<p>Yesterday's New York Times ran an editorial ("Colleges and Binge Drinking") that referred to a College Alcohol Study by the Harvard School of Public Health. According to the editorial, the study found "a strong link between heavy alcohol use and drinking cultures at many colleges, where there are heavily marketed cheap alcohol, high-volume sellers and weak enforcement of the law by the schools, states, or both." How can we get an accurate picture of the drinking culture at a college? How honest can we expect tour guides to be about this issue? Are there certain colleges that are known to have strong drinking cultures?</p>
<p>It used to be on the last day of exams in College/University. It was more like a tradition/ritual to get out, party and get drunk. I guess times are changing more and more now.</p>
<p>Pretty much every college, every weekend is a big party Thursday-Sunday. No one needs to be "honest" about it because really its just assumed. If you don't want to party you don't have to, and if you do then there are plenty of opportunities for you to.</p>
<p>Big publics likely have a large amount of drinking opportunities virtually every weekend.</p>
<p>Thursday night is Champagne Shenanigans, Friday night is Tour de Franzia, and then we all flask into the football games on Saturday and get drunk with the alumni. This is the way it goes every weekend in the fall.</p>
<p>Of course this is a fraternity we're talking about, but pretty much anyone who has the proper genitalia can come to our Thursday and Friday parties (and a lot come to all 3).</p>
<p>Why does it matter?</p>
<p>I think you should take it for granted that at any college, if you want to drink heavily you will find opportunities. At the same time, at any college, if you don't want to drink heavily you will be able to find other things to do. Yes, someone who is very easily swayed by peer pressure might face better odds at one school than another, but for the most part how much of a "drinking culture" is at a given school is irrelevant: people will find their way to whatever segment of campus culture they want.</p>