plays, ballets, and sporting events going on.

I'm involved with cofc's presbyterian student association. Its not as large or popular as some of the other "religious" groups on campus such as Baptist Campus ministries, or Campus Outreach, but that is what I love about it. Its a nice homebase in the middle of all the crazieness and there is a lot of interpersonal interaction. There are always fun activities planned and we do a lot of things with the citadel group as well, so thats nice.

lots of parties, you can find whatever it is your looking for here if you just keep your eyes open

Some of the most popular events on campus are the sailing team, cru (rowing), campus outreach (christian group), frats and sororities, and there are tons of other ones. This campus is awesome because you can stay up until 2 at a party, talking with your roommates, walking down by the battery, in a bar, in a restaurant. There's tons of options because everything is so close. If you don't want to drink, lots of people go to the beach, go to see on campus theater productions, go to plays or lectures in libraries and things off campus, and more. Dating is difficult because there are not many boys and the girls that exist are prowling constantly. It is a little more competitive for girls so watch out (unless you like frat boys, they seem to be in excess here)

i would have to say the most prominent activites are greek organizations. other than that there is a TON of social life, mostly because of the town. most of the kids are fun-loving, outgoing kids. BARS BARS BARS!!! bars are everywhere. King street is as active at 1 AM as it is in mid day, and its all college kids. Once again, the town offers endless dating opprotunities. you could probably eat out every weekend for 4 years and still not kit up every resturant. in addition, carriage rides, walk by the battery- all deadly if your trying to spit some game with a lady friend.

Everyone is inviting. The social life here is more incredible than anywhere i have ever been. I literally get upset when i leave for the summer because school is so much fun. You can go out any night of the week and have plenty of friends who will go with ya... or you could save it for the weekend. Its nice to just have that option. There is a lot of drinking here, naturally. Probably a bit more than most but you can steer clear of it if you want to. The drug scene? A lot of people smoke pot. A very select few do coke, but i almost never hear about it. I know people who wont so much as take an advil so its not a big deal

If you join a fraternity or a sorority, then you are guaranteed never to be bored. They always have parties and mixers going on, even during the school week. The bars are fun and there's always plenty of people there to hang out with. There are lots of other things to do as well, they play free movies, midnight pancake dinners, intramual/club sports, and the beach is just 10 minutes away.