<p>Hi everyone! I will be attending Colgate in the fall and wanted to know a little bit about the social life. I know that Colgate is to some extent a party school, which Im certainly not against but I havent been much of a drinker or a partier in high school. I have seen some forums that say nearly all students go to parties and drink up to five days a week. Is this true? Is there enough activity for someone who wants to go to a party
only once or twice a week? I have no problem with drinking, but at the same time I dont want there to be only a handful of people who don't drink a ton.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! I cant wait to attend Colgate in the fall!</p>
<p>Believe me, you will not be alone at Colgate. Most kids are there to learn and get a great education, not to get drunk. My S is a soph and loves it and he was not a big partier in HS either. He tells me that there are many kids who drink, but not many who abuse it. The school is tough as professors keep him busy, so parties are pretty much limited to weekends. The posts that say they drink five days a week, have nothing to do with Colgate. Those kids will drink no matter where they are. My S got involved in many clubs and acitivies right away and found a great group of kids who will probably be his lifetime friends. My S went through the same process and could not be happier with his choice of CU. He is not a jock, but has great Raider spirit. Don’t worry, congrats and good luck.</p>
<p>As a current Colgate student, I can reassure you that there are plenty of people who only go out a few nights a week, or not at all. However, there are many many students who will go out during the week and many times 5 nights a week; this is not an exaggeration. But, no one is expected to party or drink and there is plenty more to do other than go out and party. A study was just done at Colgate to see how much the student body drinks and one of the statistics that came out was that 17% of the students at Colgate drink 50% of the alcohol. Basically, those who do drink, drink a lot, but there are many students who only drink occasionally or on the weekends. </p>
<p>Overall, Colgate has something for everyone as far as having fun and relaxing. We are definitely the best at studying hard and playing hard, but knowing how to balance the two.</p>
<p>I think it is very problematic when parents who have not been to Colgate try to respond to questions about the social life there. You are leading people astray by doing this. Even if you’re super close to your kid at Colgate, he or she MIGHT not tell you the whole truth, especially about socializing/drinking/partying. Please stop replying to such specific, personal, and important questions if you have not experienced it yourself. </p>
<p>Anyway, as a recent graduate, let me tell you what Colgate is really like, FROM EXPERIENCE. </p>
<p>Yes, some students drink 5+ days a week. I would say this is maybe 10-15% of the student body. I would estimate 5 - 10% never drink, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle, most likely 1-2 nights a week. </p>
<p>There are plenty of things to do on nights you don’t want to drink. Students hang out in their dorms and watch movies and talk or play board games like normal people. There are events on campus to go to, performances, etc. </p>
<p>Also please remember that you can go out with your friends to a party and just have one or two drinks. No one will notice or care, and you’ll save yourself embarrassment and hangovers.</p>