<p>I’ve been looking at bigger state schools to study engineering, like Michigan and Penn State. However, after watching the “I’m Shmacked” videos on youtube, I am truly scared. Call me antisocial, but I never want to be a part of anything like that. Is that what the college experience is like nowadays? Are tech schools, like Case and RIT, like that? I know there is a lot of greek life at these universities. What should I do?
Please help me. I’m seriously reconsidering going to college after learning this.</p>
<p>I feel bad for you. I understand that you’re a student/person who cares about their academics, but by reading your post, I feel as if that’s all you care about and it’s simply sad.</p>
<p>This may sound weird, but life is more than book smarts. Sometimes connections can be made through greek life as well as these parties that you deem horrific.</p>
<p>That’s what the college experience is like for some people.
You do realize you don’t have to go to any parties if you don’t want to. That there will be people just like you ,for you to socialize and make friends with.
Don’t fear college just because of what other students are doing. You are there for you. You can pick your own crowd of friends.
Parties like in those videos will happen while you’re there. But it’s you’re choice to go or not.
But you seem completely uninterested and if so that’s good for you.</p>
<p>lol well what did you expect ? Yes go to a small tech school to avoid this or an extremely religious school.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not even the OP, and, objectively, I found this tone to be insultingly patronizing.</p>
<p>So a person who is disgusted by the over-the-top party scene is to be pitied? </p>
<p>No - such a person is to be admired. </p>
<p>OP, as a previous poster has said, there are non-parties at almost every school. Don’t freak out over a YouTube video that makes it seem like wild parties are a required part of college life. You can choose to party - or not. It’s a choice, not a requirement.</p>
<p>^ I would hope that they would neither be pitied nor admired.</p>
<p>OP, you can choose to party or not wherever you go. Don’t let that effect where you appl/attend.</p>
<p>Yep, no one can force you to go to a crazy party. The great thing about bigger schools is that there’s more people - so if there’s one crowd you don’t feel comfortable hanging out with, there’s plenty other friends out there for you to make.</p>
<p>Yikes! You should know by now that what you see on Youtube is **NOT **representative of reality! No one will shoot funny videos of students studying in the library or doing their homework in their dorms and post it on Youtube. It’s not that funny or entertaining! It is the stupid idiotic behavior that is broadcast to the world.</p>
<p>My son was also trying to avoid drunken idiots in choosing a school. It is a noble goal :-)</p>
<p>Bottom line: 1 - there are some kids who think college is a 4 or 5 year party. They exist on almost every college campus in the U.S. But their percentage of the total student population varies from school to school. You can’t always tell by those “top 10 party school” lists on Princeton Review. Even nerdy schools like Case and RIT will those students, but they have to be really smart to keep up with an engineering curriculum and partying at those schools and they are a smaller percentage of the student body.</p>
<h1>2 - Even at a big state university, the majority of kids are not getting drunk every weekend. The majority are there to get an education. You will have no trouble finding students who think like you.</h1>
<p>Advice - find the schools that are the best overall fit for your goals/finances/personalities. Visit them if possible, during the school year is best. Ask lots of questions of students especially about party culture.
At a state school try to get into the Honors program at that school. It will help bootstrap you into a more serious academic climate, and perhaps dorm as well. Look into substance-free housing options on campus. Join clubs, many of the non-drinkers spend their free time engaging in productive activities. Even a small school can have a few hundred clubs. </p>
<p>My son found that at his school the hard-core partyers were at the frats or lived in off-campus housing. He just didn’t go to any of their parties nor did he accept any invitations to join frats. Just “do your own thing” and you will be fine. </p>
<p>If you look you will see numerous other threads about this topic, debates about which schools are party schools, the role of Greek life etc. Some pretty hot debates too!</p>
<p>What schools were you considering? You might get some good feedback about their cultures on their respective forums.</p>
<p>Last I heard nobody has been forced to go to a party and drink. But it is nice to know it is an option if you change your mind later.</p>
<p>There are wonderful private colleges with superb engineering programs and not all of them are notorious fratboy party central animal house schools. </p>
<p>There will be party animals no matter where you go, even Harvard. </p>
<p>Its up to YOU to select friends and how to spend your time. </p>
<p>For suggestions try Lehigh and Villanova and Manhattan College, each with superb engineering schools. The latter two are Catholic.</p>
<p>Personally I’d be concerned about a college that did have any sort of partying going on, even though I don’t really plan to participate. It means that it’s either very strict or is a commuter campus/otherwise has no social life. </p>
<p>At any school with a large number of students, there is going to be a variety of people. That means that even in huge schools with “party school” reputations, you’ll find THOUSANDS of students who don’t party and plenty more who may but won’t pressure you to do so. </p>
<p>Kids who party hard are the ones who draw the most attention to themselves. No one is going to make a documentary about the honors college. I didn’t know what “I’m Shmacked” was, so I looked it up. I’m not sure how you came to think from those videos that all college students are like that, but it’s simply not the case.</p>
<p>DO NOT BE SCARED!!! There are plenty of people who do not drink in those schools. you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>And not only do you not have to party to have friends, you don’t have to party to have fun. Whatever you find fun now will also exist in college, whether it’s biking or programming or dancing or discussing politics or board-or-video-gaming or drinking or theater. It will all be there, and you can choose your friends, just as you can now.</p>
<p>You might want to find out about the dorms most known for partying and avoid them, or go to the substance-free dorms or something like that. If you end up in a bad dorm it can be a problem. But even if you do, 1) there will be non-partiers there, 2) you can visit your friends who share your interests.</p>
<p>thanks guys.</p>
<p>There are plenty of asians and christians at any big state school that don’t party, you can hang out with them.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hmmm, yes . . . but then I’ve also known quite a few Muslims who don’t party; in fact, most don’t as it’s strictly prohibited by their faith. I’ve also known some Jews who don’t party, even though their faith seems much more tolerant of such things. And some atheists and agnostics of all races and ethnicities. So I wouldn’t just look for Asians and Christians. You’ll meet plenty of people with whom you share common interests. </p>
<p>I also wouldn’t assume the size of the school correlates with the intensity or pervasiveness of the party scene. Some of the hardest-partying schools are small LACs in isolated rural locations; people say it’s because there’s nothing else to do, but it becomes part of the culture, and once it does, it might actually be harder to escape at a small school than at a larger one where by sheer force of numbers the interests and activities of the student body are likely to be more varied.</p>
<p>I’m still amazed by how people bump year old threads thinking that the OP will see their reply.</p>