<p>I would hope they aren't crazy, since Stanford is a school full of, you know, smart (and sometimes nerdy) people, but I want to know for sure. I would prefer really small parties (20 or so people), where I know most of the people, and where we actually have some purpose (like playing video games), rather than huge frat parties with 200 people where the only purpose is to get drunk and make small talk. So what exactly are the parties at Stanford like?</p>
<p>My S is in NSO right now as we speak. He stated that there is absolutely no drinking going on. The school makes it very clear that if you are found with liquior you will be asked to leave the school. I’m not sure how strict they will continue to be but thats how it is now. I also know that when my S attended Admit Weekend there was no drinking either. Again, they stated that they would remove you from the campus. As for the parties. I can also state that he is having a great time. They have been going to parties every night. However, they don’t sound “small” and intimate. On the contrary they are for all 1700 incoming frosh. He loves it but he enjoys big or small social gatherings.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>OP: first of all, the word is “onomatopoeia”. Not to be a d*ck, but it’s good to know how to spell words you choose as a screen name. It’s also good to use correct spelling in applications to Stanford, if you catch my drift. 
We’re a school of smart and sometimes nerdy people!</p>
<p>There are all kinds of parties at Stanford, ranging from big frat blowouts to small spontaneous gatherings. And not to burst Dungareedoll’s bubble, but the liquor policy is much, much stricter during NSO and Admit Weekend than it is at other times. Most people who drink here do it pretty responsibly, but there are always some kids (mainly frosh, but some others as well) who overdo it. Stanford does try to encourage responsible behaviors though. And, there is no pressure to drink, in case you’re wondering. I’m not much into it myself, and no one cares at all. I have lots of friends, some of whom choose to drink sometimes, some who don’t.</p>
<p>@zenkoan: I’m aware of that. I purposely misspelled it (It’s a long story). And thanks for the info. So is it easy to just go to the small gatherings and not go to any huge frat parties?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean, OP. The frat parties are basically on the Row, so if you don’t want to go to them, you can just avoid going down there. Lots of freshmen do check them out, especially the first couple of weekends, but not everybody. There are always smaller things going on also. If you want to “party with purpose”, you can check out the huge number of clubs and find people who enjoy spending time the same way you do.</p>
<p>What I meant was, would most people think that you’re weird if you don’t attend any frat parties? Or is it perfectly normal?</p>
<p>Zenkoan: I was just answering OP’s question. I even mentioned that I wasn’t so sure that the campus would remain dry for long. I have never heard that Stanford is a dry campus yet on the other hand I have never heard that its considered a “Party” school. I’m sure there is plenty of underage drinking but thats to be expected anywhere you go.
I know this. The campus is huge and I’m sure one can find exactly what they are looking for, whether that is a crazy drunken mess or a sober video game gathering. Stanford has it all. Personally, I hope there’s a lot that sits in between the two extremes.</p>
<p>OP, I don’t think people would think you’re weird if you don’t go to frat parties. Frats have a presence here, but they’re really not all that big. Lots of students have nothing to do with the Greek scene at all. But it’s there for those who are interested.</p>
<p>Dungareedoll, no offense intended at all. I was just trying to inject a little realism there. Stanford is most definitely not a “party school”, but it’s not dry either. I don’t think there are really any dry campuses. You are right, there is a whole range of social opportunity here, and there’s something for everyone. And yes, most of it is between the two extremes.</p>
<p>Dungareedoll: “Personally, I hope there’s a lot that sits in between the two extremes.” How is a sober video game gathering an extreme? I would consider the extreme on that end to be spending every weekend alone. I would say a sober (insert activity here) gathering would be pretty close to the middle, leaning more towards the calm side rather than crazy side. And I for one wouldn’t really want to do anything crazier than a sober (insert activity here) gathering. EDIT: (addressed to Zenkoan) Also, what exactly is in between the “video game gathering” and the “drunken mess” that apparently are the more common things to take part in?</p>
<p>Sorry Onamatapia I would just naturally think that the opposite of drunk is sober, hence they are extremes. Of courses thats just the way I see it. In any case, my S knows kids that love to party but don’t actually drink, he also knows kids that will drink responsibly and those that will probably get fairly toasted every weekend. Stanford, like everything else on the campus, has it all. Its up to you to find your niche. I’m sure you can do that at Stanford, just as well as any other college. That’s the nice part about college life I think kids are just more open minded about things. They won’t necessarily stop doing what they like for you, but they don’t care what you do either. They are more accepting of people’s differences. Its all part of the maturation process and it becomes very apparent in college. You’ll be fine. Good Luck!</p>
<p>OP, there are really too many different kinds of social/party things to describe them all. But obviously, not all parties that happen to have alcohol available at them descend into a “crazy drunken mess”–in fact, pretty few of them do. People party in their dorms, at dinners hosted by all kinds of clubs and groups, at house parties, at dances, etc. etc. Sometimes even gamers have beer at their gatherings. 
And CS coding parties have been known to involve the occasional shot. As I said above, though, there are plenty of non-drinkers around here, and nobody cares if someone else chooses not to drink.</p>
<p>I still don’t understand why a college full of smart people, like Stanford, would have any crazy frat parties at all. I mean, take all of the really smart 4.0+ people at my high school. None of us drink. None of us like to party. Since Stanford is basically made up of people with grades like us, I would expect basically everyone at Stanford to not drink and to not like to party. (at least the second one) But this isn’t true. Why?</p>
<p>Stanford prides themselves on uniqueness and individuality. The student body isn’t a bunch of cookie cutter grossly intelligent kids who just study 24/7. I’m actually pretty impressed with what I have heard so far from my own S and Zenkoan. It sounds to me that the drinking is extremely controlled. Realisticly speaking, I would rather hear that kids are drinking responsibly rather than drinking themselves into drunken stupors. In the perfect world I guess it would be great if no one drank at all. But the world isn’t perfect. Again, I realize that there are all types but as a whole this appears to be better than what we saw and have heard of at many other universities. If you don’t want to drink thats fine. Be secure enough with your own convictions that you don’t need to impose it on others. Like Zenkoan said I’m pretty sure you can find your niche. But don’t expect for everyone to change to accommodate you either. Thats just not going to happen anywhere. </p>
<p>For what its worth, out of all those smart kids that you mentioned, maybe 1 will be accepted to Stanford. Again, thats just to show you that Stanford is looking for all different types. Variety is important. If everyone were the same life would be very boring. I hope you don’t take offense to any of this. I just think its important to accept people for who they are and not judge them. As a college student, young adult and now a mom of a college student, I too, I have never been a drinker, so I understand where you’re coming from but I also understand that others don’t feel the same, many of which were grossly far more intelligent than I. I guess variety is truly the spice of life.</p>
<p>I hope this helps…Again I’m not trying to be mean. Good Luck, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Pretty much everything people have said is on the right track. I’m a frosh here at Stanford, just finishing up my first week of classes. NSO is dry and they are VERY strict about it. Even if upperclassmen (i.e. over-21s) are caught publicly with alcohol during that week, they get in serious trouble. But once NSO ends things get a lot different. There are pregame type parties in dorms and there are large frat parties on the row. I’ve heard this first week is pretty crazy usually compared to the rest of the year, mainly because classes haven’t kicked in that much and everyone is just happy to be here. Every night this week people in my dorm people have been intoxicated in some form, but people don’t look down on you if you don’t drink or smoke. There are pretty much all types of parties here from sober hangouts to drunken ragers, and if you don’t feel like partying just close your door and things are pretty quiet.</p>
<p>To onamatapia, everyone here is super smart, but you’d never know it. What I believe the best thing about this place is the fact that almost no one here is cocky, elitist, or weird. Sure there are a few nerdy and geeky types of kids but most of them are pretty social and chill. After being here for just two weeks, it’s obvious that Stanford avidly looks for kids who are accomplished but yet laid back and not hung up on all the things they have done. Everyone here has something “amazing” about them, but you’d never know it unless you ask, because people here don’t really care about those kinds of things.</p>
<p>There is plenty of drinking and pot smoking etc going on at Stanford. I am actually surprised 'cause though I didn’t anticipate a “dry” school I certainly didn’t expect the level
of overdoing that I am seeing EVERY weekend. Being smart doesn’t mean you’re wise,and apparently we all have a long way to go to get to wise here.</p>
<p>I wish the folks in charge could find something better than tolerating it to a degree or two more then it deserves. Frankly, the students who are capable of enjoying socializing without being inebriated or high are suffering from the overindulgence allowed of those who seem to find a need to put themselves in a stupor. I am actually a tolerant person but it’s hard to see the options available when the dorm halls are hazy with smoke and the odor of liquor and beer. It sure feels like it’s listing to one side.</p>
<p>Thanks for the chance to vent!</p>
<p>Balance people , please!</p>
<p>Why do you think smart people shouldn’t have fun? Liking parties is not a bad thing and it is not something only for stupid people</p>
<p>Yeah, why is OP so smug about his immature tastes? If you know how to drink in moderation, parties aren’t really inferior to “sober video game get togethers” in terms of damaging your health and making you less productive the next day, and certainly sound like a lot more fun.</p>
<p>Stanford goes hard just like any other university. There’s no reason that just because you have the top 6 percent of kids they’re not going to party. But because the campus is so large you’ll have a variety of options to do. Having lived in an all freshman dorm, I’d say a large portion of students go out to the row on weekends, end up rushing , or having in house parties. Alcohol is definitely not taboo (other than NSO and admit weekend) and come the end of the year I started partying a lot more and having such a great time with even more students. But I can also say that I never worked as hard…the weekdays are jam packed with studying, meeting with profs, your activities, etc. but I feel like I definitely knew the right balance. Greek life has a good presence at Stanford, and even if you’re not in KA or SAE that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be good friends and hang out at the house. People come in from such different background but there’s something about Stanford that makes it a really unifying experience. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.</p>