Drinking and college?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Yooo, I need some advice on 1) whether or not to drink in college and 2) which schools would provide the best opportunity for a non-drinking social scene. I've never drank (besides accidental sips), and I have a few reasons for that:</p>

<p>1) I was raised a Seventh-Day Adventist (no drinking at any age). Although I don't attend its church anymore and go to a Catholic HS (where there is a drinking scene), I still tend to live by its practices since it's the "right" I've come to define. So even though I've been offered alcohol, I've always turned it down. I've thought about it, but it just doesn't feel right.</p>

<p>2) I am considered a very creative, outgoing person. I hate seeing people defer to alcohol to have fun.</p>

<p>3) I'm a straight A student, and also very motivated to do work in the profession I wish to be in (sports journalism). If I become a drink-in-my-free-time college student, I'm just going to be another student who's trying to juggle partying and surviving classes. I want to make a mark and be successful in life -- not because I'm uptight, but because doing what I love truly makes me happy.</p>

<p>However, there are problems:</p>

<p>1) I want to have fun. Not to sound like a prick, but I'm one of the popular kids in my high school. About 90% of my friends drink, but they know I'm not a partier, so when we hang out we do other fun stuff. However, the pressure to drink at my high school is no where near the pressure to drink at a party college (I'm assuming). I don't want to be always left out simply because I don't party. But I also want to stay true to my own values.. #PeerPressureSwag </p>

<p>I'm asking for advice and insight because the schools I'm considering are Northwestern, Syracuse, and Missouri. Northwestern, being a smart school, obviously would provide a phenomenal non-partying community -- but I am well aware that it's a hard school to get into. Syracuse and Missouri, on the other hand, are both well-known for their partying. You can suggest other schools, but don't bother if it doesn't have an elite journalism program like these three. </p>

<p>Anyways, HELP PLEASE. Share similar experiences, insight, advice, etc, especially if you have any with any particular college. I just want to make good friends and not feel left out/awkward. Any type of answer is appreciated :)</p>

<p>Jack</p>

2

<p>Bump me! Please, anyone!</p>

3

<p>You can have fun without alcohol in most colleges (some small schools with a heavy drinking culture may be unpleasant though). Not getting drunk will also be helpful in personal safety and security (in college and otherwise).</p>

<p><a href=“Studies on Alcohol”>College Drinking, Changing the Culture; describes the characteristics of colleges which tend to have higher or lower levels of drinking and binge drinking. But note that individual colleges may vary, so if an excessive drinking culture is a concern, do some investigation on each individual college.</p>

<p>Note that one of the characteristics associated with drinking is fraternities and sororities. You can check the percentage of students in them by looking at the college’s entry at <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com”>http://www.collegedata.com</a> under the “campus life” tab (some colleges do not report the percentages; some of these have no fraternities and sororities, but some do while not reporting the extent of participation). But note that some schools and national fraternity organizations have required the chapters to go dry.</p>

4

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

5

<p>Nobody drinks in college.</p>

<p>OK, that’s a lie, but I couldn’t resist. A ton of my family is Seventh Day Adventist and I do understand the discomfort. Very few students at most decent colleges (at least the ones I know) would pressure you to drink, and my old undergrad university, UCSB, while known as a party school has a ton of non drinking social life for those who don’t drink. I know this because UCSB has a reputation as a party school, so people ask about it to the point of accidental humor. There are documented TONS of students who don’t drink there and who consider the place paradise, including popular people. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>PS, whether being in a sorority or fraternity would be an issue depends on the House and on you. Some houses might be an issue. I had several sorority sisters who didn’t drink, however, and they went to dances and everything we did, and just didn’t drink. There was a bible study at the House and they were in that. I know a guy in the House I was a Little Sister to who didn’t drink, and, yeah, he was the ‘guy who doesn’t drink’, but fondly, and he was popular both in himself and as a designated driver…</p>

<p>You might not like other cultural/ceremonial aspects of fraternities and sororities, however. I can’t really picture my cousins in one, tbo. Unless there were a Seventh Day Adventist one. But what I’m saying is, I don’t think you will have a hard time finding fun without drinking.</p>

6

<p>Thank you for the detailed response! #SDAprobs, haha. Really did a great job calming my nerves.</p>

7

<p>Bump meh</p>

8

<p>Your situation sounds a lot like mine in high school. I was a straight-A student as well, friends with popular kids who loved to go out and party but never really pressured me or anything because they knew I didn’t want to. I really saw no need to drink in high school and I am happy with that decision. However, I knew that once I graduated, I was going to drink in college, and that summer was sort of a transition period for me (Mexico took my alcohol virginity). You don’t need to drink in college if you don’t want to, but it is indeed fun. All schools have a non-partying community. I go to Arizona and a ton of kids here don’t drink or party, you won’t feel pressured if you make friends with people who respect you. However, you should get used to going “out” to parties even if you do not want to drink, because you will meet a ton of people, even other people who aren’t drinking! I 100% support you to stay true to your values, that’s what I have always done - I just felt like it was time for me to experience new things seeing as I am in college and young! Hope you enjoy your college experience!</p>

9

<p>You can still party and have fun, but you don’t have to drink alcohol. Go to the party, hang out with your friends, just don’t drink with them. Have water or juice or whatever. You don’t have to surround yourself with other nondrinkers any more than you have to surround yourself with other people named Jack.</p>

10

<p>Thanks guys! Lots of reassurance here!</p>

11

<p>I have plenty of friends who party and drink, I have plenty of friends who don’t. I would consider myself to be popular with both crowds, and when I go to parties, I feel absolutely no pressure to drink. They are all too happy for me to be a designated driver. That said, I don’t go to a lot of parties with tons of drinking as that’s just really not my thing. Normally I’ll go with both groups to movies, bowling, 5Ks, white water rafting, school events, sporting events, etc. and we all have lots of alcohol-less fun. You’ll be absolutely fine.</p>