<p>Well I'm English. And we start drinking from an early age. In some ways this makes alcohol less of a problem at college because we know how much to drink: we can have enough to be tipsy, but not much as to start trying to flirt with a a street lamp.</p>
<p>Most of us go to clubs at the weekend, pubs almost every day (British way of life) and we will have alcohol with most evening meals. We do drink quite a lot.</p>
<p>In the British Universities EVERY college has a bar in it. There is subsidised alcohol everywhere in the universities. The UK unis I've been accepted to are even sending me leaflets about Freshers week (First week of uni..don't know what you call it there) encouraging me to drink loads and "meet both boys and girls for drinks and maybe more". </p>
<p>So it's a slightly more drinking, promiscuous culture. If I get into an American University, suddenly I will find myself in a dry land. Or at least a place where alcohol is less freely available and once again, like when I was 15, it will have that sobering "What If We're Caught? edge to it. Now I know that freshman aren't that pious and of course there will be alcohol available. But what will be weird will be the sudden illicit nature of it all.</p>
<p>Are there any other internationals out there who have been surprised by this change? Or was it relatively easy to slip into sobriety?</p>
<p>If you go to a school in a large enough city then this will not be a problem, believe me. Everyone knows you'll drink and people are just as promiscuous. I'm not international but I've lived in nothing but extremely large American cities.</p>
<p>Well, I know that even in my tiny college town in Alabama, we all drink and no one ever pays that much attention to it unless it's like drinking and driving, or SERIOUS public intoxication (like falling over in the street drunk). The cops stand outside the bars to make sure no one gets in a fight and that's pretty much it. They only break up parties because of loud music, not underage drinking. I'm 19 and been drinking since I was 17 (my freshman year), and I've never felt like I was doing anything especially illicit when I drank. The only thing we had to be "sneaky" about was buying alcohol, so that's when it pays to know someone over 21 (or, having a fake ID but I don't condone those) but other than that, not a biggie. Technically, my campus is a "dry" campus, but that really just means they don't sell alcohol on campus. Plenty of people get totalled on football game days, and frats host parties on campus all the time.</p>
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<p>No, I'm just kidding, but I love British people! You guys are awesome and you have some very good music. </p>
<p>Re: your question: It really depends on where you go. The first thing that you should know is that not only is it illegal to drink under 21 in the States, but the laws are such that places who serve minors get fined heavily and even shut down, so there's a huge incentive not to bend the rules. You can actually get into trouble for drinking, not jailtime or anything but possibly a charge that will follow you around for a while. Again, that's dependent on the place.</p>
<p>Likewise, schools are all over the place - I know at some, you can be kicked out of the dorms for having a beer in your room (dry campus). The RA's listen at the doors for bottles clinking. Then again at my school, which is a wet campus, the only rules are no kegs and none in the hallway - pretty reasonable. </p>
<p>As for the actual culture, it's understood that college students drink heavily and nobody will think it's unusual that you drink. Come on, we invented frat/keg culture, and we listen to Soulja Boy - do you think either of those things are possible without heavy alcohol consumption? There will always be parties with a lot of drinking and other substance use. It's college. Or "uni" as you guys say.</p>
<p>edit: and getting it is really easy, no on-campus party will ever card and if you want to stock up from a store, just get a 21-year-old pal to do it for you</p>
<p>"oi we been drinkin pints o' bleedin porterhouse an' me best mate rodders had nuffa that there geezer so i kicked 'is 'ead in with me adidas trainers, chavs david beckham time for tea and whatnot god save the queen"</p>
<p>^^ jack4640 thats really funny stuff man :)</p>
<p>haha, crazy brits. sobriety is hardly even a word on american college campuses anymore. you'd have a harder time fitting in if you DIDN'T drink.</p>
<p>the only thing i can see being an issue is the disappointment that you will probably feel not being able to go to bars anymore (well, most bars, some dont care) and shows that are 21+. i've never lived outside the states and still get ****ed every time something i want to do is 21+.</p>