<p>I heard that students at Colgate drink a lot. Is it because the school is in a small town and there aren't many other things to do? Well, I was just wondering how much of it is really true.</p>
<p>Yes and yes.</p>
<p>Kids drink at Colgate. They drink at a lot of schools. No, let me revise that. They drink at ALL schools.</p>
<p>D goes to a lot of parties. There is drinking. She drinks, but not much because she has a bit of an allergic reaction to alcohol. And she has fun.</p>
<p>Don't let the drinking business color your feelings about Colgate too much.</p>
<p>I agree with the above post that students drink at most schools. Best advice I can think of is either carry bottled water with you to parties so that you can socialize without feeling awkward, or only drink light (lite) beer. Stay away from shots of liquor.</p>
<p>There's a lot to do on campus if you don't drink, as well as "substance free" housing. If you don't mind parties but don't want to drink, there's no pressure at all to drink if you don't want to. There are plenty of options for anyone, no matter what their preference for alcohol.</p>
<p>Honestly, compared to some of the stories I've heard from my friends at other top schools in New England, Colgate can be downright tame...</p>
<p>Let's be honest people. Colgate IS a big drinking school, mainly because of the fact that Hamilton, although quite a charming little town (actually downtown Hamilton is comprised of 2 streets), does not have much to offer. If you care about good academics and professors, and won't be bothered by the school-wide obsession with alcohol, then by all means come here. but if you are looking for more diversity in your social life, and you don't want to choose between going to the same frats and parties every night and being locked away in a dorm room watching movies with other like-minded individuals, then don't come here. </p>
<p>Colgate IS a great university, academically speaking. but, if you don't drink, there are NOT as many other options as admissions likes to proclaim. Yes, they hold midnight movies at the theater and free movies in the Love auditorium at 7 and 10, but other than that, nothing else goes on. And as far a "substance free" housing goes, it virtually does not exist. </p>
<p>But don't let anyone change your idea about a school, come see for yourself. Talk to people, and if you fit in with the student body you'll be fine. But if you're looking for diversity, look somewhere else because that (although admissions will say the contrary) is virtually nonexistent in many aspects of life at Colgate.</p>
<p>if you go to **************.com I believe that one person puts it perfectly: "Two types of students will be happy at Colgate. The first type is the affluent jocky caucasian who wishes to get a respected degree while partying as much as possible with people in a fraternity centric atmosphere. The second type is the totally devoted student who does not mind having a very limited social life for 4 years."</p>
<p>looking back at what I wrote, I didn't mean to have a case of sour grapes. </p>
<p>A Colgate education will open many doors for you - there are soo many opportunities here for success. Also, many of the professors here are wonderful and have truly affected me in a positive way. I just strongly dislike the social scene. Then again, there are many people here who really like it. It all depends on YOU.</p>
<p>Some people may have the experience that you either drink or are bored out of your mind, depending on their social circle. However, having lived both in substance free and non-substance free housing and knowing many people that drink and many that don't (and having done both myself), I know that you can have a good time regardless of your drinking habits and that sub free housing does exist. They may not be as visible, but there are parties without alcohol, game nights, movies, concerts, sports games, etc. </p>
<p>Also, for those that don't want to drink but don't mind being around those that do, you're welcome at any parties, in my experience. People may offer you a drink, but I have never seen anyone put pressure on anyone else to drink. It may be difficult for people who rely on alcohol to have a good time to imagine having fun at a party with no booze, but it is surprisingly easy if you actually like the people you're hanging out with. Even if you do drink, you don't have to go to frat parties or bars in town... there are definitely options.</p>
<p>So what exactly does a big city school offer that Colgate does not? From my experience and understanding, most college students interact with their other college students. What do they do? Party, join clubs/ volunteer groups, sports, student government, etc. These are all readily available at Colgate. </p>
<p>What do you get from a big city. More choice of--</p>
<p>restaraurnt---yes
museums's --yes (I' sure college students go weekly, no monthly, errr, maybe never)
shopping--of course, that is why I am paying the big bucks
broadway--no, but I can be involved in my school's theater
concerts--schools often have, at lower cost, but less choice
speakers--colleges, even small town ones, often have the best, most interesting at no cost </p>
<p>My S has had amazing experiences (I believe not achievable at a big city school because it was not his major where majors get first/only choice.) at Colgate as a member of an extracurricular group. My niece, non-sorority, not big drinker, grad of a big city very elite hs loves Colgate.</p>
<p>Also, just to add to morrismm, my roommate went to NYC on Sunday with her English class. They went to MOMA and the Whitney, and on Friday night I saw Jon Stewart (1.5 hours of stand-up...incredible!) and that was organized through Colgate Activities Board (CAB). </p>
<p>And obviously there will be more restaurants in a big city, but in Hamilton we have sushi, Chinese, Mexican, wholefoods, Italian, two+pizza places, a local sub/sandwich place, and three "really nice" restaurants, plus the coffee shop. This weekend there was also free Indian food from a Syracuse restaurant for "Bangrha" night at the Creative Arts House. My point is, variety and choices are definitely here!</p>
<p>Could Someone please tell me how Colgate actually is (with more detail)? When I visited I fell in love with the campus and met some nice people. However all I have heard on the internet and in books is that it has great academics but, if you don’t drink, you ll be bored to death. Is that true? I wouldn’t mind going to parties once in a while but I don’t drink and over all prefer to do other activities. I also can’t sit still so I want to find a college where there is a lot to do. Is that possible at Colgate?</p>
<p>This whole drinking thing is a bit odd to me. I attended Colgate many years ago, and my daughter just graduated from Colgate. Yes, there is a good deal of alcohol consumed at Colgate, and just as much at many other colleges. I spent a weekend in Ithaca, New York I’ll never forget. Apparently there is quite a bit of partying at Cornell. Who would have guessed? And at most other schools. In my four years at Colgate, I did not drink very much at all and neither did most of my friends. We were hard-working smart kids with goals in life. We went to a lot of parties but we just didn’t drink that much. </p>
<p>More recently, my daughter and her friends did drink apparently a good deal more than I did (she’s not talking much about it to me!), and that’s disappointing. But she’s a big girl, has common sense, she made mostly the right decisions, and she got a first-rate education. Based on my experience, I’d say Colgate can be counted on to give you an excellent education – that you can count on – but there are the temptations of quite a bit of drinking on campus that you’ll have to deal with. That would be true at just about every other top school, too, I’m afraid. </p>
<p>I’m mainly a non-drinker and I managed to get through four years of Colgate effortlessly without (a) getting drunk even once, (b) or even drinking much. I saw a few of my close friends get drunk a couple of times, but it was pretty rare and more in the experimental mode than anything serious. At least at Colgate if someone does get drunk, they’re not likely to be doing any driving, so you don’t have to worry about that. </p>
<p>In my own Colgate social life, I sipped a few beers at a lot of parties. I was a member of a fraternity (highest GPA on campus – ahem!), had an active social life, visited many other colleges during my four years, played sports, and studied like crazy. And alcohol had no effect on my fours years whatsoever. For others, depending on their social situation and their friends, they may have had a very different experience. To be frank, I think a lot of people who describe “all” the drinking in college are the kind of socially-needy people who find solace in alcohol and end up hanging out with similar people and then project that experience to everyone else. There are a lot of frat parties at various times during the year at Colgate, but is everyone getting drunk at them? Not in my experience, but a few people are. Welcome to the real world, I guess. </p>
<p>I’ve visited many colleges, and I know many many students at colleges all over the country (I’m a high school teacher), and drinking is maybe the most fundamental (if somewhat stupid) student activity at almost every college – urban, rural, small, large, and everywhere in between. Including at Colgate. Choosing which college to attend based on whatever remarks you’ve heard from a few people about how much drinking goes on isn’t very scientific and may lead to wrong impressions. A person attends one college, so how do they really know there’s more or less drinking at Colgate? They aren’t likely to be experts in that area. </p>
<p>I’d be a little careful with anecdotal evidence My daughter just graduated from Colgate, and seems to have done a good deal more drinking than I ever did in college. Did it hurt her? It doesn’t seem to have. She’s not really a “drinker” but she was young and she was experimenting, and that’s what young people do. And doing it in a small town among friends may be less dangerous than with strangers in a big city with driving, etc. Not that I’m thrilled about it, believe me, but I always felt she was safe. </p>
<p>I once spent a long weekend at a well-known college in Boston (you’ve heard of it) and I don’t think I was ever away from the smell of marijuana for the entire three days I was there. It’s a really good school, but has lots of dopers, I guess. Not my style. I’ll just sip my beer very slowly, thank you. You’d be hard pressed to spend the weekend at most colleges and not find a good deal of drinking or smoking dope going on. These are young people, and they tend to be a little stupid, I’m afraid. </p>
<p>As for Colgate being a party school or a heavy drinking school, I don’t agree that it is. I just spent two long weekends at Colgate this past year, and I saw no – none – evidence of drinking on both weekends. Had it been a “party weekend,” however, that would undoubtedly have been different. </p>
<p>Yes, there is a “lot” of drinking among some young people at Colgate as there is at nearly every college. But since you have no idea what your child will do, it’s best to get beyond that and make your decisions on the many other factors. If you want a “dry” school, they do exist. They’re generally academically not very impressive, however. If you want a “less drinking” school, I really have no idea how you find that, and I do think you end up relying on not-very-accurate anecdotal evidence. You’d almost have to live at the college for weeks to know for sure, and who can do that? I think you have to make your choice based on information you can trust about academics, reputation, athletics, scholarships and so on, and not on a few people’s claims.</p>
<p>S belonged to a fraternity that had brothers that did not drink, had brothers that where other than white males and had brothers that were gay, ie very diverse and accepting. Probably considered the nerdy frat. Obviously the non drinkers were not required to drink for rush.</p>
<p>My niece graduated from Colgate in 2005 or 06. She is not a big drinker and she was independent. She loved Colgate and still has a strong group of friends that get together regularly. Some were frat guys, some sorority gals and some independents. But they are close.</p>
<p>Drinking is big on most college campuses. But there is always something to do for non drinkers. Sometimes it is not drinking at parties where others are drinking. Nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>Perhaps the data was incorrect, but several of the college websites state that the MAJORITY of Colgate students are not involved with the Greek system. Somehow, they survive. </p>
<p>At the college I attended, 90% of students abstained from drugs and alcohol. They seemed to have fun on Saturday night, and could even remember doing so when they woke up on Sunday.</p>
<p>^ ^
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<p>[Fraternities</a> and Sororities - Fraternity and Sorority Affairs - Greek](<a href=“http://www.colgate.edu/campus-life/fraternities-and-sororities]Fraternities”>Fraternities and Sororities | Colgate University)</p>
<p>So I guess that means 70 percent of all Colgate students and 60 percent of all eligible Colgate students are NOT involved in Greek Life. In either case, that would be the majority are not involved in Greek life.</p>
<p>Further, I hope that no one is coming down with some social stigma theme associated with Greek life specifically at Colgate.</p>
<p>There are constructive elements to consider, after all, in such arrangements for those who choose to affiliate with the 6 fraternities and 3 sororities which are university owned and managed: camaraderie for those who live inside and outside the houses and their individual community service initiatives e.g. charity drives come to mind.</p>
<p>It’s important to consider each university’s residential options in context before bridging Greek life and “big drinking school” into a judgement call of some sort. As earlier posters have said, all schools have drinking as a matter of the age group- just as those schools did when their parents were growing up and through their college years.</p>
<p>Go 'gate!</p>
<p>A party weekend? Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that every fraternity at Colgate doesn’t have a party every Friday and every Saturday night? At my College there were at least 10 Frat parties every Friday and Saturday night every weekend except Thanksgiving and during Spring Break. If there are actually weekends with no parties at any of the Frats then not only is Colgate not a Party School, I think they don’t even understand the definition of the Term. At my School you had Fraternity Chapter meeting followed by a Monday night football party on Monday, maybe study on Tuesday, Ladies night with half priced drinks at all the bars Wednesday, College night at many bars on Thursdays, Massive parties at frats, dorms and apartment complexes Friday and Saturday night, Sunday sober up and recover. Are there really weekends with no parties at Colgate… really?</p>