ADVERTISEMENT

Acceptance rates at SEC schools

BattleshipTexas

Well-Known Member
Oct 15, 2001
40,159
4,158
113
GIRhl1mXEAAXNeN
 
But according to the remarkable WE commercial, we have the most diverse student body on the planet. Priorities and all, you know.

Well we do- and that is important, especially in a state like South Carolina. The public "state flagship" should be generally reflective of the state population.

But, our acceptance rate is fine.

There is no reason a state public school should be super hard to get into.

With that said, we have plenty of majors that are much harder to get into than others which is the way it should be because some majors are going to be harder for students to end up earning a degree in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crazy Cock 89
I would also question the data here.

I saw a similar post that mentioned the cost of attendance and it was off.
 
Acceptance rates are a meaningless statistic. It is largely determined by demographics. For example, UF is located in a very highly populated area of millions of people. It only has so many slots it can provide but has thousands of students applying. Mizzou on the other hand is located in a much less densely populated area so it can admit a much larger % of its applicants. It's a numbers game.
 
Acceptance rates are a meaningless statistic. It is largely determined by demographics. For example, UF is located in a very highly populated area of millions of people. It only has so many slots it can provide but has thousands of students applying. Mizzou on the other hand is located in a much less densely populated area so it can admit a much larger % of its applicants. It's a numbers game.
I’m still struggling to understand why Miss. State has a lower acceptance rate than Ole Miss.
 
Acceptance rates are a meaningless statistic. It is largely determined by demographics. For example, UF is located in a very highly populated area of millions of people. It only has so many slots it can provide but has thousands of students applying. Mizzou on the other hand is located in a much less densely populated area so it can admit a much larger % of its applicants. It's a numbers game.

Yep.

Plus, a particular college within a university might have a much lower acceptance rate (not saying that's necessarily good). My 20 year old was just talking to the admissions folks regarding the business school at USC. They get tons more applications than they could ever accept and their requirements are higher than some other colleges on campus in Columbia.

Same for my oldest who graduated USC last year in computer science. When we visited, the Dean talked to us and gave some general guidelines about grades, test scores and flat out told us that if there was trouble in a particular math course in high school, it would not be a good idea to apply to the engineering school at South Carolina.
 
I’m still struggling to understand why Miss. State has a lower acceptance rate than Ole Miss.
The numbers bear this out as well. Starkville is in close proximity to Columbus and West Point. Combined they have a population of over 60,000, whereas, Oxford has a population of under 24,000. Additionally, Oxford is located in the Northern part of the state whereas Starkville is closer to the center of the state and is much closer to all the largest population centers of the state such as Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and Biloxi. Both schools have comparable enrollment of between 22k and 23k. It stands to reason Miss St would have more applications than Ole Miss, therefore, would have a smaller acceptance rate.
 
Well we do- and that is important, especially in a state like South Carolina. The public "state flagship" should be generally reflective of the state population.

But, our acceptance rate is fine.

There is no reason a state public school should be super hard to get into.

With that said, we have plenty of majors that are much harder to get into than others which is the way it should be because some majors are going to be harder for students to end up earning a degree in.
Does it truly reflect in percentages the make up of the state?
And secondly, why should that even be the goal?
The goal should be to graduate the best and brightest so they can improve society. That has nothing to do with diversity. In fact it would tend to hamper it.
 
Does it truly reflect in percentages the make up of the state?
And secondly, why should that even be the goal?
The goal should be to graduate the best and brightest so they can improve society. That has nothing to do with diversity. In fact it would tend to hamper it.

It doesn't have to exactly match. There is no such requirement. That's why I said generally reflective of the overall population. It will never be a match and I don't think that is necessary because some groups of people attend college at a higher rate than others- women attend college in higher percentages than men - especially now.

I find value in a public college generally being reflective of the makeup of the overall population of a state given all people pay -at least a small amount- to fund public colleges. I think that provides a richer experience for students, especially students - like me- that came from a part of South Carolina where nearly everyone looked just like me.

It's not just graduating. The goal for students anywhere (high school, college) is to learn, grow, mature, and of course graduate. For example, my son is- as I type this- working on a music audition for USC. He's not going to major in music most likely. But he desires to participate in several groups in the school of music. He's already good enough to make extra income playing with various groups in the community. He particularly likes a particular teacher at USC who brings a very different background to the instrument my son enjoys. Thankfully, USC has this teacher on staff because of their employment outreach so they can offer this experience to students. I barely know anything about it. My son loves that this teacher is at USC. He won't graduate, most likely, with a degree in music, but it has absolutely helped him grow and develop and if he can get in this group, that will also help him for the rest of his life.

Some people, like me, believe college is more than just studying and graduating. It is of course key to graduate. Too many people go and never graduate. I had too many friends at USC that attended and never graduated.

I don't agree with you regarding diversity. I found tremendous value in meeting different people from different backgrounds and learned a lot from them. I didn't really take time, at the time, to appreciate it. But I am thankful now that my sophomore roommate was an engineering student from Germany. A student that USC recruited through a program to bring students from different countries to campus. I learned a lot from him- and he probably learned something from me. One of our best friends that year was a student from France- brought to USC by outreach efforts by the university. I couldn't have known then that 30 years after graduating, my next door neighbor would be from Germany. We hit it off immediately and have become not only friends but also did some business together because of a connection I made with a German student my sophomore at USC.

I find value in that. You don''t. That's ok.
 
Last edited:
USC received a record total of 46K applications for the fall 2023 semester. Probably doesn't mean so much as many high school students apply to more than one college. But the growth of USC's student enrollment has been amazing. Every time I go downtown it seems theirs more private sector student housing under construction. With 900 students living at the Hub, Main St. is experiencing a renaissance. I can't imagine living in a coed dorm with a pool on top.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 67gamecock
USC received a record total of 46K applications for the fall 2023 semester. Probably doesn't mean so much as many high school students apply to more than one college. But the growth of USC's student enrollment has been amazing. Every time I go downtown it seems theirs more private sector student housing under construction. With 900 students living at the Hub, Main St. is experiencing a renaissance. I can't imagine living in a coed dorm with a pool on top.

And the juice ain't worth the squeeze for at least half of those students. For those,,
the cost of college, especially if financed by loans, and the lost income for four years Is not worth the financial benefit that comes from the degree.
Once people realize that this is the case, these student housing venues will struggle, enrollment will drop but society will be better for it.
Also, the first two years of most majors can be done online or at a tech school.
 
And the juice ain't worth the squeeze for at least half of those students. For those,,
the cost of college, especially if financed by loans, and the lost income for four years Is not worth the financial benefit that comes from the degree.
Once people realize that this is the case, these student housing venues will struggle, enrollment will drop but society will be better for it.
Also, the first two years of most majors can be done online or at a tech school.

It depends. Applications are way up at a lot of schools.

I think the most likely schools to suffer are the private, for profit schools that advertise so heavily. Public state colleges will always be pretty popular options.

My own son is doing the tech school option now- is in his last semester at a tech school before transferring to USC. He was accepted at USC right out of high school but decided to take the tuition free tech school route for his first 2 years.

 
And the juice ain't worth the squeeze for at least half of those students. For those,,
the cost of college, especially if financed by loans, and the lost income for four years Is not worth the financial benefit that comes from the degree.
Once people realize that this is the case, these student housing venues will struggle, enrollment will drop but society will be better for it.
Also, the first two years of most majors can be done online or at a tech school.

My daughter finished her two years at Midlands Tech then transferred and graduated from USC. Her USC grad school degree gave her a professional career. She never required a loan because she lived at home and commuted to class.
 
Hey there! As a student who loves writing and helping out others, I believe that acceptance rates at SEC schools are just one piece of the puzzle. While they may seem daunting at first, it's essential to remember that each school looks for unique qualities in their applicants. Don't let acceptance rates discourage you from pursuing your dreams! And if you ever need help with your essays or applications, there are great resources out there like https://essaypro.com/spanish-essay-writing-service to lend a hand. Stay positive, keep working hard, and trust that the right school will recognize your potential. You got this!
 
Last edited:
Never thought I'd see USC housing across the river in Cayce but they're there. A shuttle bus picks them up and drops them off.

The campus is so spread out now that electric scooters are really popular.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 67gamecock
I checked to see what Wofford cost these days and it's now up to $70,193 per year without financial aid. Their acceptance rate is 60% and almost the same as USC.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT