USCB Family Programs

As your student prepares to embark on their USCB journey, the Office of New Student and Transition Programs are dedicated to making this transition as frictionless and productive as possible for your student and their colleagues at USCB. There are many, many life skills that are helpful to master before college to ensure your student’s success, productivity, and happiness. We will go over several of them here and provide some tips to promote your student’s success in their transition into college life and living on their own. Below you’ll find pointers on life skills that many students may not know, plus a few considerations that may have slipped your mind in preparing your student for college.  

Home Care  

As students may be living on their own for the first time, it can become easy to forget what chores families and supporters might have covered, so there are some aspects of home care that students need to learn before living on campus at USCB: 

• How to do laundry, especially in smaller, in-unit washers/dryers. 

• Basic cleaning: Your students need to know how frequently their spaces should be cleaned, the importance of picking up trash/tidying common areas, and how to manage their garbage and trash.  

• Basic cooking and cleaning safety: Your students need to know how to make a few basic meals and how to store food safely, as well as what can and cannot go down a sink drain, how to avoid fires when cooking, and how to take care of their cooking utensils. 

Life Management 

As your student goes through this change, it is imperative that they know a few life management skills that will ensure their safety and lead them to professional success. Your student should know: 

• How to organize and take care of personal documents (especially school and work documents) 

• Personal information (i.e. Social Security Number (SSN), USCB Log-In Information, Bank Account Information) 

• How to schedule and change appointments (at home and at school) 

• How their health insurance works 

• How to mail a document 

Personal Care 

Your student may be living on their own for the very first time, balancing their newfound independence and college life, which means it can become very easy to begin ignoring personal care, so please teach and remind your students: 

• How to wake up on their own 

• Good personal hygiene habits 

• How to shop for essentials and personal hygiene items 

• Uber/Lyft safety 

• Healthy and mindful eating choices 

• Healthy and frequent physical activity 

• How to seek out support to manage mental health 

Financial Responsibility 

While your student may or may not be completely financially responsible for themselves at this time, please remember to remind/teach them: 

• How to understand their financial aid package (i.e. loan terms, scholarship renewal requirements) 

• How to handle a personal budget 

• How to balance work and school 

• How to be financially responsible with a credit card 

Academic Success 

Your student will undergo a substantial transition coming from high school into college. Here are some aspects of college that may be different than high school: 

• Some faculty do not accept any late work 

• Because there is less time in class, there will be more homework 

• The student is responsible for completing forms and processes 

• Each instructor has the ability to decide how the student’s grade is calculated 

• Students will be given a syllabus with all assignments, exam dates, and deadlines at the beginning of an academic term 
• Class is the number one priority. Students are not automatically excused for extracurricular activities unless it is an athletic competition.  

Time Management 

College is a busy time. Classes, assignments, social life, exams, work. While there is a lot going on, please teach and remind your students: 

• How to create a schedule for themselves and how to prioritize tasks. This can include making bullet journals, keeping calendars, or setting reminders.  

Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution 

Being in the college world will undoubtedly arise problems and conflicts that can be resolved in an effective, communicative manner. Whether it’s roommates, classmates, friends, or faculty, your student should be reminded: 

• How to create boundaries with roommates and friends 

• How to handle conflicts calmly and respectfully 

• How to write a professional email to faculty or staff 

• How to find answers to questions they may have 

• How to consider other points of view 

• When to ask for help and assistance 

What You Can Do to Prepare Your Student 

There is a lot that you can do that may help your student’s transition from high school to college, from living with you to living with others. Here are some tips for preparing your student: 

• Stop being your student’s alarm clock 

• Take them shopping and show them where they can find common items 

• Roleplay different scenarios around safety, conflict, and your student’s fears 

• Have conversations about empathy and differences 

• Make your student make the call, set up the appointment, and send the email 

• In meetings with Advising, Financial Aid, and Accessibility Services, defer to your students 

The USCB Family Newsletter is a resource to keep family members up to date about what is going on around campus and provides families with tips for supporting their student. The newsletter goes out monthly during the fall and spring semesters and once over the summer. You can sign up to receive the newsletter using our USCB Family Listserv Registration Form.

USCB Family Newsletter Archive

• March 2024
• February 2024
• January 2024
• November 2023
• October 2023
• March 2023
• February 2023
• January 2023
• November 2022
• October 2022
• May 2022
• April 2022
• March 2022
• February 2022
• December 2021
• November 2021
• October 2021

 

• Sand Shark Boot Camp Events over the summer with your student. We have sessions geared specifically for families and supporters. This will help you keep in touch with your student and their academic journey.
• Don’t forget about FERPA! Many family members and supporters want to find out their student's grades, ask about their student's performance, or check on their student's finances. Access to all of these is protected under the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), which places limits on the right to review educational records. Once students are enrolled, regardless of age, you will not have access to their educational information unless your student specifically grants it to you.
• Keep up with our Academic Calendar each semester so you can keep up with important dates.
• Remind your student of the great resources and services USCB has to offer.
• Where to stay- Beaufort County is a wonderful place to visit. Here we have listed some of our favorite hotels that offer great rates to our USCB family.
  • Beaufort
    Tru by Hilton, 3664 Trask Pkwy, Beaufort, SC 29906 - Type Code 3288419 into the Corporate Account Box under Special Rates
  • Bluffton
    Hampton Inn, 29 William Pope Dr, Bluffton, SC 29910 - Use Code 003150650
    Extended Stay America, 108 Seagrass Station Rd, Bluffton, SC 29910 - Call 843-936-8838 and mention USCB during booking
  • Hilton Head
    Hilton Garden Inn, 1575 Fording Island Road, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 - Use USCB Booking Link

• Glossary of terms- College is a new world with a lot of new lingo. Your student may come home on break and you may feel like they are speaking a new language. USCB has put together a guide of commonly used terms in college to help you speak their language.

  USCB Glossary of Terms

Fee payment dates and deadlines can be found on the Bursar's Office webpage. 

If the student has accepted all terms and conditions and has completed all necessary steps in receiving their financial aid, it will automatically apply towards the students tuition bill.

Yes, but a student will have to save their checking account as a saved payment method on their SSC account, and have the account verified prior to using the account to pay for tuition and fees.

Login to your SSC account, Select Account Information, then Payment Gateway, then select on Authorized users.

Handshake is USCB’s career management system. Students can claim their accounts, create their profiles, and search for job opportunities.

Your student can set up an appointment through Handshake in the career services section of their account.

USCB Career Services has resources available to assist students creating resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. These resources can be accessed through Handshake in the career services section of their account.

Students can set up mock interview appointments through their Handshake account in the career services section. Students may also take advantage of Big Interview, an online interviewing tutorial system.

USCB Career Services has many resources for students on the Career Services website. Be sure to have your student check the Upcoming Events page to be up-to-date about on campus and virtual recruiting activities!

Yes, all currently enrolled students have access to free counseling at USCB. Information about how to access Counseling Services can be found here. 

Our office of Accessibility Services supports students who are eilgible for accomodations. Information about how to register for accomdations can be foud here. 

You have to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you are eligible for Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, Federal Work Study and Student Loans. Many scholarships require a FAFSA to be on file with the school to determine eligibility.

• The Financial Aid/VA office uses the USCB Admissions application to determine institutional scholarship eligibility.  There are initial eligibility criteria a student must meet to qualify. These scholarships are offered until funds are depleted, usually by March of each year.
• All students can apply for the USCB Donor Scholarships. The online application is available in early January and closes March 1.
• Studentaid.gov is a great source for finding external scholarships. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/scholarships

You can view your financial aid offer on Self Service Carolina (SSC). Select Financial Aid> Financial Aid Dashboard>Award Year>USC BFT Campus>Award Offer Tab.

The Bursar’s office will make your bill available to view in Self  Service Carolina. To access your billing information, select Account Information>Account Detail for Term.  Once all aid has been accepted and requirements have been completed, aid will be shown as memoed/authorized. The memoed/authorized aid will reduce the amount of the bill and a balance will be displayed.

A parent can opt to apply for a Federal Parent PLUS loan at studentaid.gov. to assist with the expense. A private loan is another option.

The FAFSA is the application for Federal Student Loans .  There are two types of Federal Student Loans, subsidized and unsubsidized.

• A federal subsidized student loan is offered to eligible students who demonstrate financial need as determined by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on subsidized loans while the student is in school.
• A federal unsubsidized student loan is offered to all FAFSA eligible students. The interest begins to accrue once the first disbursement is made to the school.

Move-in day for Fall 2024 is Saturday, August 17th for all incoming students. 

Bluffton Campus
Resident's Name
13 South Campus Drive
Resident's Mailbox Number
Bluffton, SC 29909

Beaufort Campus
Resident's Name
801 Carteret Street
Resident's Box Number
Beaufort, SC 29902

Yes all USCB residence halls allow guests and overnight visitation. For overnight guests, a form must be completed (including guest vehicle information if driving), signed by all roommates and returned to housing 24 hours before your guest arrives. A "guest" is described as anyone who does not live in that apartment. Overnight guest forms are available in the Housing Office during business hours.

Cap & Gown purchases are handled through our Bookstore. A Grad Fair is hosted by the Bookstore, however students who cannot attend the Grad Fair may still purchase regalia online. More information about purchasing cap & gowns can be found here.

USCB holds a Commencement ceremony at the end of each Fall & Spring semester. Students who are finishing degree requirements in the Summer semester have the option participate in our Spring ceremony or our Fall ceremony. More information about Commencement can be found here.

Semester Honor Lists are posted on our website here.

FERPA stands for The Family Education Rights & Privacy Act of 1974. This legislation regulates the release of and access to student records. Under FERPA there are certain data that is considered Public/Directory Information and some that are considered Private Information. Data that is considered Private Information may not be shared with any individual other than the student. A student may grant access to an individual by completing our Release of Student Information Form. More can be learned about FERPA here.

Official transcripts are handled and processed through the Registrar’s Office at the UofSC Columbia campus for the entire UofSC System. Students can order an official transcript through their Self-Service Carolina. More information can be found here.