<p>Don’t even worry, I was concerned about this too before I came here. Yes, there’s quite a bit of work, but that also depends on your schedule each semester. I put in anywhere from 0-6 hours of work most days + about 2-4 hours of classes and I’m doing just fine. People who do business and pre-med courses spend a lot of time studying. But it’s all entirely bearable in my eyes and I’ve already taken life changing courses and I’m only a freshman. It’s also wonderful because people aren’t cutthroat and there are consistently study groups working in the library and friends/classmates trying to help each other out. It’s just wonderful because it’s a competitive school but everyone wants to lessen people’s stress in any way they know how. It can be frustrating because grades don’t always reflect the level of effort, but I’ve never been pushed to think the way that I do here (and I went to a very selective private high school in the NE) and I wouldn’t trade the difficulty for anything. It’s all worth it. And because we work hard we also party hard.</p>
<p>Lancaster is an intriguing place. I think it’s great in a lot of ways. Central Market and First Friday are awesome and there are some really cool stores, nice restaurants, and great places for art and lit. It’s hard to feel secluded on campus when you have the city and NYC and Philly decently close by. Most of the negatives come from going out at night because the townies have been known to be a bit creepy and not always fond of the raucous F&M and Millersville students cause at night but I’ve never had any problems and haven’t heard about many. It’s just about being as smart as possible, staying with a friend or two and not wandering back drunk to your dorm alone. But during the day I love riding my bike around the nice parts of Lancaster, it really is a beautiful place. Lot’s of art and cute shops, I don’t see much to complain about.</p>
<p>Speaking of partying, there is absolutely life outside of classes. In fact, that’s one of the reason people work so much/so late at night, because there are so many wonderful people to hang out w/ that procrastination becomes a constant struggle haha. There are multiple parties every weekend and if you want to drink and hang out any day of the week you’ll find people more than willing to do that. However, the people are also so friendly and fun that it’s never necessary to drink and very easy to turn down alcohol when offered. People definitely know how to have fun here. It’s important to note that you’re not going to college in a major city however. Lancaster is cool, but it’s not New York City. People who complain about weekend life here are people who either don’t know or don’t think about the fact that they’re not gonna be clubbing every weekend in upscale bars or clubs. Most parties at F&M range from small personal parties in the dorms or apartments, to large parties in the lofts and frats. </p>
<p>I have met some of the smartest, most intriguing, involved, friendly, and hysterical people I’ve ever been around at F&M. The people here are so fun to be around and have so much to say. I could rave about the people here forever. It makes any difficulties worth it.</p>