So, Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina is what we call a "hot" school. Although it's long been a very strong southern state university, more and more northern students are interested in going south for college and they love the size and the "rah-rah" feel of Clemson. Because of that, it's getting harder and harder to get into. 99% of accepted students are in the top 50% of their graduating class, 86% are in the top 20%, and 57% are in the top 10%. And 40% of all students come from out of state. I was excited to see it for the first time and was disappointed that it was pouring rain while we were there - so I have to account for that. But even so... I must say that Clemson is not a pretty school. In a state, even a region, filled with gorgeous campuses, Clemson just is not.

Here is what it is: a vibrant campus with tons of school spirit - season football tickets start at $194; all other sports are free - where about 27% of students participate in Greek life. It's been ranked the hashtag#1Best College for Future Leaders by Time Magazine, #4 Best School for Internships (public schools), #5 for Town Gown Relations, and #7 for Best Career Services, all by Princeton Review. There are career fairs every semester, but one caveat: we were told that Clemson alumni can use the career center for a full year after graduating, but I must comment that many institutions offer this service for life.

In a school of almost 23,000 undergraduates, the median class size is 26, which is terrific. Here are some other tidbits: nursing and business are direct admit - once you're in, you're in. There's a beautiful $60 million building for the College of Business which opened in 2019. And the Honors College is nationally known, with honors housing, honors classes, and priority registration. These students must apply separately when applying to the university, and can expect to engage with the academic material at a deeper level.

All freshmen live on campus and it drops off every year from there; by senior year about 8% remain in campus housing. But there's a lot of student housing downtown, which is a 5-minute walk, and there's also a free student shuttle.

Clemson, SC is in a rather remote location but there are airport shuttles before and after breaks to all area airports. Merit scholarships are almost nonexistent, but with an all-in out-of-state price of under $54K, Clemson is a really, really good educational value.