University of South Carolina
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- My number one Undergraduate International Business major puts Gamecocks all around the world.
- Who's the best public honors college? I'm the best public honors college.
- My students' school spirit is on point, even when the football team isn't. Luckily, it usually is.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Tons of garnet and black. Don't dare show up to a game without it.
- An ENO hammock, 'cause there are lots of places to hang.
- Chubbies shorts. Sky's out, thighs out.
- A moped to get around. They're just as stylish over here as they are in Europe.
- Sunglasses, because it's summer ten months out of the year.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- If you can go here for four years without seeing Darius Rucker, you must've taken a wrong turn somewhere.
- Being a Gamecock sometimes brings about…immature jokes from outsiders. Anyone who's faced us on the field knows to show respect, though.
- We churn out some awesome football players. Jadeveon Clowney was the first pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
- 84% of our faculty has a PhD. We're not all party.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me downtown with friends in the area called five points, visiting my favorite bars. If I feel like getting out of Columbia for a weekend, I'll be down the highway at one of the cool cities that are within a few hours of campus, either towards the beach or mountains.
Charleston, Fayetteville, and Atlanta are all nearby. Sometimes, I'm feeling a little more laidback, so I'll just sit by a bonfire at night enjoying the great weather.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Cool Beans. Coffee, right on campus. Genius.
- The Horseshoe. That's the pretty green area that you see on all the postcards and websites. It's not just our trophy; it's also a great place to meet with friends in between classes and to enjoy the sunshine.
- Riverwalk Park. This is the best part of Columbia—outside of campus that is. You can quietly walk in a canopy of trees along the river, completely oblivious to the bustle of the city that's less than a mile away.
Quirks:
- Snow is very rare, but when it happens, the whole city shuts down. Don't count on going to school the next day.
- Every Tuesday, Greene Street, which runs through campus in front of the student union, turns into a farmer's market.
- Every year, the Masters Golf tournament recruits USC students to work the tournament. In just a week, you make a nice chunk of change and an impressive addition to your resume.
- Greek life is huge here. It's a great way, but not the only way, to make friends, have fun, and do some good.
- Saturdays are consumed by football in the fall.
Famous Alumni:
- Darius Rucker loves sharing some of his spotlight with USC, from his Hootie & the Blowfish days to his resurgence on country stations. Hootie actually photographed one of their album covers on the steps of USC's Longstreet Theater.
- Jadeveon Clowney is probably our biggest alumnus. Physically, at least. The 240-pound defensive lineman dominated the field in Williams-Brice stadium, which won him the top spot in the NFL draft.
- Leeza Gibbons, talk show host and three-time Emmy winner.
- Darla Moore, partner of the private investment firm Rainwater, Inc. My business school is actually named after her.
- William "Hootie" Johnson, chairman of the executive committee of Bank of America and former chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club.