College of Charleston Top Questions

Charleston is the perfect school, in my opinion. The classes are just the right size, about 20-30 kids for most of them with a few having about 50 or 60 and then a few lectures of about 100 students or so. The campus is small and compact, which makes it easier to go to classes because they aren't as far apart. Everyone that hears I go to the College of Charleston is really jealous, mainly because the city is so gorgeous and there is so much to do there. The school spirit isn't too high, probably because there isn't a football team, but the basketball games are a lot of fun when you go with friends to do something different.

If you want to party, your in the right place. But if thats all you want to do, don't waist 25k of your's or your parents money. Its a great school, beautiful campus, very diverse population, and generaly a great community. No matter what your view or lifestyle, you can find like-minded people. Being settled in the middle of downtown give you a good city vibe, but the small town nature of the south is very apparent, in that everybody seems to know everybody. Its a unique atmosphere to say the least.

The best thing for me about the College are the facilities. The campus is very technology oriented and over the last 2-3 years, almost every building has gone through a major renovatino of some kind in addition to several new facilities. The professors are high quality and I have never been taught by a TA. The library is absolutely amazing...it has been one of the best study tools anyone could ever ask for. The College also has some excellent activity facilities such as a new student center with arcade, gym, indoor pool, ect. and an awesome new basketball stadium complete with raquetball courts, basketball courts, ect. I love the history of the College. The school was founded in 1770 and tradition is a large part of the college experience. The student body has a very strong sense of school pride. This can be seen at the home basketball, baseball, tennis, and soccer games. The location of the school is also very convienient. No car is needed as every ammenity (except the beach) is within walking distance of the College. The only things the students complain of is how tough some professors are due to the high academic quality of the College.

C of C is a definite college town. The nightlife is amazing, and the campus is close together, so if you have a number of consecutive classes, it is very easy to get to all of them.

Great size, Cougar spirit is not very strong, everyone loves Charleston, lots of construction on campus where school is improving a lot, liberal arts staff is being replaced by newer and younger staff in non-liberal arts departments, everyone is super polite and faculty and staff are super accessible

CofC is a college that blends in perfectly with a historic city. It's located in downtown Charleston and you get to see the history and feel the ocean breeze walking to class everyday. Also, it's a small campus with the feel of a large campus. Our campus is only about two blocks by four blocks, however you see so many people going to class that it has the feel of a campus like Clemson or USC.

Charleston is a great city. The library is nice.

its in downtown charleston

I love CofC! Its a mid size school with a lot to offer! You've got the beach, boating days out on the water, and part-time jobs available all right near campus. Charleston is also a huge tourist town, so I never feel like I see only college kids. I see visitors, families, and workers the minute I step off campus. During the school year, I spend a lot of my time on King Street for lunch, running by the Battery, and studying at our awesome library. Sounds nerdy, but our library is amazing. A lot of students go there to work on projects and use the up to date technology resources.

While the undergrad program as over 9,000 students, it feels like a close-knit school. The layout of the campus really helps, because it's only three city blocks by three. Also, Charleston is one of the greatest cities in America, so it's highly difficult not to fall in love with the area. You're in the big city, but it's quaint and charming at the same time. There's a CVS that was just built on campus, and EVERYTHING you need is in walking distance. King Street (shopping central) is one street over from campus. There are also two main grocery stores on the peninsula - Harris Teeter and Piggly Wiggly. Finding a job is not difficult. Between or after classes, I often walked to the historic battery. Even though the walk to and from my dorm was 4 miles, it did not seem that long at all with the gorgeous views. I haven't had a really bad experience with a professor yet - they're all wonderful and want you to do well.

Currently, the school has an enrollment of probably 12,000 students. Compared to large Universities, the school itself is small and probably covers 25 square blocks. (Could be larger though). You can walk to practically every class if you don't mind the exercise- most people do walk to all classes. Most frequent complaints- PARKING. I would recommend taking classes at unusual times (early morning or late afternoon) if you don't buy a parking pass. I think the problem is that the school keeps expanding but they don't allot for all the extra parking required. I heard that this school year approaching (08-09) the school actually accepted 3000 more students than it was supposed to. Probably true. I don't want to scare you though, CofC is a wonderful school altogether. I guess anywhere you go, parking will be a pain. The best thing about CofC though is definately the location. Located on the peninsula, you are surrounded by wonderful views of the harbor, excellent landscaping and exquisite historical homes (tons of them). You are also very close to the beach. Of course there is school pride, however I don't really know anyone who frequented any sporting events. I will always remember my professors. I think the school does a wonderful job on hiring the professors. Very knowlegeable and very friendly. My advise- seemed liked programs were always changing and no one ever knew the answers to Q's about the program (atleast the education programs). I received plenty of wrong info during my studies, so I suggest you ask more than one person when you need assistance.

The school size is just right. I like being in the city of Charleston. There needs to be more school spirit on campus.

The best thing about C of C is that it is a medium-sized school without feeling overwhelming. The classes are small and the professors are extremely personable. My favorite part of C of C is living in Charleston- a small city where there is tons to do without being overwhelming.

C of C is a big school with small school philosophy. Teachers are generally top in their field, and if they see someone really trying, and strugeling, they will work with him/her to insure success.

Beautiful campus, great atmosphere, fun, awesome people.

I love that our campus is right in the middle of town. It is very close to everything such as shopping, beaches, and great restaurants. I feel the school is not too big or small. When I tell people that I go to CofC people seem to be jealous because we have so many fun things to do and such a beautiful city. The biggest controversy on campus recently was with the Student Government Association about the new presedential election. The school pride at CofC is not like many larger colleges because we do not have a football team but with the new arena being built I think that the school pride with definatley increase within the next few years.

The best thing about CofC....Health and Human Performance Major! One thing I would change is the visitation policies of the dorms. In some cases they were way too extreme, while in others they were way too relaxed. There's got to be a happy median! Most of my time on campus was spent in Silcox/Kresse Arena. Most of my classes were in those buildings, and during my spare time I would shoot hoops! The administration at C of C is very informative. Things don't occur usually without plenty of notification in advance. Recent controversy was an incident in Kelly house dorm in which the Residence hall director blatently disagreed with other cultures and promoted his one-sided views to the residents. It was immediately nipped in the bud. CofC handled it within a two week period, which is extremely fast! School pride during basketball season is huge. Because we don't have a football team, its hard to really get into the school spirit. One experience I'll always remember is freshman orientation. It's a great way to meet people and make new friends before even walking on campus for classes. By the time I started my first day of class, I already knew tons of people. I was well prepared in knowing where I was going and how to get there. Most frequent student complaints usually consisted of the food choices on campus. Although there are great places to eat that the College provides, there are few options for those who like to eat healthy.

CofC is just the right size, the classes are a great size. The campus is my favorite thing about CofC. It is beautiful and in the middle of one of the most historical cities in the United States. I find that there is not enough school pride at CofC because we do not have a Football team, but I am comparing it to Clemson where I went before CofC. I would push anyone considering CofC to definitely come here. I have never been happier and am sad to leave this place.

College of Charleston is the absolute perfect size. A lot of people don't realize it, but we are actually a small university, not a college. One of the best things is that professors are paid to teach undergraduates not to bring in grant money. There is research being done on campus, but the primary focus of the professors is teaching great undergraduate courses. The city of Charleston itself is also the perfect size and place to go to school. It's all urban, but you can walk anywhere in town.

CofC is the perfect size. It's a school where you walk around and don't know everyone, but typically if you know someone, they also know someone else you know... so many people are connected. The professors are really great... understanding and great educators. The teacher/student ratio is really good to, as classes are rarely over 30... some times you may have intro science lectures with 100 but in general the sizes are perfect. The location of the school is amazing because it's not only in beautiful city, but it is right in the middle of a beautiful city... a block from King street and a 15 minute walk to the Battery! School spirit isn't that great... probably because we don't have a football team, but the gym does fill up for basketball games. Best advice to meet the people you want to meet... get involved. Join something, there are over 100 clubs and organizations on campus that fit a variety of people. There aren't a lot of student complaints... most people love it!

The best thing about CofC is Charleston! The city is a wonderful place to live, with something old and beautiful everywhere you look. It's great that CofC is located right downtown with restaurants and shopping just a couple blocks away. The only downside about a campus in the middle of a city is that the students are not very unified. There's no football team to ignite school spirit and there's really no central place that all the students go to hang out. Everyone just does there own thing, which makes it difficult to meet people.

I went on a tour of the schools I was interested in on the east coast the summer of my sophomre year; my top choice was UNC-Chapel Hill. I was determined to get in there; however, my mom said that she had heard about a school in South Carolina with a really strong marine biology program, so we decided to make a detour on our trip to visit the College of Charleston. When we showed up in Charleston I was immediatley amazed by the beauty of the city. I was really excited when I found out that the beautiful historic buildings were part of the college campus. I could tell right away that this was the place I wanted to live for at least 4 years of my life. My mom and i decided to stay for the whole day and skip a different college on my list, and take a campus tour. The information I recieved on the tour only confirmed my sudden urge to attend this college. I was worried that I might not get in, being an out of state student the selectivity of the school was that much greater, but I worked really hard in my last two years of school so that my trascript could look as slick as posible. I took challenging courses, and even thought I didn't get an A in the class, I believe the admissions commitee saw my attempt at hard work. So as you can see I got in, and I really enjoyed my freshan year. I am happy and proud to say that I'm a cougar.

The best thing about Charleston is by far the location. It is extremely close to the beach, and close to lots of nightlife, which the students defiantly take advantage of. I believe that the school is the perfect size. Charleston is defiantly a College town. The surronding downtown area is mostly students who rent out houses. Most people tend to do there own thing, so I dont really know of any huge controversy's that have taken place.

There's a really good variety of students and just enough people so you'll see people you recognize and people you've never seen before every day. Charleston is a really historic city and it's not really built around CofC but it's grown with it for the past 200+ years. There are plenty of college student restaurants and bars but big city shopping too. College of Charleston is totally unique, you won't find any other college like it.

One thing I would change about C of C would be the time in between classes. Ten minutes is not enough time to walk from the J.C. Long Building to the Bellsouth building especially if you have to stop at the crosswalk on Calhoun St. Also, the parking situation sucks! $400+ to park per semester is rediculous. As far as the school size goes, I think it just right. Not too small, but not too large either. I spend most of my time at the Addlestone Library (both inside and outside) because of the cheap coffee (cheaper than Starbucks anyways) and the gorgeous view (both in terms of the women and the scenery). C of C's administration is top notch. They'll pretty much do thier best to help you if they can and the situation warrants it. School pride is non-existent I think. Maybe it is because we don't have a very large sports program and the fact that we don't have a football team might be a part of that. I just don't feel that same pride as say the USC students do. I'll always remember the women at the College of Charleston. Most of them are very sophisticated, educated, but have this wild side that comes with being a college student. I realize that not every female student at the college likes to go out for a night on the town, and that's not really what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the wild side that makes us follow our dreams, to not give up, and reach those goals we set for ourselves. But, the girls at the bars downtown are really wild!

The school is just right, it allows the teachers to know who you are and what you are capable of doing. This also allows them to better evaluate your work and help you in whatever way you need help. Its much easier for one on one assistance. You can spend your free time enjoying diverse entertainment on campus, beach scene, Night life, and cultural experiences.

I love the liberal arts environment of our school. Both the school and the community have great arts programs, and though we're certainly not a big city, if you're coming from a smaller town, it's a nice change. On a more superficial note, I love the College because of how beautiful it is; just walking to class every morning, you're surrounded by oaks, Spanish moss, and century-old architecture. Even the newer buildings are aesthetically pleasing.

i love the size! its perfect, every professor i've ever had has learned my name and felt it a priority to include every student in the class. charleston is super touristy, but its a college town at heart. people and businesses all over town are vey accepting of that and are constantly thinking of ways the college students can become more involved in the community.

I absolutely love the College of Charleston. Being from the Charletson area, I frequently walked past the campus and the several buildings spread throughout the downtown Charletson area. I like that everything on campus is within walking distance. This is not only good for getting from one class to another quickly but also because parking is so limited. The parking situation is the biggest complaint I have and that I have heard form others. Free weekend parking lots like K lot have been taken away to build new classrooms and have either not been replaced or have been replaced by parking garages that require money (sometimes a lot of it) to park there. Parking in the entire downtown area, whether on or off campus, is extremely expensive and unfortunately so are parking tickets from the college's public safety ($20+ for one violation). Other than this I have never found any problems with the college. The faculty and staff are great and always willing to help. The librarians at the state of the art Addlestone library are extremely helpful and easy to get in contact with through telephone, email, instant messenger, or in person.

CofC is the perfect school for me. 10,000 kids means you definately see a lot of the same people around which is a great and easy way for starting up conversation at a party or something, yet its big enough that you are constantly meeting new people. The only thing that I think CofC lacks is a lot of school spirit for our sports teams. I think it has a lot to do with the lack of a football team, but our basketball teamis great, and we're getting a new arena this year. When I tell people that I go to the College of Charleston, they either have never heard of it, or they tell me how much they love the city, but no nothing about the school. It doesn't get much publicity up in Ohio yet. I go to Marion Square probably every day that it's nice out. There are always tons of kids there throwin the frisbee or football and trippin over the unending amount of girls laying out there. The city of Charleston kicks ass. It's so much fun.

C of C is a great school for those who want to have a decently sized range of people, but still maintain an academic focus with smaller classrooms. You'll get the occasional 100 person or more class, but its few and far between. C of C is incredibly involved in the city of Charleston too, and you can get to just about anywhere in the city with only about an hour of walking or biking. C of C also offers a great blend of natural scenery and city life, with history, culture, and other things thrown in.

I love CofC. It's close to my home and there is always something to do! We are in the middle of historic downtown Charleston and there is tons of shopping. We are also close to the beach which is fun to go to after you're done with your classes. Our classes are generally small which is great because you get a personal relationship with your teacher. Also, our graduation tradition is the best.

The best thing about the school is its proximity to the beaches. The worst thing is probably the safety. Right now the city of charleston is having a tough time catching suspects in a recent case of serial break-ins/robberies/sexual assaults. The nightlife consists of house parties for the first few weeks of school until everyone gets noise complaints due to living in a city surrounded by families and noise ordinances. Afterwards many students visit the college bar scene. The school pride is pretty pathetic, some people will go to the basketball games but other than that, theres no real school spirit. That doesn't really harm the school though due to its location. The administration is good, Dr. George Benson (president) will prove to be a great hire in the years to come. Its unfortunate that there's a lack of a football team because it discourages school spirit and unity amoung the students. Many people from the north and western parts of the country are unfamiliar with C of C and are turned off because it is called a college in its title. I will always remember the Silver Dollar Bar, a legendary bar with great crouds no matter what day of the week.

A perfect size school, where you can avoid someone but at the same time it is not hard to find someone when you are looking for them. If you are looking for a college town, Charleston is not it - CofC is a campus in the middle of a busy city. The campus is a hard to define area in the city, so most of your time spent on campus is in class or the library, not just to hang out. School pride is not big at CofC, when the basketball team is doing well - the games will be sold out. We lack a football team, so students are not looking forward to game day but looking forward until they can go to the beach.

I really like the size of C of C. Its not claustrophobic but you can walk down the street and see a bunch of people you know. People are usually impressed that I go to a good school especially that is so far away from my home. Charleston is totally a college city, but not a college town. There are tons of things to do outside the school that are all fun for college kids. The administration at C of C is poor, especially the dean of students, definitely unqualified. Not a ton of school pride either. Besides basketball, people usually do there own thing. The RA's are on a power trip.

Perfect size, no football. Amazing options for nightlife all in walking distance. Not a whole lot of school pride, besides among alumni.

the best thing about c of c is the laidback atmosphere fueled by a ever changing surrounding metropolis. the city is hectic and there are always tourists but i doesnt influence campus life. it generally quiet and theres plenty of space to go chill on your own but also plenty of fun stuff to do if you want adventure and the outrageous. the only downside of going to c of c id the reaction people give, such as that nod and look of "ok she a party girl/slut/beach bum/smart." what a combination. people also think that being a girl down here means your dating a guy from the citadel, but honestly there not that great. in short cofc is definatly a college town catering to the students, the local shops and resturants give discounts to c of c students and its a general friendly atmosphere down town, except at night, dont wander by your self at night, bad idea.

The school size is just right! Charleston is definitely a college town and I love it. Best thing about CofC is it's convenient location next to the beach and other large bodies of water. One thing I'd change is to remove Greek life. People's reaction is neutral when I tell themI go to CofC, and most people that live outside of the South have no clue about it.

The campus is awesome. It is conveniently located right in the heart of downtown and you can walk everywhere. It is also very historic. The size of both the campus and student body seem to fit together. There were never any places that seemed overcrowded.

College of Charleston is great because it's located in a great town. The college is mostly female, so it's great for guys, but not-so-great for girls. The school is pretty varied. There are a lot of fraternities and sororities, but it's not a problem to go independent. There's a surprisingly large 'hippie' population. Everyone just seems to get along. Charleston is a really big 'small town'. It's the perfect size and it's easily walkable. There's plenty to see. The only problem is that there are a lot of tourists, especially during the Spoleto Festival. If you live above Calhoun or near Pitt and Bull Streets, you won't see too many of them, though.

The best thing about CofC is the campus and the professors. The size of the school is pretty much perfect. You see people every day that are the same people. You don't feel like just a number because of the intimacy of the campus. Professors are amazing as well. They make you feel welcome and try to get to know you instead of just what your name is and whether or not your test scores are perfect to reflect them. I spent most of my time on campus in class or working with groups that I was involved with. The one thing I wish would have changed at CofC while I was there as the lack of school spirit. I am guilty of this myself but I wish there was something like school spirit so EVERYONE feels loyals to the college.

The school is fine, but my main complaint would have to be that the administration tries to control too much. I understand that this is a safety precaution but it gets annoying. The city of Charleston is not a college city, its a city for tourists and old people (who are a lot of the time resentful of the students). Moreover, it is my understanding that the CofC police have the same or more authority than the actual Charleston police (i.e. they can break up parties, enter homes with reasonable doubt and write up tickets. The worst part about this is that they inform the school who then takes disciplinary action. Another example of this is evident in the Greek life. the houses are owened and maintained by the school, not the individual fraternity so they school can basically regulate anything that goes on in these houses. For example if there is a party and the Public Safety happens to come (which they can do on any ground/basis because they work for the school who owns the property) they can write up any underage party goer who is drinking. Again, then you get in trouble with the school and have to do some rediculous sanction when all you were doing was drinking (yes although illegal a most common pastime of college students, especially in fraternities). I think that people should not have to walk on egg shells because they are going to get in trouble with the school.

Overall, C of C is a great school. They is such a diversity of people. The professors really seem to care about your future. I think that the college is just the right size for our area. The students who attend C of C are definitely proud to be Cougars! The downtown college area is a beautiful place. I don't spend a lot of time at school outside of class, because I live off campus, but I like the Cistern best. There are always lots of people just laying out, napping or studying. Even with lots of people, the Cistern is quiet.

I love Charleston, the beach, how close we are to downtown (a block away). I love the history of Charleston and the campus is gorgeous. We get the rep that we're so laid-back because it's true. CofC loves to party, and that's awesome but sometimes, it gets annoying because the town starts to feel like a Southern white baptist bubble that can suffocate anyone who choses to not be a part of it. I wish we had a football team.

The coolest thing is that the college is right in the heart of an amazing city. There are several beaches that are 15 to 25 minutes away by car. The school is the perfect size because you will always see people you know but you can also always meet new people too.

Honestly, being at CofC has been one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. So far it has been three years of the most stimulating academic, social, and cultural exposure I could have hoped for from college. The school doesn't really rally around sports like other universities seem to do. But students tend to be fond of Charleston itself, which is truly a marvelous place to live - it's charming yet has an entertaining nightlife, wonderful restaurants, beaches are near, and the local flavor is fantastic.

Whenever I tell people that I go to C of C they always gush about how much they LOOOVE Charleston. I came here knowing literally one person, and in no time had so many great new friends! The campus is amazing, the city is enchanting, and you can't beat the beaches!

Good size. Great Town. Couldn't ask for more. However...I think admission is way to high. Faculty is usually pretty good but is frequently hit or miss.

The College of Charleston campus is beautiful. The campus shaded by large oak trees covered in spanish moss. The campus is located in the heart of historical downtown Charleston and preserves much of this heritage by housing offices in many historic buildings typical of the Charleston architecture. The school campus is not segregated from the community, but is integrated with the city. On any given day you will see a carriage tour riding through the heart of the campus to see the famous Cistern, which some of the movie "The Patriot" was filmed.

The best thing about cofc is the location in downtown charleston and it's close proximity to the beach. One thing that i would change is to add more majors, and to extend the art program. The school is a little bit small and the overwhelming majority of girls makes it a little bit difficult. When i tell people i go to cofc they usually congratulate me and then ask me about charleston. I spend most of my time on campus at class or in liberty because i live about a mile off campus. I wouldn't say it's a college town because it's in the middle of the city however, it can seem that the students take over downtown sometimes. CofC's administration seems to be just fine. I don't really know what the recent biggest controversy on campus was. There is not a lot of school pride at all from what i see, i think that a football team would be the most helpful thing to encourage school pride. I don't think there's really anything unusual about the school... The most frequent student complaints are the extremely irritating attendance policy. If i am passing the class then i shouldn't be forced to go. I am smart enough to know that i need to go to class to pass it, i don't need someone forcing me to go it's extremely juvenile. And i should be able to consciously make a decision not to go to class without having to worry about it all the time. Or to be able to accidentally oversleep one day without worrying about being dropped from a class.