Aaliyah James, Norwalk High School 10th grader, and Ashanti James, Brien McMahon High School 11th grader
South Carolina State University
By Aaliyah James, Norwalk High School 10th grader, and Ashanti James, Brien McMahon High School 11th grader
South Carolina State University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was the first of two schools on today’s itinerary. We woke up to beautiful weather and excellent made-to-order breakfast and eagerly boarded our chartered bus at 8:30 am and headed off. We arrived at a vibrant campus, and we were greeted by our tour guide Mr. Thomson. We immediately noticed the monuments symbolizing events in history.
South Carolina State University (SCSU) is South Carolina’s only public Historically Black College or University (HBCU). SCSU is known for the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968, the first shooting on any college campus in the US. During desegregation efforts, a South Carolina patrolman fired on a crowd of unarmed protestors at the head of the campus, killing three students and injuring twenty-seven others. This event is one of the least remembered in civil rights history.
Dr. Sandra Glover, Professor and Director of Leadership and Professional Development
South Carolina State University provides tutoring, coaching, mentoring, and University 101, a helpful guide to students. It was clear that SCCSU provides a supportive environment, especially throughout your freshman year, to ensure academic and life success. Knowing that people around the school are committed to you and supporting you is excellent and will give our families peace of mind. SCSU will accept students with a 2.0 GPA or above, plus other demonstrated strengths like community service and leadership. Tuition for in-state students is $5,530 per semester and $10,876 per semester for out-of-state students. An overall graduation rate of 37% within six years was concerning to us since we learned from our Carver staff that every extra semester it takes to graduate would increase the cost of your degree. SCSU has a retention rate of 77% which is higher than the national average.
The school currently has 2,300+ students enrolled. Classrooms are significantly bigger than expected, knowing that class sizes range from 15-35 students depending on the class. The student-to-faculty ratio falls at 16:1. Around-the-clock security is on campus. We were surprised to learn that in addition to buildings dedicated to college students (Betchal Hall – School of Business, Leroy Davis Hall – STEM education), there is the Felton Laboratory, a K-8 charter school. Like other schools we visited, SCSU has a study abroad program, but it was the only school with a nuclear engineering program.
SCSU is a Division 1 school for athletics. Many athletic opportunities include football, basketball, tennis, soccer, track and field, and more. Fine arts opportunities such as majorette, music industry, color guard, band, and currently, forty-five clubs and organizations are available to keep students engaged.
One of the many great traditions at SCSU is how it honors people and events in its history. In remembrance of the three young men of the Orangeburg Massacre, Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton, statues were erected on campus along with memorials for the twenty-seven others injured.
After touring the beautiful campus of SCSU and learning about all the opportunities, we believe that SCSU has a lot to offer a disciplined and focused student who will take advantage of the rich resources. SCSU is determined to create a center of excellence that transforms lives and inspires greatness.
We want to thank all who made this 51st annual college tour possible for us and our fantastic tour guide, Mr. Thomson, for inspiring us.
