koalaroo

No matter what, you should get your MA at another program. You can go back to UCSB for your Ph.D., but you may find that your research interests have changed and would prefer another program.

You should not go to your undergrad institution for grad school. It's academic imbreeding and career suicide. You need at least two different schools and three is prefered. You need to be well-rounded and you only get one point of view instead of two or three.

Columbia is not big and scary- I think it's just right, actually. There is not a "grad student" neighborhood per se, but quite a few live in the Rosewood area (google map the Publix on Rosewood Dr. for an idea of where this is) and near Five Points (which can often be a little undergrad-y). Looking across the river in Cayce/West Columbia is a good, affordable place to be as well as the Melrose Heights neighborhood. As far as sketchiness goes, I'd definitely avoid anything past the intersection of Garner's Ferry and Rosewood Dr...urban sprawl quickly becomes trashy out Garner's Ferry way. Anything north of Elmwood is also going to be iffy, I think. Other than that, I think it's a very safe city with distictly different neighborhoods and a laid-back vibe. Five Points is great for bars, the Vista has some great restaurants, and Devine St. has some really cute boutiques. There's a little independent movie theatre (the Nickelodeon) downtown, lots of good coffee shops, and two excellent used bookstores (Ed's Editions in Cayce has a huge selection, and the bookshop in Five Points has a friendly resident cat). It's not a very big city, but I'm from a relatively small college town and I feel like I've definitely moved up.
PM me if you have any specific questions.

I don't know much about the biostatistics program at USC, but I'm from South Carolina and can tell you that I would never live in Columbia much less attend USC. The town itself offers nothing and the school is mediocre at best. The international business program is the only program (as far as I know) that is boast-worthy at USC. If I were you I would consider other options.

Guys,

I did my grad school from Clemson, and I am originally an international student as well.

Few notes-

1) First of all, there is no racism whatsoever! You are in a beautiful university township, where there are people from every country you can name. So the atmosphere is quite diverse (this depends on the programs per se). There is definitely more diversity in the non-engineering grad programs and labs.

2) For weekend hang outs, yes definitely it is not like a HUGE HUGE university town like say Ann Arbor or Gainsville, but it is self sufficient in its own way. Fall season rushes by with all the sports happening and the various Frat parties , Homecoming, etc etc. It definitely is a HUGE football town. So tailgating and football related parties is a given, whether tigers win or loss. In spring as well, you have numerous events going on thank s the various grad and undergrad student organizations. The other advantage of it being smaller compared to other univ towns is that its cheap, especially the off-campus housing!

But a car would definitely help, if you want to drive all the way to Atlanta (2 hrs) or Greenville (1hr) for a weekend hangout. If you are looking for a good mix of fun, good acads, and fitting budgets, Clemson is not a bad place at all.

The state of South Carolina is not as bad as people make it out to be. Yeah, it's got its 'sketchy' or hick parts, but Clemson as a city and a university is a great place.