Help For Out of State Students at USC

According to the University of South Carolina’s Institutional Assessment and Compliance website, out of state students make up 26.8% of our student body pursuing an undergraduate degree. This number reflects out of state students as being a minority, and sometimes, being a minority reflects the attitudes of out of state students. There are many reasons why students choose to attend USC. For their specific academic program, for the SEC football and for the culture; but out of state students often have a lot more at stake when plunging into an unfamiliar state, often far from home.    

When speaking to Katie Bowen, the Out of State Student Programs Director at USC, she said, “out of state students often struggle being away from home.  They have to deal with [leaving] their friends at home and struggling to find the same core group of friends [at school].” To help with this major life adjustment, USC has the Out of State Student Mentoring Program. This program enrolls out of state students at USC and according to Ms. Bowen, is designed to help students “get adjusted and comfortable in southern life. We are attempting to bridge the gap from home.” Parents can submit their children over the summer and then students are matched up with a mentor from their state or region. Other programs for out of state students include student seminars, socials and trips. They even have a special event during Parents Weekend to include parents into the culture of USC. They hosted a “What’s the Big Deal about Sweet Tea” seminar for the parents and students at this year’s event.

When I asked Brett Robertson, a senior out of state student from Pennsylvania, if he felt incorporated into the life and culture of the University he responded, “No, not one bit. I feel like there isn’t really much to offer out of state students.” Brett who had never heard of the out of state student programs, feels as though they should “better inform out of state students of their options and also the negative aspects of attending a school far from home.” Brett says, “I have heard so many unhappy stories from students who transferred out of USC and back home, [in regards to feeling incorporated at USC].” Katie Dutton, a student from Georgia, doesn’t necessarily share the same experience. She is involved in the Gamma Phi Beta sorority here at USC and seems to enjoy attending Carolina. When I asked her if she had ever heard of the Out of State Student Programs she said, “No that sounds like a great idea though. I have a lot of friends that are having a difficult time getting adjusted.” It seems as though students at USC aren’t that familiar with the Out of State Student Programs. Ms. Bowen said that in order to get the word out about these programs they have a table at Orientation and also send Post Cards out to students. Flyers around campus are also helping to educate students about these programs and more recently they are reaching out via social media networks. They are using Facebook to keep students informed of upcoming events.

The USC Out of State Student Program is one of a select few in U.S. colleges, according to Ms. Bowen. Most colleges just have programs for transfer students, aiming to help them get adjusted. But USC is different. Ms. Bowen’s future for the program is, “for it to grow and really be a prestigious leadership opportunity for students, inciting competition among potential mentors. I would like for us to become the national standard among Universities.” So while these programs are designed to incorporate out of state students into USC culture, Ms. Bowen’s advice for incoming out of state freshman is, “to get involved by participating in student organizations and remaining a part of the Carolina community.” If anyone wants more information on the out of state student programs, you can visit sc.edu or their Facebook page.