'It's a great place to be. I can see myself living here the next four years'

Kartik Bhardwaj's freshman experience may not be typical, but chances are that most students—high school or college—can relate.

As Carolina welcomes a new class of freshmen each fall, a series of events—some casual, some more formal—are on tap. At Cool off Carolina on Greene Street in the heart of campus, students eat ice cream, soak each other with massive water guns, and rock to local band Hot Lava Monster, featuring two USC alumni.

As a freshman in 2005, Kartik soaked it all in, literally and figuratively. “Honestly, I sleep a lot,” he said during a break from a water battle. “I'm a night guy. We go out, hang out on campus and off. Normally I'd be sleeping now (in early afternoon), but I got up early for some reason—I was hungry.

“So I go to the Russell House, which is really, really convenient. I ate there and saw this stuff going on. There's always something going on. Every corner you turn, there's a party going on. You always see people who want to have fun with you.

“The whole atmosphere—plenty of sun, plenty of nice people. It's a great place to be. I can see myself living here the next four years.”

Kartik is serious, though, about academics. He's an international business major with a Palmetto Fellows scholarship and two scholarships from the prestigious Moore School of Business. “Carolina has a really, really strong program in the business and economics area,” he said.

The University balances academic excellence with social and entertainment opportunities to provide a well-rounded student life experience. The Russell House University Union is the hub of many of those social activities, from clubs, organizations, and student government (Student Affairs) to free movies, visiting speakers, artists, and performers (Carolina Productions).

The Carolinian Creed grounds students in the core values and expectations as USC students. University 101 is a seminar class that helps students adjust by teaching college and life skills. U.S. News and World Report hails the program as one of the nation's “Programs to Look For” and in 2003 listed it No. 1 among “Programs That Really Work.”