The history of the rivalry between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina runs deep, dating back to the first football game between the two schools in 1896. USC opened its doors in 1801 as a business-focused school primarily directed at society's elites, while in 1889, Clemson was founded as an agricultural and engineering-focused college. To this day, the tension between the schools remains.
“I first got here as a sophomore from Clemson,” third-year public health student Harper Rice said. “I went through the sorority recruitment process ... I’m in Kappa Delta here, so that’s been really fun. And then starting in March of last year, I got involved with Gamecock Entertainment.”
Gamecock Entertainment is USC's hub for all things fun and free on and off campus. The organization hosts numerous events throughout the year, ranging from concerts to blood drives.
Rice was this year’s Homecoming president, leaving her in charge of hosting the week's events, such as Spurs and Struts and the Homecoming Pep Rally. She was also the emcee for the most recent Tiger Burn, a long-standing USC tradition of burning a large tiger before the Clemson rivalry game.
“I think just being a former Clemson student, it’s even funnier because I get to say, 'It’s time to burn the tiger,'" Rice said. "My advisors are having a really fun time writing the script for me to say out loud, but I’m just like, ‘Don’t let my dad see it, please.’”
Rice said she grew up a die-hard Clemson fan and was set on going to Clemson for the first 17 years of her life. For her, one of the hardest parts of transferring was telling her dad.
“I did a whole PowerPoint on pros and cons,” Rice said. “It’s really funny that the pros list was really long for Carolina, and the cons list was really long for Clemson, and so my dad was like, ‘Alright, I guess you’re ready to transfer.’”
Transferring schools can be a very challenging process, according to third-year public health student and USC Association of Transfer Students President Tristan Berry-Jones.
“I know some of the transfer students had a really hard time getting used to it,” Berry-Jones said. “They mainly kept in their rooms and didn’t do much or anything. I feel like if you do that, you just really have to break out of your shell, and I feel like that’s just any time you’re in college. As long as you’re out of your shell, you’re good.”
Getting involved right away can be difficult, especially when it seems like everyone already knows each other, according to Rice.
“I think it was just kind of hard, honestly, at first, because I feel like a lot of people knew each other from freshman year," Rice said. "Friend groups are already starting to get established, but I found my community in other places, like homecoming, Student Government and Kappa Delta. They’re all very welcoming."
Rice serves in Student Government as secretary of alumni affairs in the president's cabinet, in addition to her participation in Kappa Delta and Gamecock Entertainment. She has also helped other students to find their home at USC as a student ambassador for the school.
“I was as a student ambassador over the summer ... and we would do fun facts about us, and (being a Clemson transfer student) was one of them," Rice said. "I’m like, ‘Y’all are allowed to boo me, whatever. I hear it all the time.’ People here are very welcoming though because I was scared when I first got here, but most of the students see it as I made it to the bright side, or I made the right choice the second time.”
Some students, however, aren’t sure that choosing USC was the right thing for them.
“I feel like a lot of your country folk do go to Clemson, and being raised in the country, it just feels more homey to me,” first-year political science student Keegan Kistler said. Kistler is planning to transfer to Clemson next fall, she said.
According to Berry-Jones, the undergraduate experience is shaped by individual choices, and it’s important to pursue the place that feels like the right fit. For Berry-Jones, that is definitely USC.
“I think it’s so welcoming. I’ve met so many great people here, transfers and not, and I think they do such a good job," Berry-Jones said. "Even the teachers here, they’re so sweet, and they’re so accommodating to anything that’s happening. I literally love it. I wouldn’t change it."
Berry-Jones initially had planned to transfer from her small school in Connecticut to Clemson, but after touring USC, she said she immediately knew that she wanted to be a Gamecock.
“I feel like I’m way happier here than I would be at Clemson,” Berry-Jones said. “And I don’t think I could wear that God-ugly purple and orange.”