I have read many a college forum post, and kids literally ( some of them ) make their college choices based on the party scene at the college they think they want to go to.
OK, I partied a fair amount in college, but it wasn’t like it was a major focus - maybe 3x per semester?
I’m not naive’ - I mean I do “get” that kids are away from home and want to spread their wings… but to actually choose a college based on the the ability to party seems crazy to me. Seems to me, that you can get liquor and drugs at any school if you look for it…
It’s just a factor some (not all) students consider. Some want big D1 football and Greeks. Other want a religious focus. Others care more about rankings. Most students consider the vibe of the school, but focus on a particular academic program. Cal Tech or Stanford? For many students the programs are both good but the student who picks Stanford might be looking for that D1 sports program or just a few more students or Greek life or all of those things. The student who picks Cal Tech may want a much smaller school with less of a party scene.
Agreed with the above poster. College is about more than just academics. You are going to be living in this place for 4 years of your life, you wan’t to make sure you’re going to have a good social life as well. Party scene was a pretty important factor for me because I wanted to have a fun, not just study all the time. Everyone has different things they’re looking for I guess! Like for me, saying you partied 3x a semester seems crazy to me because at school, all of my friends go out 3x a week!
Also, it’s well known that most college applicants are high school students, which means that their experience of the world may be somewhat limited. They don’t understand that, except for a handful of schools at which “parties” are both formally forbidden and actually forbidden, everywhere they go they can pretty much party as much as they like and find friends with compatible party interests. And also that when they get out of the binary party/no-party mindset, and out from under their parents’ surveillance, they will wind up choosing to party perhaps a little less than they imagine.
My kids looked for anti-party schools! But by her senior year, my D, who was of legal age, was doing a fair amount of partying even at her tame college. I think if I had a kid who was wild in high school, I wouldn’t pay for him/her to go to a major party school. That seems like setting them up to fail.
I think D1 probably went to 1-3 parties from Thu to Fri. She used to tell me that she had more parties to go to than she had time for and she liked it. D2 went to the same school, not as big of partier, but she went out almost every weekend night, but not as many parties. Both of my girls wanted a school with active social life. D1 was admitted to a school without as much of social life and she turned it down. That being said, they went to a rigorous school and both graduated with high GPA.
When I was in college, I went out Wed night, Fri and Sat night almost every week. We didn’t have classes on Thu morning, so it was a big party night.
@massmomm "I think if I had a kid who was wild in high school, I wouldn’t pay for him/her to go to a major party school. "
This is how I think of it too, which seems to be the opposite of most people. I think a school with a party-oriented student body is fine for a student who is diligent and good at prioritizing, but I would be petrified of sending a very party inclined student there. However, it seems like the serious students often avoid the party schools.
^^ and I was just the opposite. I was rather wild in high school (it was the norm at our school to go to parties and drink beer, and for some it was legal as the drinking age was 18) and I went to a party college. By my 3rd year, I was partied out and was happy staying home even on Friday nights.
You can drink alcohol anywhere, but the party vibe at University of Florida is going to be very different than at, for example Purdue. I don’t agree with your premise the party culture is the same at all colleges.
And then there are the threads here on CC from students who are academically dismissed after freshman year or who lose their merit scholarships due to excessive partying.
If you aimed that at me, in NO WAY did I say or imply it was the same at all colleges. I just said you can get drugs and alcohol at any college. I attended both Kutztown University and Florida State - clearly they are not even close to the same culture.
Depends on the kid, but all kids that age want to find their tribe. Some of them seek out geeky and nerdy (I would be guilty here). Others look to party.
I’m not sure if the OP has a question or just wants to vent. It seems obvious to me why a 18 year old guy who wants to party would choose the University of Florida over Purdue.
I think there are just as many kids who are trying to avoid excessive partying. That was a top concern for my kid. She wanted to have a social life but not be surrounded by drunks. She seems happy with the balance at her college. She just stays away from the lacrosse team. They are all at the same school though. The people who want to party will party.
