In the fall I will be attending Coastal Carolina University, which is a major party school. I am in love with the college itself and it has a great program for my major. However, I don’t like to party. I have been around too many people in my life who drink and do drugs and I don’t want to turn into them.
I have been in a group chat for the incoming class for several months and haven’t found a single person who has the same views as me about partying, drinking, and doing drugs. Every single day I get more and more turned off of going to ccu because it seems like they only ever talk about that stuff. I was just wondering if it would be wise to look into different schools and not go to this one after all, even though I love everything else about this school.
Have you posted on a thread specifically for CCU on this site? If you are saying that there is an entrenched substance use climate at the school then, yes you should find another. But I’d post this on a thread explicitly labeled “Coastal Carolina University”. See if that conjures up comments about the climate.
Well obviously not every person is going to be drinking and doing drugs and parties don’t have a mandatory requirement for drinking. I have a friend who always goes to parties and is around drinking but isn’t into it herself so she never drinks. She has a great social life… just no alcohol. They don’t have to go hand in hand.
Loving the school, but not the people who attend it, doesn’t exactly sound like a recipe for success.
@a20171, it is no fun at all to be around drunk people when you are not drunk.
@chey1235 the college you attend is nothing without the people. The students ARE the school. I cannot see you being happy in that environment. I strongly urge you to see if you can find other options. Having said that, there are nearly 10k students at the college, so maybe there is another way to connect with the kids who aren’t into that stuff. Surely not everyone is a partier. But if you are having misgivings, I think it is better to listen to your gut. You don’t want to transfer out after the first semester.
Are there other sources of information about the school? Social media is not always representative. You may be getting the slice of the student population that is more prone to partying. Have you had a chance to do a full day or overnight visit? Or looked at clubs and organizations on campus that might be organized around different activities? Are there substance-free dorms?
I don’t know anything about that college but as it seems to have many qualities that you like, I’d do a bit more research before crossing it off your list. If your suspicions about pervasive partying are confirmed, then maybe you should look elsewhere. as @Lindagaf suggests.
One wonders if people on the group chat want to appear “cool” and are therefore talking about “partying”. What DO you like to do ? instead of asking for people that don’t like to party, ask about people who like to play video games/ listen to music/watch movies/go hiking instead.
@intparent , even though I am an adult now, that is still soooo true. I am often the designated driver, and most of us are too “mature” now to get really drunk, but every now and then, it happens, and it is very tiresome. If I had to deal with a bunch of drinkers every weekend in college, it would make me insane.
@chey1235, have you been on the websites niche and Uni go ? Those feature student reviews. If would look up reviews on that school to find out if the drinking culture is pervasive. Far better to be forewarned. Becasue studetns do all of the ratings and reviews on those sites, you will get a fairly accurate student perspective.
At colleges that aren’t very rigorous, it isn’t just the weekends…
Even at ones that are, it isn’t just the weekends for everyone enrolled there.
I also suggest looking into a different school, but I’m sure you will find people who don’t like to drink or party. Even if it’s one other person, at least you two can find other things to do. If you are really against that lifestyle, I would look into a school that’s not known for being a party school.
I’m inclined to be less worried about a prominent drinking culture at a large® school, and MUCH more worried about a prominent drinking culture at an isolated small LAC.
What are your other school choices?
Do they have a “healthy living” house (i.e., substance free)? I would try to find out if there’s a community at the school who are more like you. I agree with the comments here about it not being fun to be around partiers when you are more sober but you don’t need 9000 friends. Actually, a small group of like-minded folks could be all it takes. Check out your options for finding “your people” before you jump ship. With that said, now’s the time to be exploring those alternatives.
Do they have living learning communities or faculty in residence dorms, those are more likely to be substance free. Also request a roommate who does not drink or use drugs and check into faith based clubs.
There are still many people that you have not met yet. There are bound to be people who don’t want to be involved in those sort of things. You will find them! Worry not
I was kind of in the same situation when I started college this year. Only I found out about how much people like to party when I moved in. What’s really really important is that you stick to your own values, and don’t let other people ruin your experience. If your dorm gets rowdy, talk to your RAs and/or the housing officials. It’s your experience, don’t let other people stop you from enjoying it. 
Coastal Carolina isn’t very good academically, either. If you’re having this many trepidations about attending, then I’d advise you to pick somewhere else.
May I ask your major? CCU has good science programs, especially with how close they are to the ocean
My best friend is a freshman there, and the partying isn’t as ridiculous as you think it is. Yes, it’s a party school, especially being so close to Myrtle. But you can find people that don’t like doing all that. You’ll be fine, Don’t let anyone persuade you from not choosing the college of your dreams because of this.
In hindsight there was probably a lot of partying at my alma mater. I didn’t think of it as “a lot” at the time because I didn’t have any frame of reference.
The math and sciences at that university were good though (and I say that in hindsight), and rigorous enough that the heavy partiers disappeared quickly. By second semester, in our major at least, it was trivial to find peers and have a social life dependent on neither hops nor the Peloponnesians.
So I’m thinking a STEM major at a mid-sized or larger school shouldn’t be a horrible thing. There are almost certainly going to be groups of people who have similar values.