Is it hard to make friends if you don't drink/go to parties?

For religious reasons, I can’t drink nor go to parties where there is alcohol, even if I’m not drinking. Will it be hard to find friends?

Nope. You can make friends with your classmates or student organizations. It may take effort to find people who share your views or beliefs, but they are there in college.

@smallkid9 is right- even at hard party schools you can find fellow travelers. Look for “wellness” or “substance free” housing- pretty much all colleges have them these days.

Goodness no. Not everyone parties. Join some student organizations, get to know people in your dorm (if you live on campus) and there will be non-partiers.

Might depend more on you than on what you do. I have trouble making friends and I don’t think I’d be faring any better if I partied.

I personally found that most people at my college do party and drink. It’s difficult to find people who don’t, but not impossible. While I do drink (although only on weekends), I never go to clubs because I just absolutely hate it…Most people at college age do go to clubs and parties, which doesn’t mean that everyone does and it’s certainly possible to still make friends with similar interests. However, they are relatively rare (although it could be totally different at your University…)

I’m kind of in the same boat as bodangles, though I do personally think it would be easier if I partied. I’ve found that a lot of outings run by student groups (things like launch parties) do tend to have alcohol present, which might make things difficult for you. Not impossible, just a bit more challenging.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1808143-having-trouble-adjusting-to-college-making-friends-top-10-things-to-do.html

Also maybe look into dorming in the substance-free dorm for more of a chance to find people that don’t drink.

My daughter just finished her freshman year, had a wonderful time, made plenty of friends, and never once went to a party or drank alcohol at college. She has nothing against alcohol, just doesn’t like it. She tends to be quiet and on the shy side, but it didn’t prevent her from making friends. She met them in the dorm, band, orchestra and her club. You do have to be open to letting friendships happen, and knowing that some won’t work out.

I don’t party, and had no trouble getting a solid friend group by the middle of sophomore year. Freshman year was a little difficult because I had a bunch of suitemates who did party and I was too shy to put myself out there back then. But it turns out that there are a good number of students that either don’t party, or don’t party very often, and I started finding them more sophomore year.

As a suggestion, try going around your dorm and seeing who’s around on weekend nights. A lot of times the people who aren’t out partying will just be hanging out, and you can find some like-minded people that way. This works better towards the beginning of the semester/quarter, when people are less likely to be in to study for a midterm or something.

In addition to everything above: even people who do party have friends who don’t.

Based on your username @NewVancouverite are you going to school in Canada? If so, going to clubs is probably more prevalent for your classmates than it is here since the drinking age in Canada is 18 or 19 in contrast to 21 in the US.

It depends on the college. Some schools parties and drinking are more prevalent than others, but at most colleges you can find students that do not party or drink or are interested in doing other things. The best way I have found to do this is through clubs. Sign up for clubs with a passion that you have, does outdoors trips, immerses you in a different culture, volunteers, connects to you on a spiritual level, enjoys the same hobbies as you do, etc. Comedy shows, writing clubs, food-oriented clubs, dance clubs, intramural clubs, academic-interest related clubs, book clubs, science fiction clubs, RA programs, and just randomly talking to people in your dining halls and classes are great ways to meet people, none of which involve drinking.

I don’t frequently drink in college and I still maintain a healthy, active social life. Actually I just left a party today so I could go back to my dorm and hang out with friends interested in other things because that is not my scene. And that is completely okay. So don’t feel pressured or feel like you have to drink in order to have fun or make friends. Plenty of students don’t drink, myself included, and find other things much more fun. Seek them out and your college experience will be just as rewarding and fulfilling as you have imagined.

No it’s not hard, if you want to make friends I would suggest joining an organization or maybe a sorority. A sorority is great to join if you want to build long lasting friendships.

There are lots of ways you can make friends without going to parties! While there are certainly many people who love the party life of college, there are others (such as myself) who don’t care if they ever set foot in a party. I’m not against partying, it’s just something that never interested me.
If you’re at all musical, you can join a music group. If it’s a particularly large or serious group, you may not have the opportunity to make friends, but it’s worth a shot and fun in and of itself. Pep band, jazz band, and smaller ensembles are good places to meet people if you play/sing well.
Another option is a club sport or PE class like yoga or swimming. I’ve found a lot of friends in the fencing club, since we are all a little weird anyway for liking this sport. This can be a fun way to meet people who you wouldn’t ordinarily see around in class, since clubs are often open to all classes, majors, etc.
Organizations for your major can be another good place to start, and can help you with your studies.
Before you go about joining Greek life, make sure to ask around, to people both involved and not involved in it, to see whether it’s the right fit for you and if it is, which organization would be the best. Most colleges have lots of options, and each has a history and probably certain benefits or drawbacks. It can be a great way to meet people!
You do not have to drink or party in order to have fun or make friends at college. You just have to be yourself and follow your interests when it comes to activities and you’re likely to meet like-minded people.

Great advice. OP, make sure you’re only asking people on your campus about it though. Just cuz your friend from high school has a chapter of the same org on his/her campus doesn’t mean they have any idea what the chapter on your campus is like.