Coastal Carolina Honors Olympic Medalist During Halftime

This past weekend was 'Family Weekend' at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. And, in a noteworthy moment Coastal Carolina olympic medalist Melissa Jefferson was honored during the halftime show.

Jefferson, a Georgetown native and Coastal alum, took home the gold in the 4x100-meter relay in the 2024 Olympics. She also received the bronze in individual 100-meter event. And, according to WPDE, Jefferson gives the University she once called home a lot of credit for her success.

The olympian said, "If it wasn't for the way I developed here, I wouldn't have these two medals around my neck, I wouldn't have half of the accolades that I do have. So, being able to come here and be reminded of what this university has done for me and what it means to me as a whole is always special."

Our son is about to graduate from Coastal Carolina University. And, I know he will always carry the memories of his time there. It's a special place that sticks with its graduates and helps launch them. We've encountered so many kind and supportive folks there. So, I'm glad it was his home for the last 4 years. As we reflect on the Coastal Carolina Olympic medalist being honored, let's look back to other famous alum.

Many who have passed through the halls of Coastal Carolina have gone on to achieve in their chosen field. My son is in the PGM program for careers in the golf industry. So, we're familiar with pro golfer Dustin Johnson who is also an alum of CCU. He went on to be a 23 time PGA tour winner and member of several USA Ryder Cup teams.

NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Brandon Brown graduated from CCU in 2018. And, Isaiah Likely, a former Chant, now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Plus, actor Michael Kelly who you may recognize from his role as Doug Stamper in 'House of Cards' attended CCU, as well.

So, it's nice to see Coastal Carolina Olympic medalist Melissa Jefferson honored. And, great to hear she gives it up to her time at the school as pivotal. A celebration on Friday at Spadoni Park also unveiled Jefferson's accomplishments on a plaque from the Student Government.

US News and World Report recently released their 2024 Best Colleges rankings. And in the national rankings, only two South Carolina Universities were named as the best colleges. In contrast, in North Carolina 16 schools were named on the list. Of course, this list isn't the be all end all. But let's face it, looking at colleges can be overwhelming. And having any sort of data as a starting point, if you don't know where you want to go or what you want to study, is important. I was lucky enough to know exactly where I wanted to go to school from a young age and was able to make that dream a reality. But many students don't know where they want to go or perhaps don't have the grades to get into their dream school. There are so many colleges across not only South Carolina, but the region, and nationally.

These rankings are undeniably just one of numerous things that should be considered when making the decision on where to study. Some students prefer a smaller institution, while others want a large college experience. Location plays a big part in the decision as well and of course affordability or availability of scholarships. So which two South Carolina schools are among the nation's best colleges? It's the two largest of course. The rivals. If you live in the state you probably have an opinion on which school is the best. Which ones ranked where? You'll have to keep reading to find out. Below you'll find information including enrollment and tuition for these as well as the SC schools that ranked regionally. Interested in another school or the full list? You can read that here.

Located in the college town of the same name Clemson ranked 86th on the US News list and was the highest-ranked institution in South Carolina. In the fall of 2022 Clemson had an undergrad enrollment of 22,566. Tuition is pricey at $15,558 for in-state students and $39,502 for out-of-state students.

Ranking just under 40 spots below is the other major state institution University of South Carolina. In the fall of 2022, 27,343 students called Columbia and USC home. Tuition is slightly cheaper than Clemson at $33,928 (out-of-state) and $12,688 for in-state.