<p>I like the idea of joining a more social, slightly less competitive club team. However, I worry that something like the rugby team can end up being the organizing principle for a hard drinking, frat-like, semester long party.</p>
<p>If I really just want to play rugby, am I wasting my time joining the club team? Are club sports, in general, more known for their social aspects?</p>
<p>many folks on the rugby team just play rugby and do not hang out socially with the other folks, but part of the fun of joining any club is being able to engage socially.</p>
<p>also of note, some of the folks take rugby really seriously, so they don’t treat it as social first, rugby second; but a lot of the things they do for fun would be watch a rugby match in person, or see the rugby sevens at a local pub.</p>
<p>columbia is all about heterodoxy. there is no one way to do anything, no one right of passage. folks approach things each with their own take without massive social pressure to do things the same way. it is great, i love that about cu. it means you can make your own experience. but it is kind of disarming when other folks go to schools where you have to be a greek to go to a frat party, or be on an athletic team to be friends with athletes. and even if the dominant trend is for folks on the rugby team is to go out afterward, they wont look down on you if you end up doing something else, you just might not get as close with the guys/girls if that is the case.</p>