We know that the college decision is an important one. You're probably stressed, uncertain and maybe even overwhelmed. And that isn't even taking into account the challenging times that we are all going through with the evolving coronavirus or the effect it might have on your college decision.
With what you are going through in mind, we wanted to give you an idea of what it's like to be an undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing. Through written testimonials, videos with students, and photos from this past year at our college, we want you to know what it is like to be a part of our CEC family.
Scroll down to learn more about the student organizations, college events, research opportunities and more great things our college offers. And hopefully, next year, it's your smiling face being shown in these photos!
Become involved in world-changing organizations.
As a whole, the University of South Carolina has more than 400 student organizations, 41 of which are led by our college! Our organizations cover a variety of interests and disciplines. From building Formula One electric race cars with Gamecock GP, to coding video games with Carolina Ignites, or traveling all the way to Ecuador with Engineers Without Borders to help provide clean drinking water to local communities, our clubs offer students the ability to do almost anything.
So, if you join the CEC, be prepared to get involved. Get ready to work beside fellow classmates to make your big dreams a reality. And speaking of big dreams, how about the chance to burn down every Gamecock's least favorite mascot?
Build to amaze (and burn).
One event that really fires up the entire Gamecock community is the annual Tiger Burn. On this night, thousands of Gamecock fans from across the state come to campus to watch a 30-foot-tall wooden tiger go up in flames. But, can you guess who builds that tiger every year?
You guessed it! This past year, 30 of our undergraduate students designed, built and burned the tiger. The event is a collaborative effort between two of our student organizations, and offers all involved a chance to put their new-found engineering skills to use.
Interested in what it takes to build the tiger? Check out our 'Behind the Scenes' video below!
Conduct cutting-edge research...
With extensive partnerships that stretch across the globe, students in our college have the opportunity to do impactful, applicable research that prepares them for future careers in industry and academia. And, one of our main goals is to continue increasing the amount of research opportunities available to our students!
Just this past summer, we began our McNair Junior Fellows program. This program provided 22 students $3,000 each to conduct 12 weeks of summer research with a faculty advisor. At the end of the 12 weeks, students presented their findings on drones, underwater robots, and more at a university-sponsored symposium!
From designing Cocky's Cart, to working with NASA, we know the impact student research can have!
...that prepares you for great internships, co-ops and jobs...
NASA. Tesla. Apple. Boeing. With our own satellite career center in the Swearingen building and a CEC-exclusive career support team, our students have access to the resources needed to be employed by the top companies in the world.
We work to put our students in front of employers as much as we can. Every academic year, our college hosts two STEM career fairs that allow CEC students to meet with local, national and global companies. Last year, 148 employers and 1310 UofSC students attended our fall career fair!
The results speak for themselves. We are proud to say that the average starting salary for our graduates is $64,879, with some recent graduates even earning as much as $124,000 in their first year following graduation!
See our friend Brian standing in front of the beautiful Tesla? With the help of our alumni community (and his own impeccable merits, of course) Brian landed an internship with Tesla following his junior year. Now, this summer, he will be interning with Apple!
...and allows you to receive top-notch awards!
While we work to provide our students great opportunities, they continue to produce world-class results.
In the past year, our students received the university's top thesis award and top undergraduate award, first prize at the Siemens Healthineers international Innovation Think Tank competition, the Mitacs Globalink international research award, and top place at The Proving Ground entrepreneurship competition.
Our current students and recent alumni have set pretty high expectations for what it means to be a student in our college. But they have also paved the way for you to achieve more. Are you ready for the challenge?
More than anything, become a part of our family...
Over 18,000 alumni. 160 faculty. 6 full-time academic student advisors. 5 full-time career center staff members. More than 3,760 current students. Joining our college means more than just receiving a high-quality education. It means joining a family that looks out for one another and wants to change the world for the better.
To further help our undergraduate students, we recently implemented a new peer mentorship program. This program pairs all interested incoming freshmen with an older student so that the transition to college is a whole lot easier. In the program's first year, almost 250 freshman immediately learned the meaning of family. Hopefully, you consider giving the peer mentorship program a try!
Learn more about how our CEC family is shaping the future of engineering in the video below!
...that even in times as hard as these, finds a way to make a difference.
The coronavirus has presented us all with a challenge and has brought the world into uncharted territory. But, here at the College of Engineering and Computing, we have done our best to respond. Our faculty and students have used their expertise to develop ventilator expansion devices and face shields. Our alumni have led responses to the virus across the country. And our faculty and staff successfully transitioned all of our classes, including labs, online.
Times like these are scary, and there are still a lot of unknowns. But, our college is ready for whatever the future holds. Through a heavy investment in Blackboard Ultra Collaborate and a continued emphasis on virtual teaching innovation, our faculty are prepared to deliver an elite educational experience, regardless the circumstances.
If you want to learn more about what we offer in the CEC, watch our Academic Information Session and then sign up for one of our virtual question and answer sessions that we host three days a week!
We can't wait to have you join us in the fall!
The college decision is a big one and we know all the emotions you are probably feeling right now! To learn more about the CEC student experience, follow our Instagram account! For questions, email Stefanie Perrell, the CEC director of enrollment management, at sperrell@cec.sc.edu. And don't forget, registration deposits are due June 1.
We wish you the best of luck in the coming days and years. Regardless of what you choose to do, we'll leave you with a simple message all Gamecocks are pretty fond of...
Forever to Thee.