University of South Carolina -- Columbia

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Economics
Minor: Business
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Straight Male

Summary

I’m part of a historically Black fraternity. It’s known as a social fraternity but we do a lot of service work as well. I’m part of the National Association of Black Accountants where we have speakers and programs about business-related topics.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African-American
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public school in Ermo, SC with a graduating class of about 2,000 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Economics
Minor: Business

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of a historically Black fraternity. It’s known as a social fraternity but we do a lot of service work as well. I’m part of the National Association of Black Accountants where we have speakers and programs about business-related topics.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
In terms of meeting new people and just being able to branch out, joining any club at a university is helpful. Joining the fraternity here was a big deal to me because my dad was a legacy member and I wanted to continue on that legacy. It has been great being able to meet people through that process and through the events we have and with the Greek Council that we go to. It’s nice that Greek life is a big network and community.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
I got the majority of my hard classes out of the way last year. This year, I’m taking an Economics seminar where we are put in groups and we present on a topic based on something that has to do with economics. I’m also in Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, which is one of the harder classes in the major because it’s more calculus-based, and that class is more problem set and exam-heavy. In general, the week-to-week coursework depends on the professor, but it is more problem sets just because economics is a lot of repetition to get the concepts down. It’s a lot of graphs and formulas and applying those to what you learn, and the best way to do that is through problem sets.
Is there anything that you feel the Economics department does especially well or poorly?
They definitely make themselves available. All of my Economics professors advocate for coming to their office hours, sending in additional questions, and this and that. They pride themselves on being available to help their students. That’s one of the main things I really enjoy and has helped me.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s a mix of both. One of the bigger differences from [the school I transferred from] and here is [the school I transferred from] was a business school which made it more competitive right off of the bat. Here, we have bigger classrooms, but there are a lot of students who are willing to do what it takes to succeed, so it’s a lot more collaborative. We have group messages for classes and everyone puts in their questions about the homework, when things are due, and plan study groups. If you have that mindset that you want to achieve, you’ll find other people who are focused.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
I really liked Environmental Economics. I thought it was eye-opening
How accessible are your professors?
The Economics professors are very accessible. They post office hours and you can meet with them as needed. There are also T.A.’s available for you and they’ve got times when they’re available for you that are not during the professor’s office hours for you to seek them out.
Why did you pick Economics? Are you happy with your choice?
At [my first school], I majored in Finance and I liked that. Economics is the backbone and foundation of society, so I think having a broader aspect of the ins and outs of society, which really come down to movements in supply and demand and things of that nature, are very fundamental to understanding how an economy can work and how you can use and leverage those things.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a big school so you have the chance to meet a lot of people.
2) There are great professors who are willing to help you succeed.
3) There are great organizations and a ton of resources that can help you succeed.
4) It’s a little diverse.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) If you don’t like a big school and feel that it’s too much of an effort to branch out, this might not be the school for you.
2) Socially, it can be competitive. If you want to be at a smaller school with a less competitive atmosphere, then go to that school.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Junior & Senior: Off-Campus apartment by myself
How do you like going to school close to your hometown?
I like it. It gives me a sense of comfort knowing I know how to navigate to anywhere I need to go. If I want to meet a person who I grew up with, then I can do that. Or, if I want to see my parents, I have that available. It’s very helpful in college to have that support if you need it.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
We haven’t had any major incidents since I’ve been here. There have been some accidents, which I personally haven’t encountered. I don’t go to school thinking I need to look out for myself. It’s a privileged environment and the safety here allows you to focus on your work.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
There are good restaurants in The Vista and then, of course, there’s Five Point which is a good time. They have good deals Thursday through Saturday, so I go out anytime Thursday through Saturday. I’m usually pretty busy the days before.
What’s the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
You can navigate the nightlife if you’re not Greek because you can always go out to Five Points, but you definitely see the presence of Greek life. It has a huge impact on who goes downtown and the ways you can navigate downtown and meet people. A lot of times people are riding off of their Greek affiliations when it comes down to meeting new people. It can be cliquey because people will all go places based on the people in their frat being there, but that’s life.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
There are different movie theaters here and you can go see a sports game, like a baseball or basketball game.
How happy are you with the weekend options at South Carolina? Is there anything you would change if you could?
For what we’re given, I think it can get monotonous. But, you have the ability to have a great time wherever you go just because during the weekend a lot of people are trying to blow off steam and have a good time. A lot of times, you won’t get bothered if you’re around a group of people who have the same goal as you of having a good time. But, there’s not as much to do here as there is in Charlotte.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met some of them through clubs and things of that nature. A lot of them, which I like, is I met them through classes. You work with people, collaborate, and if you do well on a test or a project that’s going to encourage you to go out and celebrate. You’ll have something to talk about and that helps with getting to know them in general.
How was transitioning academically as a transfer student? Were there any resources that helped with that?
I had people I already knew from my hometown, so that really helped. It also helps to put yourself out there by joining clubs. Also, if you’re in a class with somebody just ask what is going on, people will tell you. It’s very easy to talk with people if you want to.
How would you describe the social scene?
There’s a lot of opportunities, but it depends on the type of person you are and how socially mobile you are, especially if you’re a student of color. If you’re a student of color and aren’t open to joining Greek life or communicating and relating with people who don’t look like you, you’ll be more isolated if you don’t have your own friends before coming. If you’re open to meeting new people and having new experiences, you’ve got a world you can build here.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Between Blacks and Whites, I think it’s pretty segregated but only because some Blacks and some Whites feel comfortable associating with a certain group and most of the time that’s people who look like them. There are a number of clubs and organizations who are open to everyone. I haven’t seen the university ever not advocate for anyone and everyone to come to any event they have. Everyone’s always welcome and it does feel like a community when you walk on campus. [About 77% of students are White and 10% of students are African-American.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s pretty concentrated. The Divine Nine organizations, which are the historically Black Greek organizations, are pretty strong and host a lot of events both together and separately. If you’re part of one of those organizations, that’s where you’ll meet more senior leaders of the Black community at the university. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be a Black leader if you aren’t part of one of those organizations. While we are visible, I think with more resources we could be a lot more visible than we are.
How do you like the size of South Carolina? [South Carolina has about 26,360 undergraduates.]
I think it’s a great size. I love to jump around different social groups and have the ability to move around and have options. With a bigger university, you have more potential for organizations to grow and to build new organizations. You also don’t see the same people every day and it’s a bit larger and more diverse.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
They’re helping me right now find a job. I’ve been communicating with some alumni who have positions in companies I’m interested in. They’re able to send my resume to someone in human resources or be able to give me some mentorship experience and tell me about their path.
Have you used the career office at all? If so, how helpful have they been?
I used the career office last year to get an internship with an investment research group last summer, which was awesome. They have career fair after career fair here, and they really harp on making sure their graduates get placed and have all the skills necessary to succeed. They have workshops and a number of different things that contribute to the success of students.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
I used Excel in Econometrics. We also use Stata, which is a statistical software, for International Developmental Economics. That was more programming than Excel, which is something I’ve never done before, so I thought it was cool to try something new.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating has the office been to your needs?
I think financial aid is pretty straightforward. I’ve used it along with scholarships and things of that nature. They were especially helpful when I was transferring into the school in terms of being accessible to meet with an advisor and making sure that all of my documents were in. They give updates in a timely fashion so you know that you have a deadline coming up and so forth. They’re definitely on the ball. Sometimes they can be a little slow, but if you push them then you’ll get what you need for sure.