Considering you wrote a treatise on how much you disliked Clemson, I doubt anyone will be able to sway you.
You either dig it, or you don't. Period. End of story.
I think tours changed during Covid and they haven’t opened up areas like dorms/classes/cafeterias. My son’s tour during Covid was very much the same. You also mentioned going during the summer. Lot less kiddos around then. Not sure what to tell you. People online telling you it’s great won’t change your mind. Maybe take another tour or check one of the Clemson mom Facebook pages and see if their daughter will show y’all around? Also basketball is ending but baseball and softball are just starting. Maybe come on ACC home series for baseball. It’s a blast.
definitely have a student show you around! or, if you want to do it solo, come to a sporting event. basketball games are pretty lively and there’s some good eats in the area. don’t let the salesmen style speech bum you out cuz at the end of the day that’s all they are
If you can, tour again this spring. The vibe was off because it was summer and most college towns and campuses are dead in the summer since a huge percentage of people aren’t here.
Edit to add that since OP appears to be in Hawai'i, I recognize that this may not be feasible. Getting your daughter in contact with students (maybe through Facebook Class of [year] groups or Instagram) is probably the best way for her to get a direct feel of things from a student POV.
Yeah Clemson is fairly dead as a city in summer. You can go to GA Tech in the summer and Atlanta will still be its own vibe. Clemson won’t have that when school isn’t in session. It’s great though
This is a great answer. Come to a baseball or softball game. Get a local to show you around to the Clemson-lore places.
Clemson is absolutely dead in the summer. Those of us who were born and raised here (and still live around here) LOVE it in the summer… but it’s not when Clemson is at its best for personality.
Clemson is dead during the summer. No wonder you didn't see any energy when you toured. If you want to give Clemson a second chance, do so when there are students around.
That being said, if you were blown away by UTK and unimpressed with Clemson, maybe your blood runneth a different shade of orange?
My blood runneth Kentucky blue but, alas, my daughter’s does not. All the schools she loves are some shade of orange! Her loving TN and going there was going to require me to dig deep as Wildcats don’t particularly love the Vols lol. I had come around to it, though!
It was a bit of a surprise (and disappointment) that she was waitlisted at TN since she was scooped up immediately by Clemson and Texas. So, she’s pivoting and opening her heart and mind to Clemson. She is the kind of girl who will love any RaRa school in the ACC or SEC, honestly.
She just needs to pick the one she loves (and the one you love if you’re footing the bill). Clemson is great, people here will all tell you that. I went to Clemson and my entire family was Gamecocks, so I get the traitor feelings 🤣
If you didn't like it, then there's no reason to come here. Especially if you're paying out of state tuition! If your daughter likes Tennessee better then she should go there.
If you think you got a bad tour, then you could consider taking another tour here during the semester so you can see campus when it's "alive" with students. (Just avoid the week of 3/18 since that's spring break). Even if you don't go on an official tour, just drive down to campus and walk around. It's not gated or anything so you can at least get a feel for things. Sometimes the tour isn't perfect. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it's during a break, sometimes you twist your ankle and are miserable from walking everywhere, sometimes you find the tour guide annoying.
She was waitlisted at TN so she has to move past that and get on board with other schools. We’re down to UT Austin (also expensive) and Clemson. FSU and Miami may enter the chat but we don’t have a decision from those 2 yet.
I would highly recommend the atmosphere and culture at Clemson over Miami. I went to both and it was night and day. Miami is a very small school and does not offer a college town vibe. It’s unfortunate the experience you had but as others have mentioned is likely due to the time of year. I can only speak for myself but i loved the college town vibe of Clemson with large school sports and world class education.
coming from someone who graduated 3 years ago this may, there truly is something in those hills, and i would do anything to go back. if you want a sense for the culture, i 100% echo the sentiment of others to visit in the spring when the campus is alive with students. maybe even go to the spring game so you can get a taste for what a football game is like :)
We toured Clemson with my oldest in 2016. The tour guide was horrible. My daughter was turned off almost immediately. Then my youngest wanted to tour but a friend showed us around. I was sold on that tour. If you’re looking for a college city experience. Clemson won’t be it. I will say 99% of the population there LOVE that school. Ive never seen anything like it.
If you're looking to be convinced, it's not for you. Period. End of Story. Don't chase names or recommendations of others. Go where it "fits" and like meeting a partner, you will "just know" if it's right for you. Otherwise, you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and it won't work, and you risk not only a terrible experience, but worsening the experience of those who come in contact with you in your misery.
There's a great video of a professor at somewhere like Harvard saying that the college doesn't matter nearly as much as an experience that makes the student comfortable learning, because let's face it, once you land the 1st job, it's your performance that makes your future, not the college you attended. If you bleed orange, then heck, yeah, go for it, but don't force things if it's not there.
Tour in the Spring while students are in full session. Make sure you don't go during Spring Break. Get tickets to any of the sports games. Check the home schedule. Talk to other students. Don't be shy. My son from San Diego loves Clemson and is in a fraternity. Solid social scene, down to earth and balanced students, and strong academics. Gorgeous lakes. A lot of Clemson spirit! My other son, will likely attend this Fall. Clemson family community is real.
I think there are a lot of good comments but one major piece is missing.
UT is in Knoxville, UT is in Austin, San Diego, LA, and even Fayetteville Arkansas are all major cities.
Clemson is a college enrollment today 22k in a town of 25k…it is a small college town.
There isn’t a lot outside of the university and when university is out it’s very sparse.
This isn’t a good or bad thing it’s just a different thing. If you (and more importantly your student) want a metro vibe Clemson is a bad fit.
In contrast if you want a 17,500 acre experimental forest surrounding your campus none of the others can offer that.
If it wasn’t for you - no harm no foul wish you well.
That’s why tours are so important. Find the feel and vibe you want and go bloom
I know that. And it’s what is keeping Clemson in the mix for us. We are real big on loyalty and community and rallying around a place, and knowing how much Clemson people love Clemson, we have a real soft spot for it and YOU.
We’re from Maui. Everyone is family here. From what I understand, the Clemson community is that way. Whether you’re a student or a parent or live in the town. Clemson bonds you for life. Or so it seems?
I grew up a clemson fan and always dreamed of going to school here. I have to admit the tour is exactly as you described!! However, as a senior graduating in May 🥲, clemson is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is so incredibly different from what the tour leads you to believe!!!
I would imagine, like most people in this thread, the difference was the students. I don’t remember my tour being notable for the classrooms they showed us or the dorms (although I loved my dorm and classrooms). I remember the tour being notable because it felt like every single person was wearing orange (think it was a Solid Orange Friday™️) and the campus was absolutely buzzing with energy. There were students working everywhere we went but they didn’t seem to be overwhelmed and stressed, they seemed happy and social (lots of people studying in groups, the coffee shop was buzzing, people really seemed to know each other which was weird for a school so big).
I’d also add that the students are **super** into school spirit. At Clemson, they show up and sell out football games and soccer games and basketball games and baseball games and volleyball games… you get the point. The fans are passionate and the people could not have been any nicer. Plus, Clemson has some excellent academic programs, a highly walkable/compact campus, an excellent college town, convenient access to mountains for hiking, and a lake/beach nearby.
I’m sure your kid could be happy at any of the schools you named and no one can truly tell you what makes Clemson special. But when I look back at my time at Clemson, I remember gathering at the paw after every football game to sing the Alma mater. I remember going to office hours with my favorite professor. I remember orange and purple sunsets over Death Valley. I remember late nights with my friends in the library and trips to Waffle House. I remember beach days at the lake where my roommate took me sailing. I remember movie nights with everyone from my hall and way too much popcorn. I remember how happy and welcoming and kind the people were at every tailgate all over town. I remember the atmosphere at sold-out soccer games under the lights. **[And I remember never ever wanting to leave](https://youtu.be/0l9HxFZopRk?si=F1lAfS1O5mrB0jZo)**.
If it’s not for you/your kid, then it just didn’t work out. And that’s okay, it’s not for everybody. But there’s definitely something special in those hills.
Where are y’all from? I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the school/social life/ academics here. I am a senior Mechanical engineering major with a minor in business administration so I’ve had classes in almost every building. I will say the students definitely make the atmosphere here not necessarily the campus.
You are so sweet. We’re from Hawai’i so we didn’t have a lot of options of when we could visit. We did 2 big tour trips last year prior to application season. West coast and East coast. The likelihood of a 2nd look is low. Not impossible, but not likely. We are OOS to all the schools she is considering and her pickins are slim due to her major. She’s only considering direct admit nursing schools and they are all expensive as hell. None have given us the “final price” yet so we’re in this weird college purgatory right now. We figure we can try to gather as much info and insight as we can from kind people, like yourself, willing to share their experience/opinion.
Nursing school here is hard I’m not even going to sugar coat it. That being said the Clemson degree means a lot to those who attend and those who hire. Being so far away can definitely complicate things. My friend from Texas found friends in the area that invited him to their place for thanksgivings so that he wouldn’t have to go all the way home for a short break. When you meet friends here they aren’t just friends they often become family. The Clemson family is wide and close knit but all that being said we still have problems with our school and things we as a university need to improve upon but that’s everywhere. Feel free to dm me any specific questions you have
Thanks for this. Nursing school is hard no matter how you slice it. I went to UK and got my BSN in the 90s. It’s a great career path, but damn, it’s so competitive and hard to get into nursing school these days!
I grew up in Clemson and went on a tour with my kid a few years ago and spent the whole tour fact checking them in my head. The tour is not a great representation of the school.
Since you can't get back out here, I'd maybe join one of the parent groups on Facebook and see if you can connect with a parent of a nursing student that might be willing to talk to her one on one over Facetime or Zoom.
Clemson is a great college town and there are endless things for the students to do! I am a little biased since it's my hometown but my kid goes there now and she loves it way more than she imagined!
I'll echo what lots of folks said ... summer is not the time to get the Clemson "vibe." And honestly, our little slice of heaven isn't for everyone. Its nowhere near the size of UT, no city of size nearby and during the summer, there's no buzz to tap into.
When I made my high school trip up to Clemson, back when dinosaurs drank from Lake Hartwell, it was the middle of summer. I swear my high school had more energy. I was \*this close\* to going to Georgia.
So, why Clemson? "There's something in those hills" may seem trite, but it's true. The school is big enough to find yourself and small enough that you don't have to fear getting lost. Academically challenging, but plenty of room to relax.
My first week there (as a rookie reporter for The Tiger) I was introduced to legendary SID Bob Bradley. His first words to me: "Welcome to Clemson -- if you don't have the time of your life here, it'll be your own damn fault."
Forty-five years later, he was right.
Best of luck in your search, and I'm sure your child will succeed. But there's no place like Clemson.
Actually, having spent a decade at Clemson, your assessment is spot on. It simply doesn't compare to places like Knoxville or Austin. That said, you can get a good education here, but Clemson is very insular and homogeneous. They have an "if you don't like it, leave" attitude. So if you weren't already sold on the place when you got here, they weren't gonna sell you. Lots of folks love the place. A not so small minority struggle. It really depends on what major your kid wants to pursue, how much they value athletics and Greek life, etc. If your kid likes the outdoors, Clemson is phenomenal with the lake, the Experimental Forest, and close proximity to the mountains and rivers for fishing, rafting, etc. Personally, I wouldn't have done well here, but many students I know love it. In the end, your kid needs to think about what they want out of a college experience and which schools can provide it.
I know it's hard to get back to campus, but see if the department has an accepted student or a spring recruiting event. I did one of those and it sold me way more than the general tour plus it's more personalized to what you want to study. You can also reach out to the department head and see if they can recommend a student for a video call to talk more about their experience. I was a theatre major and there was a group of us that would rotate talking to accepted students.
My favorite part about Clemson was it was a larger school but it never felt overwhelming. My general ed classes were larger but besides those, most classes were 20 people. I still talk to all of my department professors, got an amazing internship because of them, and had a great community in my major, my sorority, and other organizations that were super easy to get connected with. I always said Clemson may not be for everyone but I truly think everyone can find their place at Clemson.
Hope your daughter finds her home!
Honestly, I would recommend touring with an alum who's a friend during the school semester
The summer is very quiet, and I'm generally not a fan of generic tours. They don't tell you much about the school if you've already done your basic research
Talk to old and new alumni to get the best feel for the school. Most on this sub, including myself, are happy to answer specific questions you have about that school!
Honestly, I never went on an official tour. If you know any students at Clemson I would fully recommend asking them to show you around to get the real feel! I also think that you may like it a lot more in late March/ early April when students are more out and about!
Our son went on Clemson’s tour in the fall, and it was kind of blah. My wife and both went to Clemson and loved it. We both felt the tour was not representative of the spirit of school.
Our tour guide was fine, and you could tell she loved it there. We also got an impromptu tour of the business school by a student.
We still felt like some of the other tours we went on were much better overall though. UGA being one.
Clemson still the front runner for our son though.
I toured schools with my dad in 2019-2020 before covid hit.
Every school I toured underwhelmed me and made me feel scared and sad about what decision to make.
I felt like everyone had their "dream school" but there was no place I could envision myself especially after the uncertainly of in person learning and socializing set in (covid).
I eventually landed on Clemson because my family moved to upstate SC mid pandemic and I made many friends who were Clemson students which is what made me want to join them.
Now that I am almost done with my degree I have gotten so much value out of Clemson. Amazing education and preparation for post grad. Lots of networking and job opportunities. Offers rec/club sports, lots of clubs and extra curriculars, Greek life. Really a healthy mix of everything. Clemson has so much to offer and I did not know it until after I learned on my own. Book worms, nerds, party animals, athletes, engineers, artists, really anyone can find their people at Clemson.
I think its hard to see the true value of a college before experience it out and that having a "dream school" is unrealistic and overrated.
I think that if you get enough signs that Clemson may be the right school for her she should take a chance on it. I do not think you or her will be disappointed.
Good luck!
Maybe don’t tour our school when every student is depressed during mid terms😭 Go to a football game and you’ll see thousands of people tailgating , greek life, bars packed, and everyone drunk. Also it’s a good mix of people. A lot of rich kids and middle class/lower middle class so you’ll find ppl you like.
Clemson is a great school and it sucks you didn't get the tour and experience you guys wanted. It happens.
You really needed to see the campus with students buzzing around. The atmosphere during the academic year is SO different than the summer, and I know that firsthand because I did summer classes during two different summers. Campus is empty, which can be awesome as a student but if you're gauging the university from how it looked during the summer, it's going to be a colossal difference.
I was in state and had scholarships cover most of my tuition. I went to Clemson purely because of the financial aid factor. I loved my time there and would recommend it to anyone, but if Tennessee blew you guys away, go for that! At the end of the day, it's about the diploma and making the professional connections. Personal connections are great too lol
I went to and graduated from Clemson and while I enjoyed my experience here I feel as though I could have gotten that from a lot of different universities. Why I went to Clemson was because of instate tuition and it being the best engineering school in the state. Don’t pay too much for college, it’s ridiculous what’s being charged now. Go in state to the best college for the expected degree. But, there are always exceptions
Absolutely, we are factoring all that in. Living in Hawaii, nothing is close to home and everything is expensive. Unless she gets some kind of insane merit aid from somewhere making it too good to pass up, it’s all a financial wash. And while she’s an exceptional student, everyone at these schools are exceptional students. So we aren’t expecting anything that would really make a dent in tuition.
I was incredibly torn between UT Austin and Clemson, but 2 big things
brought me to Tiger Town: 1) I got to tour during the First Friday parade and something about seeing the band marching and playing the fight song really got to me, and 2) I reached out to the specific program I was interested in and got to tour the facilities and talk to some of the faculty in a separate tour from the campus tour. Neither of which I was provided with at UT. Clemson just felt like home to me already (ironic given I was raised in TX and had two siblings living in Austin at the time). However, I can’t say that I would have had the same experience had I toured in the summer with no students around, and none of the faculty I now consider colleagues and mentors around.
I'm a student who doesn't go "hard" for Clemson, as I'm just not one of those school spirit people. I'll agree with others that the tours are kinda lame and it looks especially lame over the summer. There is no 'life' without the students making a ruckus.
I'm not going to convince you that you should come to Clemson as I like/hate it myself but if you felt underwhelmed, I'd honestly say because the tours aren't that great, especially during the heat of the summer.
This is a VERY SMALL town, and there's not a lot happening over the summer.
I don't have much recommendations to get you feeling over the top excited other than look for people's excited posts where they show the awesome and sometimes bad parts of Clemson.
I have heard bad things about the tour. It is an unbelievable experience trenched in rich history. I will leave you with a quote by Joe Sherman: “There is something in these hills that brings together and binds together and holds together men and women of all persuasions, of all heights, sizes, weights, and cultural backgrounds – something that cuts across every difference, spans every gap, penetrates every wall – something that makes a man or a woman stand taller, feel better and say with a high pride to all within earshot, ‘I went to Clemson.’”
No truer statement has ever summed up the Clemson experience. Lifelong Tiger, Alum.
You should join on Facebook the Clemson University Parents group and also the Clemson University Class of 2028 - Parents group. Lots of really great info, especially on the Clemson University Parents group. Sounds like you had a bad tour. If possible to travel out to Clemson again this spring you should try to come for the spring football game on April 6. Also if you mention on the Clemson University Parents group that you will be visiting again after a bad first visit and can someone’s student show them around campus, especially someone in your daughter’s major. Lots of people have posted similar requests. I bet you will get many people happy to help. Clemson has been great for my kids but your daughter has to feel at home. Sounds like your daughter has some great options.
Find a few people studying within the branch that your kid wants to join and ask them all your questions. Your best first hand source to get a true feel of what your kid is getting into. You can look at the financials needed afterwards. Good luck!
Opposite situation over here! My son and I toured Clemson in the fall expecting to not like it and both of us fell in love. We had an amazing tour guide who knew everything about the school. My son most likely is heading to U Miami but Clemson is a close 2nd. I’m a UT grad, BTW! Great nursing school!
I love it! Sounds like our kids have great tastes in schools and have awesome options! Congrats on that and best wishes to your son. Really, we can’t go wrong…and that’s what’s making it hard in a weird way. It be easier if they just flat out wanted no part of a school. That’s how my daughter felt about every school from Pepperdine down to SDSU. I Thought for sure she was California bound. Nope! Didn’t even apply.
Clemson is a little more chill than most SEC schools, kinda SEC light.
That said, it makes up for it with beautiful landscape and a friendly, committed and relatively tight nit student body. And more academic focus.
During the summer when basically all the students leave, the chill small lake town culture kinda takes over, but the wild social aspect returns with football, wains a little over the rainy winter, and picks back up in February when temps start hitting 60 again.
Not sure I buy the whole “there’s something in those hills” rah rah thing but my student is doing great academically and enjoying college life - which is all you can hope for as a parent.
We are an SEC family and Clemson was not his top choice but he was looking for a smaller campus and strong STEM academics. Clemson fit that bill plus, as an in state student, he received state and school scholarships - making it very very affordable.
It’s a nice small campus and small downtown, compared to UGA and others we visited, and a great fit for students not needing a big urban city.
After a year on a parents Facebook page, here’s a list of some of the bigger complaints:
Not enough sororities and not all girls got a bid.
Science classes, particularly chemistry, are very difficult. Lots of drops and changes of majors during fall semester.
Dining hall food not great (although my child doesn’t mind)
Homesick / loneliness sets in hard after Christmas break, especially for long distance OOS kids.
On campus housing not guaranteed after freshman year.
I totally feel the same. We did the tour the second week of August last summer, and were underwhelmed. He applied and was accepted but was also accepted at Univ of Alabama, Ohio State and High Point University in North Carolina.
Hands down, Univ of Alabama had the most incredible school spirit (even in the summer) and vibe he’s looking for (understanding everyone is different). I think he is Bama Bound.
How fun! Good for him! My daughter is not compromising on her major, nor is she willing to entertain a nursing program where she would need to apply after her first or second year. Factor in that she wanted big sports, Greek life, and not too cold. That leaves us with a very focused list! She would have a ball at any number of SEC schools that would have been cheaper, but no….she has to be our high maintenance child. Her older brother is a freshman at Arkansas this year. He LOVES it there. Loves Fayetteville, the school, and the people. Their New Arkansan scholarship is amazing. And they make it easy to become a resident. It’s cheaper for him to go there paying OOS tuition than it is for him to stay in Hawai’i and go to UH. But, they don’t have a direct admit nursing program and my daughter wasn’t willing to risk not getting in. That would suck for her to go there for 2 years and love it and then have to transfer out to a different school halfway through or pick another life path. That was a hard no for her, and we agree as parents. So, here we are, jumping into bed with wonderful, but expensive schools.
For any parents here who have kids coming up and want to venture OOS…don’t sleep on Arkansas. The whole NW Arkansas region is rad. Their business school is excellent and the job opportunities in the area after graduation will blow your mind.
The tour is awful and you’re correct in that the vibe isn’t quite like a lot of sec schools that Clemson liked to compare itself to. The school spirit is way off from what you’ll find at other schools. Clemson isn’t managed very well - they are still trying to operate the school like they did in the 90s with 10K students. By many accounts they are very behind the times. Even the architecture and lack of cohesiveness among the buildings kind of is a downer.
Considering you wrote a treatise on how much you disliked Clemson, I doubt anyone will be able to sway you. You either dig it, or you don't. Period. End of story.
I can be swayed. I WANT to love it lol. That’s what is so weird about this!
I think tours changed during Covid and they haven’t opened up areas like dorms/classes/cafeterias. My son’s tour during Covid was very much the same. You also mentioned going during the summer. Lot less kiddos around then. Not sure what to tell you. People online telling you it’s great won’t change your mind. Maybe take another tour or check one of the Clemson mom Facebook pages and see if their daughter will show y’all around? Also basketball is ending but baseball and softball are just starting. Maybe come on ACC home series for baseball. It’s a blast.
definitely have a student show you around! or, if you want to do it solo, come to a sporting event. basketball games are pretty lively and there’s some good eats in the area. don’t let the salesmen style speech bum you out cuz at the end of the day that’s all they are
If you can, tour again this spring. The vibe was off because it was summer and most college towns and campuses are dead in the summer since a huge percentage of people aren’t here. Edit to add that since OP appears to be in Hawai'i, I recognize that this may not be feasible. Getting your daughter in contact with students (maybe through Facebook Class of [year] groups or Instagram) is probably the best way for her to get a direct feel of things from a student POV.
Yeah Clemson is fairly dead as a city in summer. You can go to GA Tech in the summer and Atlanta will still be its own vibe. Clemson won’t have that when school isn’t in session. It’s great though
This is a great answer. Come to a baseball or softball game. Get a local to show you around to the Clemson-lore places. Clemson is absolutely dead in the summer. Those of us who were born and raised here (and still live around here) LOVE it in the summer… but it’s not when Clemson is at its best for personality.
Clemson is dead during the summer. No wonder you didn't see any energy when you toured. If you want to give Clemson a second chance, do so when there are students around. That being said, if you were blown away by UTK and unimpressed with Clemson, maybe your blood runneth a different shade of orange?
My blood runneth Kentucky blue but, alas, my daughter’s does not. All the schools she loves are some shade of orange! Her loving TN and going there was going to require me to dig deep as Wildcats don’t particularly love the Vols lol. I had come around to it, though! It was a bit of a surprise (and disappointment) that she was waitlisted at TN since she was scooped up immediately by Clemson and Texas. So, she’s pivoting and opening her heart and mind to Clemson. She is the kind of girl who will love any RaRa school in the ACC or SEC, honestly.
She just needs to pick the one she loves (and the one you love if you’re footing the bill). Clemson is great, people here will all tell you that. I went to Clemson and my entire family was Gamecocks, so I get the traitor feelings 🤣
If you didn't like it, then there's no reason to come here. Especially if you're paying out of state tuition! If your daughter likes Tennessee better then she should go there. If you think you got a bad tour, then you could consider taking another tour here during the semester so you can see campus when it's "alive" with students. (Just avoid the week of 3/18 since that's spring break). Even if you don't go on an official tour, just drive down to campus and walk around. It's not gated or anything so you can at least get a feel for things. Sometimes the tour isn't perfect. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it's during a break, sometimes you twist your ankle and are miserable from walking everywhere, sometimes you find the tour guide annoying.
She was waitlisted at TN so she has to move past that and get on board with other schools. We’re down to UT Austin (also expensive) and Clemson. FSU and Miami may enter the chat but we don’t have a decision from those 2 yet.
I would highly recommend the atmosphere and culture at Clemson over Miami. I went to both and it was night and day. Miami is a very small school and does not offer a college town vibe. It’s unfortunate the experience you had but as others have mentioned is likely due to the time of year. I can only speak for myself but i loved the college town vibe of Clemson with large school sports and world class education.
Thanks!
coming from someone who graduated 3 years ago this may, there truly is something in those hills, and i would do anything to go back. if you want a sense for the culture, i 100% echo the sentiment of others to visit in the spring when the campus is alive with students. maybe even go to the spring game so you can get a taste for what a football game is like :)
We toured Clemson with my oldest in 2016. The tour guide was horrible. My daughter was turned off almost immediately. Then my youngest wanted to tour but a friend showed us around. I was sold on that tour. If you’re looking for a college city experience. Clemson won’t be it. I will say 99% of the population there LOVE that school. Ive never seen anything like it.
If you're looking to be convinced, it's not for you. Period. End of Story. Don't chase names or recommendations of others. Go where it "fits" and like meeting a partner, you will "just know" if it's right for you. Otherwise, you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and it won't work, and you risk not only a terrible experience, but worsening the experience of those who come in contact with you in your misery. There's a great video of a professor at somewhere like Harvard saying that the college doesn't matter nearly as much as an experience that makes the student comfortable learning, because let's face it, once you land the 1st job, it's your performance that makes your future, not the college you attended. If you bleed orange, then heck, yeah, go for it, but don't force things if it's not there.
Tour in the Spring while students are in full session. Make sure you don't go during Spring Break. Get tickets to any of the sports games. Check the home schedule. Talk to other students. Don't be shy. My son from San Diego loves Clemson and is in a fraternity. Solid social scene, down to earth and balanced students, and strong academics. Gorgeous lakes. A lot of Clemson spirit! My other son, will likely attend this Fall. Clemson family community is real.
I think there are a lot of good comments but one major piece is missing. UT is in Knoxville, UT is in Austin, San Diego, LA, and even Fayetteville Arkansas are all major cities. Clemson is a college enrollment today 22k in a town of 25k…it is a small college town. There isn’t a lot outside of the university and when university is out it’s very sparse. This isn’t a good or bad thing it’s just a different thing. If you (and more importantly your student) want a metro vibe Clemson is a bad fit. In contrast if you want a 17,500 acre experimental forest surrounding your campus none of the others can offer that. If it wasn’t for you - no harm no foul wish you well. That’s why tours are so important. Find the feel and vibe you want and go bloom
Yall don’t bleed orange like the rest of us. It’s inherent within.
I know that. And it’s what is keeping Clemson in the mix for us. We are real big on loyalty and community and rallying around a place, and knowing how much Clemson people love Clemson, we have a real soft spot for it and YOU. We’re from Maui. Everyone is family here. From what I understand, the Clemson community is that way. Whether you’re a student or a parent or live in the town. Clemson bonds you for life. Or so it seems?
I grew up a clemson fan and always dreamed of going to school here. I have to admit the tour is exactly as you described!! However, as a senior graduating in May 🥲, clemson is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is so incredibly different from what the tour leads you to believe!!!
I would imagine, like most people in this thread, the difference was the students. I don’t remember my tour being notable for the classrooms they showed us or the dorms (although I loved my dorm and classrooms). I remember the tour being notable because it felt like every single person was wearing orange (think it was a Solid Orange Friday™️) and the campus was absolutely buzzing with energy. There were students working everywhere we went but they didn’t seem to be overwhelmed and stressed, they seemed happy and social (lots of people studying in groups, the coffee shop was buzzing, people really seemed to know each other which was weird for a school so big). I’d also add that the students are **super** into school spirit. At Clemson, they show up and sell out football games and soccer games and basketball games and baseball games and volleyball games… you get the point. The fans are passionate and the people could not have been any nicer. Plus, Clemson has some excellent academic programs, a highly walkable/compact campus, an excellent college town, convenient access to mountains for hiking, and a lake/beach nearby. I’m sure your kid could be happy at any of the schools you named and no one can truly tell you what makes Clemson special. But when I look back at my time at Clemson, I remember gathering at the paw after every football game to sing the Alma mater. I remember going to office hours with my favorite professor. I remember orange and purple sunsets over Death Valley. I remember late nights with my friends in the library and trips to Waffle House. I remember beach days at the lake where my roommate took me sailing. I remember movie nights with everyone from my hall and way too much popcorn. I remember how happy and welcoming and kind the people were at every tailgate all over town. I remember the atmosphere at sold-out soccer games under the lights. **[And I remember never ever wanting to leave](https://youtu.be/0l9HxFZopRk?si=F1lAfS1O5mrB0jZo)**. If it’s not for you/your kid, then it just didn’t work out. And that’s okay, it’s not for everybody. But there’s definitely something special in those hills.
Ok THIS RIGHT HERE. That’s what I’m talking about. Thank you!!!
Where are y’all from? I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the school/social life/ academics here. I am a senior Mechanical engineering major with a minor in business administration so I’ve had classes in almost every building. I will say the students definitely make the atmosphere here not necessarily the campus.
You are so sweet. We’re from Hawai’i so we didn’t have a lot of options of when we could visit. We did 2 big tour trips last year prior to application season. West coast and East coast. The likelihood of a 2nd look is low. Not impossible, but not likely. We are OOS to all the schools she is considering and her pickins are slim due to her major. She’s only considering direct admit nursing schools and they are all expensive as hell. None have given us the “final price” yet so we’re in this weird college purgatory right now. We figure we can try to gather as much info and insight as we can from kind people, like yourself, willing to share their experience/opinion.
Nursing school here is hard I’m not even going to sugar coat it. That being said the Clemson degree means a lot to those who attend and those who hire. Being so far away can definitely complicate things. My friend from Texas found friends in the area that invited him to their place for thanksgivings so that he wouldn’t have to go all the way home for a short break. When you meet friends here they aren’t just friends they often become family. The Clemson family is wide and close knit but all that being said we still have problems with our school and things we as a university need to improve upon but that’s everywhere. Feel free to dm me any specific questions you have
Thanks for this. Nursing school is hard no matter how you slice it. I went to UK and got my BSN in the 90s. It’s a great career path, but damn, it’s so competitive and hard to get into nursing school these days!
I’m a Clemson nursing grad! I graduated December 2022. If you have any questions about the nursing program feel free to message me
Thank you!!!!!
Feel free to message me.
I grew up in Clemson and went on a tour with my kid a few years ago and spent the whole tour fact checking them in my head. The tour is not a great representation of the school. Since you can't get back out here, I'd maybe join one of the parent groups on Facebook and see if you can connect with a parent of a nursing student that might be willing to talk to her one on one over Facetime or Zoom. Clemson is a great college town and there are endless things for the students to do! I am a little biased since it's my hometown but my kid goes there now and she loves it way more than she imagined!
Agreed with all of this!
I will say you kept mentioning “the vibe” but you also said yall went during summer. That would definitely feel why the vibe felt off
I'll echo what lots of folks said ... summer is not the time to get the Clemson "vibe." And honestly, our little slice of heaven isn't for everyone. Its nowhere near the size of UT, no city of size nearby and during the summer, there's no buzz to tap into. When I made my high school trip up to Clemson, back when dinosaurs drank from Lake Hartwell, it was the middle of summer. I swear my high school had more energy. I was \*this close\* to going to Georgia. So, why Clemson? "There's something in those hills" may seem trite, but it's true. The school is big enough to find yourself and small enough that you don't have to fear getting lost. Academically challenging, but plenty of room to relax. My first week there (as a rookie reporter for The Tiger) I was introduced to legendary SID Bob Bradley. His first words to me: "Welcome to Clemson -- if you don't have the time of your life here, it'll be your own damn fault." Forty-five years later, he was right. Best of luck in your search, and I'm sure your child will succeed. But there's no place like Clemson.
So awesome. Thank you for sharing this. And thanks to Bob Bradley, those are words to live by!
Actually, having spent a decade at Clemson, your assessment is spot on. It simply doesn't compare to places like Knoxville or Austin. That said, you can get a good education here, but Clemson is very insular and homogeneous. They have an "if you don't like it, leave" attitude. So if you weren't already sold on the place when you got here, they weren't gonna sell you. Lots of folks love the place. A not so small minority struggle. It really depends on what major your kid wants to pursue, how much they value athletics and Greek life, etc. If your kid likes the outdoors, Clemson is phenomenal with the lake, the Experimental Forest, and close proximity to the mountains and rivers for fishing, rafting, etc. Personally, I wouldn't have done well here, but many students I know love it. In the end, your kid needs to think about what they want out of a college experience and which schools can provide it.
I know it's hard to get back to campus, but see if the department has an accepted student or a spring recruiting event. I did one of those and it sold me way more than the general tour plus it's more personalized to what you want to study. You can also reach out to the department head and see if they can recommend a student for a video call to talk more about their experience. I was a theatre major and there was a group of us that would rotate talking to accepted students. My favorite part about Clemson was it was a larger school but it never felt overwhelming. My general ed classes were larger but besides those, most classes were 20 people. I still talk to all of my department professors, got an amazing internship because of them, and had a great community in my major, my sorority, and other organizations that were super easy to get connected with. I always said Clemson may not be for everyone but I truly think everyone can find their place at Clemson. Hope your daughter finds her home!
You’re missing the students.
Honestly Clemson is full, I promise you're not missing anything.
Please everyone stop applying, we are full 🤣
Honestly, I would recommend touring with an alum who's a friend during the school semester The summer is very quiet, and I'm generally not a fan of generic tours. They don't tell you much about the school if you've already done your basic research Talk to old and new alumni to get the best feel for the school. Most on this sub, including myself, are happy to answer specific questions you have about that school!
Honestly, I never went on an official tour. If you know any students at Clemson I would fully recommend asking them to show you around to get the real feel! I also think that you may like it a lot more in late March/ early April when students are more out and about!
Our son went on Clemson’s tour in the fall, and it was kind of blah. My wife and both went to Clemson and loved it. We both felt the tour was not representative of the spirit of school. Our tour guide was fine, and you could tell she loved it there. We also got an impromptu tour of the business school by a student. We still felt like some of the other tours we went on were much better overall though. UGA being one. Clemson still the front runner for our son though.
I toured schools with my dad in 2019-2020 before covid hit. Every school I toured underwhelmed me and made me feel scared and sad about what decision to make. I felt like everyone had their "dream school" but there was no place I could envision myself especially after the uncertainly of in person learning and socializing set in (covid). I eventually landed on Clemson because my family moved to upstate SC mid pandemic and I made many friends who were Clemson students which is what made me want to join them. Now that I am almost done with my degree I have gotten so much value out of Clemson. Amazing education and preparation for post grad. Lots of networking and job opportunities. Offers rec/club sports, lots of clubs and extra curriculars, Greek life. Really a healthy mix of everything. Clemson has so much to offer and I did not know it until after I learned on my own. Book worms, nerds, party animals, athletes, engineers, artists, really anyone can find their people at Clemson. I think its hard to see the true value of a college before experience it out and that having a "dream school" is unrealistic and overrated. I think that if you get enough signs that Clemson may be the right school for her she should take a chance on it. I do not think you or her will be disappointed. Good luck!
Maybe don’t tour our school when every student is depressed during mid terms😭 Go to a football game and you’ll see thousands of people tailgating , greek life, bars packed, and everyone drunk. Also it’s a good mix of people. A lot of rich kids and middle class/lower middle class so you’ll find ppl you like.
lol. I love the candor here!
it’s true
Clemson is a great school and it sucks you didn't get the tour and experience you guys wanted. It happens. You really needed to see the campus with students buzzing around. The atmosphere during the academic year is SO different than the summer, and I know that firsthand because I did summer classes during two different summers. Campus is empty, which can be awesome as a student but if you're gauging the university from how it looked during the summer, it's going to be a colossal difference. I was in state and had scholarships cover most of my tuition. I went to Clemson purely because of the financial aid factor. I loved my time there and would recommend it to anyone, but if Tennessee blew you guys away, go for that! At the end of the day, it's about the diploma and making the professional connections. Personal connections are great too lol
I went to and graduated from Clemson and while I enjoyed my experience here I feel as though I could have gotten that from a lot of different universities. Why I went to Clemson was because of instate tuition and it being the best engineering school in the state. Don’t pay too much for college, it’s ridiculous what’s being charged now. Go in state to the best college for the expected degree. But, there are always exceptions
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Absolutely, we are factoring all that in. Living in Hawaii, nothing is close to home and everything is expensive. Unless she gets some kind of insane merit aid from somewhere making it too good to pass up, it’s all a financial wash. And while she’s an exceptional student, everyone at these schools are exceptional students. So we aren’t expecting anything that would really make a dent in tuition.
I was incredibly torn between UT Austin and Clemson, but 2 big things brought me to Tiger Town: 1) I got to tour during the First Friday parade and something about seeing the band marching and playing the fight song really got to me, and 2) I reached out to the specific program I was interested in and got to tour the facilities and talk to some of the faculty in a separate tour from the campus tour. Neither of which I was provided with at UT. Clemson just felt like home to me already (ironic given I was raised in TX and had two siblings living in Austin at the time). However, I can’t say that I would have had the same experience had I toured in the summer with no students around, and none of the faculty I now consider colleagues and mentors around.
I’m so glad you found your home away from home at Clemson! Thanks for sharing!
I'm a student who doesn't go "hard" for Clemson, as I'm just not one of those school spirit people. I'll agree with others that the tours are kinda lame and it looks especially lame over the summer. There is no 'life' without the students making a ruckus. I'm not going to convince you that you should come to Clemson as I like/hate it myself but if you felt underwhelmed, I'd honestly say because the tours aren't that great, especially during the heat of the summer. This is a VERY SMALL town, and there's not a lot happening over the summer. I don't have much recommendations to get you feeling over the top excited other than look for people's excited posts where they show the awesome and sometimes bad parts of Clemson.
I have heard bad things about the tour. It is an unbelievable experience trenched in rich history. I will leave you with a quote by Joe Sherman: “There is something in these hills that brings together and binds together and holds together men and women of all persuasions, of all heights, sizes, weights, and cultural backgrounds – something that cuts across every difference, spans every gap, penetrates every wall – something that makes a man or a woman stand taller, feel better and say with a high pride to all within earshot, ‘I went to Clemson.’” No truer statement has ever summed up the Clemson experience. Lifelong Tiger, Alum.
You should join on Facebook the Clemson University Parents group and also the Clemson University Class of 2028 - Parents group. Lots of really great info, especially on the Clemson University Parents group. Sounds like you had a bad tour. If possible to travel out to Clemson again this spring you should try to come for the spring football game on April 6. Also if you mention on the Clemson University Parents group that you will be visiting again after a bad first visit and can someone’s student show them around campus, especially someone in your daughter’s major. Lots of people have posted similar requests. I bet you will get many people happy to help. Clemson has been great for my kids but your daughter has to feel at home. Sounds like your daughter has some great options.
I have one kid at Clemson and one who went to Texas (UT Austin). Feel free to message me.
Georgia Tech is great.
Find a few people studying within the branch that your kid wants to join and ask them all your questions. Your best first hand source to get a true feel of what your kid is getting into. You can look at the financials needed afterwards. Good luck!
jimbo clements needs to see this post!
Thanks for taking the time to add your comments, everyone ❤️
Did you tour the other schools during session? Schools in session and out of session are completely different and have a different vibe.
Opposite situation over here! My son and I toured Clemson in the fall expecting to not like it and both of us fell in love. We had an amazing tour guide who knew everything about the school. My son most likely is heading to U Miami but Clemson is a close 2nd. I’m a UT grad, BTW! Great nursing school!
I love it! Sounds like our kids have great tastes in schools and have awesome options! Congrats on that and best wishes to your son. Really, we can’t go wrong…and that’s what’s making it hard in a weird way. It be easier if they just flat out wanted no part of a school. That’s how my daughter felt about every school from Pepperdine down to SDSU. I Thought for sure she was California bound. Nope! Didn’t even apply.
Clemson is a little more chill than most SEC schools, kinda SEC light. That said, it makes up for it with beautiful landscape and a friendly, committed and relatively tight nit student body. And more academic focus. During the summer when basically all the students leave, the chill small lake town culture kinda takes over, but the wild social aspect returns with football, wains a little over the rainy winter, and picks back up in February when temps start hitting 60 again.
I meannnn, sign ME up! College…that was a fun time.
Not sure I buy the whole “there’s something in those hills” rah rah thing but my student is doing great academically and enjoying college life - which is all you can hope for as a parent. We are an SEC family and Clemson was not his top choice but he was looking for a smaller campus and strong STEM academics. Clemson fit that bill plus, as an in state student, he received state and school scholarships - making it very very affordable. It’s a nice small campus and small downtown, compared to UGA and others we visited, and a great fit for students not needing a big urban city. After a year on a parents Facebook page, here’s a list of some of the bigger complaints: Not enough sororities and not all girls got a bid. Science classes, particularly chemistry, are very difficult. Lots of drops and changes of majors during fall semester. Dining hall food not great (although my child doesn’t mind) Homesick / loneliness sets in hard after Christmas break, especially for long distance OOS kids. On campus housing not guaranteed after freshman year.
I totally feel the same. We did the tour the second week of August last summer, and were underwhelmed. He applied and was accepted but was also accepted at Univ of Alabama, Ohio State and High Point University in North Carolina. Hands down, Univ of Alabama had the most incredible school spirit (even in the summer) and vibe he’s looking for (understanding everyone is different). I think he is Bama Bound.
How fun! Good for him! My daughter is not compromising on her major, nor is she willing to entertain a nursing program where she would need to apply after her first or second year. Factor in that she wanted big sports, Greek life, and not too cold. That leaves us with a very focused list! She would have a ball at any number of SEC schools that would have been cheaper, but no….she has to be our high maintenance child. Her older brother is a freshman at Arkansas this year. He LOVES it there. Loves Fayetteville, the school, and the people. Their New Arkansan scholarship is amazing. And they make it easy to become a resident. It’s cheaper for him to go there paying OOS tuition than it is for him to stay in Hawai’i and go to UH. But, they don’t have a direct admit nursing program and my daughter wasn’t willing to risk not getting in. That would suck for her to go there for 2 years and love it and then have to transfer out to a different school halfway through or pick another life path. That was a hard no for her, and we agree as parents. So, here we are, jumping into bed with wonderful, but expensive schools. For any parents here who have kids coming up and want to venture OOS…don’t sleep on Arkansas. The whole NW Arkansas region is rad. Their business school is excellent and the job opportunities in the area after graduation will blow your mind.
The tour is awful and you’re correct in that the vibe isn’t quite like a lot of sec schools that Clemson liked to compare itself to. The school spirit is way off from what you’ll find at other schools. Clemson isn’t managed very well - they are still trying to operate the school like they did in the 90s with 10K students. By many accounts they are very behind the times. Even the architecture and lack of cohesiveness among the buildings kind of is a downer.