Hi folks, OP here…and have been thinking about this a bit more overnight.
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I agree with several posters who note that some campuses are more into the drinking culture than others. it is what it is. As an urban liberal, I’m not liberal in this area. That is, I just don’t want my kid attending a school that revolves the great bulk of its activities around drinking…it’s on my checklist of places to avoid (my money means my checklist).
and I agree with other posters who note that high school experiences and parenting shape attitudes towards over-drinking and drug use.
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However, i do think kids are shaped by their current environments.
In broad strokes, i’d see 3 types of kids here:
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kids who aren’t going to get into any drinking/drug issues on campus…they might drink some…but whether its through a combo of good parenting/good kid personality/or just plain dumb luck, these kids aren’t going off-track no matter where they attend.
then you have kids who are a handful (i know some of them in HS)…maybe it’s a parenting thing but i often think it’s more…well, actually, i don’t know what causes it…but we all know these kids. And in college, they’ll be even more likely to go nuts.
and then there’s the great unwashed middle…kids who look around their environment and can be influenced by what they see. here’s where i think that the culture created by the university and the current students and the attitudes of parents makes a BIG difference…
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thanks for the great insights…its given me a fuller sense of what’s ahead.