I have a colleague who went to a highly regarded LAC, one that is quite isolated. I’ve never heard anyone refer to it as a party school, but she says there was a very pervasive dope culture because there just wasn’t much else to do. So not quite the same thing but yeah, that kind of thing would certainly give me pause.
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I think that, even at schools that are not considered “party schools”, there are always parties to be found. I think that is pretty unavoidable, to be honest. However, I also believe that there are schools out there that have earned very bad reputations. I am a bit worried about the frat culture at some schools. My daughter and I have read reviews of every school on her list (e.g., Niche, Reddit) and we make the decision school by school whether it should stay or go. Fortunately, thus far, we have only taken one school off her list based on stuff we have read on Niche and Reddit.
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Question- when they say “party school”, does that usually/always imply frat culture is involved? Or is it a more general term? (I went to colleges overseas so Greek life was never part of my own experience.)
D26 said she’s got 1 of the “Why our college?” supplemental essay pretty much done and is almost done with same essay for a different college. Fall break is next week (YAY!). She’s looking forward to not having class for a week and is going to use part of that time to continue working on essays.
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FWIW I went to a school pretty high on that party school list (was back then and is now). And I did my fair share of partying. I also knew plenty of people who didn’t and seemed to have a great experience too.
All that being said - even though I had a lot of “fun”, I also graduated magna cum laude, had many opportunities for leadership and career development. It’s all in finding the balance that works for you and some times it takes a bit to find that balance.
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A different perspective regarding party schools (based on personal experience): I worry less about the party school reputation, because kids inclined to “party” and susceptible to problems as a result, will likely end up with those same problems regardless of the school they attend. I do, however, look at the supports and infrastructure available for students who are struggling for any number of reasons.
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“Party school” doesn’t always imply heavy Greek culture, although it can. In my head it just implies heavy drinking culture, both at frat parties and not. Or maybe just campuses where the social scene is lively.
The vibe of Greek life varies widely by school, so it’s definitely wise to look into it – and how dominant it is – whether or not your student is interested in it.
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At my D22’s school there is an on-campus EMS made up entirely of students, usually pre-med kids who are looking to get some experience. It’s a fantastic service, and there is some kind of amnesty policy on campus where if you call this service because you’re worried about a very drunk friend, they don’t judge or report anything (I think).
As a result, kids are not afraid to get help for friends who need it.
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Just patting myself on the back right now! CSS profile done and submitted!
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No, not necessarily. However, the presence of frat culture can signify heavy partying, and also the potential for criminal behavior, including against women and marginalized communities. I look for the prevalence of this type of behavior and how administration reacts to these types of situations.
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Common app essay finished!
C26 is deciding whether or not to apply to Pitt as well. It was the only non-art school in an acceptable state the counselor suggested that wasn’t already on their list.
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If they are on the fence, I will just say that the Pitt app fee waiver code is very easy to find. Just be sure they use the latest code (it’s changed each year for the past couple years). 
And this year, there is no additional essay required for Honors.
However if they aren’t applying TO, there is still the cost for College Board to send test results (Pitt requires official scores sent, if you use scores).
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They’re not interested in honors colleges, so that’s not an issue, but thanks for the heads-up about test scores. Definitely submitting SAT if they do.
I snagged a twin XL sheet set at Walmart today on sale for $5.98! It’s going into the college stash in the guest bedroom closet.
Couple of lessons we’ve learned from doing 2 move-ins so far with D24 (what we’re going to do differently for D26’s move in):
- rent a minivan instead of an SUV.
- wherever possible, take the stuff previously bought and remove it from its packaging so we can fit it all more easily into Home Depot/Lowe’s storage bins and/or IKEA-style moving bags and/or suitcases.
- if D26 suddenly decides it would be cool to own a guitar that she’ll never ever use, make her wait until she gets to college and she can buy it for herself there. And don’t let child bring the guitar home for the summer, where it’ll sit under the bed all summer unused.
- if D26 attends college OOS, buy bigger items online and have it shipped to the college if possible. D24’s college allowed this and a certain # of days before move-in day, you could start having things delivered. This is how we bought her dorm fridge. This worked out really really well.
- if we drive (not fly) D26 to college move in, use Home Depot/Lowe’s storage bins as much as possible. When they’re empty, they stack easily and will fit easily under the bed. Got this tip from a senior parent at D24’s college and wish we had done that for her freshman year move in!
I REALLY want to buy D26 a sweatshirt or t-shirt from the college that’s currently #1 on her list right now. Might do that for Christmas.
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Catching up after a long absence. I know a few students who went or Pitt for nursing and absolutely loved it. It was top of my list for D26 but she felt it was too far away from home.
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From experience, does anyone know how long it takes colleges to process the official high school transcript? My D26’s counselor send it on 9/25 & it’s not showing that it is processed in any portals.
One of D26 schools says “Please allow 7 business days for materials to show up as “received” in your portal”.
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Do it!! I think half the members on this thread have kids applying to Pitt!
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Long crazy marching band competition for D26 yesterday, with equipment breaking in prelims that kept them from using any opening background music, etc. They performed anyway, and it was a little rough.
And then they drew lots for a finals performance time, and our school was up first – less than two hours later. In that time, the staff managed to order a new equipment part, drive an hour round-trip to pick it up, and they got it working in warm-ups literally minutes before the band took the field again. No stress or anything, LOL.
That second performance was fantastic. Our tiny 44-member band (which is 7th through 12th graders) KILLED it. The next biggest band was twice their size, and the other 13 bands were giant powerhouses. What our kids do is naturally very different, but they held their own. I was so dang proud. They ended up placing 10th out of 14, but what’s weird is there were only 6 points between them and the top band. (We had never been to this type of competition before – I’m not fully grasping how the judging works.)
Next Friday is senior night, and then there is one more competition in October before the season winds down. How can that be?! I think I’m going to miss being a marching band mom even more than I miss being a chorus/theatre mom for my other two.
As much as I want college application season to hurry up, I’m relishing this time with my last senior watching her do what she loves!
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My cousin attended UCSB way back in the day partied really hard, did drop out for a bit then went back and finished. She’s a well known photographer now. UCSB is S26’s top choice partially because of the social scene.
When he visited Chicago they told him this is where fun goes to die and he had no interest in going there. And I get it. Who wants to spend 4 years of their lives just studying ?
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