It’s the age-old question: Why’d you come to Clemson?
Every Clemson student from outside of South Carolina gets asked this at least a few times a week. Though no one gets bombarded with that question and others like it quite like the many of us from the great state of New Jersey, we are one of the top represented states in the student body at Clemson University.
“New Jersey?” *huge gasp* “What made you come all the way down here? How’d you find out about Clemson? Why are there so many of you here?”
I’ll tackle a few reasons now and let ya’ll know why we’re here.
1. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the U.S.
There are almost nine million of us crammed into that tiny state most people forget about in the north somewhere. That results in overcrowding, competition for everything and our feisty on-the-go attitudes. We’re just trying to get out and breathe for a change!
2. Our other options are plentiful but too conventional.
Yes, in the Northeast we have so many options for colleges around us to attend, but it also seems like there’s never enough! You can choose from either pretentious Ivy Leagues and city academies with super tough admission rates, small private colleges in podunk towns, or the colleges where everyone else from your county’s high schools typically go. The new and exciting energy of orange and purple must have caught our eye and reeled us in.
3. The tuition difference is very significant.
Clemson’s out of state tuition is expensive but it’s nothing compared to the cost of many schools in Jersey. Paying in state to go to Rutgers University in New Jersey is still slightly more expensive than paying out of state for Clemson. Not to mention, universities in Pennsylvania or New York’s urban areas are at least double Clemson’s tuition. So coming down to the South is a bargain for sure!
4. We were craving a lifestyle switch.
We’ll be New Jerseyans till the end, but if we came this far to South Carolina we obviously wanted to experience something different. We know the Northeast down to a tee, so why not scope out the South for a change? For the time being we’ll swap out bagels and pizza to try some real barbeque (that’s not Famous Daves). We’ll let ourselves be smothered with southern hospitality and have a real rural college town experience. We knew what we were getting into; we wanted this!
5. Clemson is just the best!
Clemson has so much to offer: the great weather, the top rated academics, the championship football program, the school spirit, the perfect size, the Clemson family, the pimento cheese, the alumni network, the hundreds of clubs and organizations and the solid reputation all wrapped up into one beautiful campus. Clemson has it all. Being from New Jersey, of course we have high expectations. We know it all, so we certainly know the best when we see it in Clemson.
Bada bing, bada boom!