<p>DDaughter got good news of being admitted to Rice, but we've read in numerous guide books about the wet campus and the prevalence of drinking on campus. Also saw in Youtube last Fall news from Houston about alcohol poisoning requiring hospitalization of several Rice students. Also, Beer Bike is a big ritual on campus. DD does not drink at all and needs to find groups of students who also don't drink. Would she feel ostracized, particularly in the close-knit college system at Rice? Thank you for sharing your candid views, particularly from current students at Rice.</p>
<p>I have been wondering the same thing a bit. I got accepted as well and do not drink. Personally, I don’t mind hanging out with people who drink, even enjoy it but, I just won’t participate. Designated driver status? Haha. Except I don’t want to feel excluded because I don’t want to drink.</p>
<p>While alcohol is indeed an enormous part of the culture at Rice, non-drinkers are not ostracized at all and there is really no pressure to drink.</p>
<p>I don’t drink myself, and I have many friends that don’t drink either. Although I’m frequently offered alcohol nonetheless, there is definitely no pressure to drink, and people think it’s cool that I’ve made that decision and stick with it. </p>
<p>That said, drinking definitely is a social lubricant and you do have to make more of an effort to meet new people (especially drinkers) if you yourself do not.</p>
<p>My daughter is not a drinker and has had no problems fitting in. (Not to say that she has not had a beer or two) It is very prevelant on campus- she told me there is a keg outside her dorm room on the weekends and there is a bar in the basement of her dorm! However, too reiterate- there is no pressure to participate and you are not treated any different. Kids at Rice just are not like that- they are accepting of who you are. Officials at Rice dont put their heads in the sand about college drinking- they are all over it having just put into place some additional rules after the incident where some kids were hospitalized. That was a big deal on campus and was addressed to all college students. When there is a party their are designated care givers who are trained to watch for excessive drinking and get care for those that do. They do not encourage it but know it goes on- if your child does not drink I do not think it will interfere with their education or life at Rice. I was nervous at first but started seeing how caring everyone is and realized there is drinking and drugs on every campus- Rice just addresses it.</p>
<p>My daughter is on the caregiver patrol. She has seen what excessive drinking does and it has reinforced the lessons she has been taught, drink responsibly or not at all. Most of her good friends are non drinkers and they volunteer to be on duty on the days/nights when heavy drinking is expected, like Beer Bike yesterday. Her residential college partied especially hard yesterday, after they swept Beer Bike.</p>
<p>Would my daughter want to go to any college other than Rice? Absolutely not. She loves it there and is thriving.</p>
<p>I am not naive enough to think drinking does not occur on most college campuses, but the fact that there are “caregiver patrols” since drinking is so wide spread and pervasive, disturbs me. While it is nice to know that students care about other students enough to keep them from killing themselves, I think this sets a precedent of being enablers for irresponsible behaviors and administration can more easily look the other way. Alcoholism is prevalent in this country and so is denial. I would not want to be part of any campus culture where alcohol consumption is a main focus and drinking is glorified.</p>
<p>A few thoughts from a current student (Bakerite):</p>
<p>First off, the reports about NOD were greatly exaggerated. Most of the students drank too much before NOD (pregaming) rather than becoming that inebriated at the party itself.</p>
<p>As for Beer Bike, yes, there is a lot of drinking, but there is a lot of support to protect yourself as well. Our college master Ivo sent out a Bakerite email the night before reassuring us that if you didn’t want to drink, no one could force you to. And in fact, there’s quite a few “safety nets” in place for Beer Bike, like a pretty hefty fine for your college if you were caught drinking on the parade route.</p>
<p>From O-Week, the colleges and advisors make it explicit that yes, there is drinking, and there is underage drinking, but that it’s not at all required to have a social life here. I don’t drink either, but I have plenty of friends, both those who do choose to drink and those who don’t.</p>
<p>and @marybee, at first glance, caregivers seem to be frightening, but caregiving and EMS actually demonstrate the culture of care that Rice has and what we have in place to ensure the safety of students no matter what.</p>
<p>Caregivers pass out bagels and cups of water at public parties and events so that drinkers won’t experience as severe of side effects. One of my friends here has a sister who goes to UT, and her sister was appalled and frightened that my friend was going to parties at Rice. Why? Because at UT, “party” means binge drinking at frat houses with absolutely no supervision.</p>
<p>There might be some level of enabling involved with the EMS and caregiver regulations, but you have to think, would you rather have your son or daughter go to a school that bans alcohol, only for them to possibly go off campus to unsupervised and unregulated private homes to drink, or would you rather know for a certainty that if he or she does decide to drink, there are people around, from caregivers to masters and RAs, to ensure that your son or daughter is safe?</p>
<p>^ You said it well! You said much better than I did, why I appreciate Rice’s wet campus. (and my S is a non-drinkeer)</p>
<p>@tpnels - no DD needed… parties are on campus. Just be a friend and help when needed.</p>
<p>Also the police reports were a result of those caring people erring on the side of safety and just sent them as pre-caution. Others have addressed this night/incident. </p>
<p>There are lots who do not drink at Rice and they have fun too!</p>
<p>Drinking is on EVERY college campus. Rice works to keep you/your child safe!</p>
<p>Well said Bakerite!
@Marybee333-No one said that alcohol consumption is the main focus of this campus and that drinking is glorified. That is such a wrong impression of Rice. Did you visit? If you saw the weekly newsletter about Rice you would see that Rice students are on the cutting edge of the latest greatest breakthroughs! Drinking is such a small part of anyone’s life there.
Rice is such a close knit wonderful campus that I felt so comfortable sending my only daughter all the way across the country at 17 years old and felt that she was so lucky to be included in the select class of 2016 at Rice. In my view it far outshines most Ivy’s and is one of this country’s best kept secrets! The residential college system is unbelievable in the friendships it creates immediately!! After 8 months at Rice my daughter loves it even more than when she first visited! Most kids believe they have found home and could not imagine themselves anywhere else!</p>
<p>jumpercable, I find your post alarming. I think it’s terrible that a college master would feel the need to send out an email reminding underage students that no one “could force” them to drink. Where are the adults?</p>
<p>My daughter is not interested in drinking either. I am curious about how the housing situation works. My D loves the idea of the residential colleges, but since she isn’t really around drinkers now, this is something she has started thinking about since visiting several campuses and witnessing drinking going on. Since you are randomly placed, how has that worked for the non drinkers here? Is there enough drinkers here that on weekend nights you are surrounded by drinking in your own “home”? How are rooms assigned? and roommates? Does the housing survey ask questions about drinking?</p>
<p>Rice housing is one of its’ biggest selling points. They are very careful with room and roommate placement, of course to the extent that students are honest when they fill out the questionnaires. I suspect a number of parents fill them out for the student or review them, which hampers their ability to be honest and forthcoming.</p>
<p>However… my S is a non-drinker and his roommates and suitemates and neighbors are all non-drinkers. There are “themes” to the areas in the colleges that each person is placed. None of this is “official”, but is the way things work. They don’t put quiet, studious students next to loud, head banging partiers.</p>
<p>Rice is one of the few schools that a student can be “assured” that they will be in an area of like-minded students, in regards to housing.</p>
<p>There will be a few times throughout the year where someone is “inconvenienced” by a party, but it’s not every day or every weekend. Non-drinkers are welcome to participate in the parties as well. </p>
<p>Attitudes change once a child goes to college. My S was very uptight about parties/drinkers, etc before he went to Rice and now he just thinks they are “idiots” (for damaging their minds with poison), but he acknowledges that people make choices. Their choice isn’t his choice, and that’s ok.</p>
<p>@siliconvalleymom These students (with few exemptions) ARE adults.</p>
<p>Crazymomster said it perfectly- there are certain floors that are party floors and certain floors are quiet. It is entirely up to you to fill out the housing questionnaire honestly, your RA’s spend a lot of time to make sure you are matched up perfectly with your roommates and floor. My daughter and her roommates, before the end of first semester, decided they would stay together all 4 years. That is good matching if you ask me! Please don’t pass up a wonderful university over this! Go to OWL Days and ask around if still worried!</p>
<p>MidWest - unless your child goes to a dry school (and by that I mean the schools where all the students sign contracts agreeing to not drink/do drugs etc) there is going to be drinking on every college campus. </p>
<p>Having said that, I can attest to what the others have said…my D filled out her housing form honestly (as did her roommates) and she was in a suite of 4 girls who did not drink, on a quiet floor of her college. She went to many parties her freshman year and said she never felt pressured to drink and she never saw recreational drugs being used.</p>
<p>I personally love the Rice concept of having peers/adults watching over the kids drinking in a non judgemental/ non disciplinary way. There have been far too many incidents on other college campuses of students binge drinking and dying or almost dying because no one would call for help. Rice assures kids that they will not be punished, making students more apt to call for help when it is needed.</p>
<p>My S is a freshman this year who does not drink. The roommate that he was matched to feels the same way and they have much in common. My S says that partying goes on every Friday night and some Saturday nights. It is rare on the other nights. He is in a quiet part of his dorm so is never bothered by it.<br>
Rice has SO many fun activities on campus that there are always great alternatives for non-drinkers. He absolutely loves Rice.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt anyone with a REAL drinking problem (I’m not talking partying on weekends) would be able to handle the rigorous workload at Rice.</p>
<p>Transfer student here. I’ve spent time at both a very inactive dry campus as well as Rice, a very active and wet campus. To get straight to the point, the wet campus is way better. No comparison. And this opinion comes from someone who didn’t drink at all during his first year of college. My choice to be a casual drinker now comes as I have realized that I am an adult and can be responsible for myself, and I think I do a good job at that.</p>
<p>If you’re going to choose a campus based on the perception that wet is bad and dry is good, you are going to be making a complete and utter mistake. I think this played into my original choice of schools, and although this was not the reason I left, it was a major negative factor to the overall social scene of the university. People are going to drink on EVERY COLLEGE CAMPUS, and if they can’t do it on campus, those parties are going to be forced to go off. With people going off campus, there aren’t enough people left on that are motivated to do anything, and you are left with a very boring on-campus social life.</p>
<p>I am not implying that because all of Rice’s drinking is on campus that to be a part of this social life you need to drink. Not at all. In fact, since drinkers and non-drinkers are all in the same place, go to the same parties, go to the same not-party events; there is a much more cohesive environment where your friends aren’t defined by who is going to parties, drinking or not. My friends are pretty much split down the middle. I love all of them very much and not once have I ever felt pressured to do anything I wasn’t comfortable doing nor imposed those actions on anyone else.</p>
<p>There are definitely people at the extremes (on both ends), and honestly, they’re in the minority. Most people on campus respect your choices if you respect theirs. Whatever choice you make, if you decide to be open, you’re going to have a great time. I love Rice so much and I can’t believe that I almost didn’t come here because it was wet. I encourage you to stay here for a night or two and see what it’s like (if you have the opportunity). I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about.</p>
<p>My D1 is a freshman at Rice and absolutely LOVES it and LOVES her roommate. She was not a drinker or partier in HS and (to the best of my knowledge) is not a drinker now. She attends almost all the parties and is having a wonderful time without getting drunk every weekend. She saw plenty of inebriated kids during the first week of school, but her floor is apparently one of the quieter ones in her dorm and she hasn’t had any major problems. She hasn’t felt any pressure to drink and there’s a “live and let live” kind of vibe. I think she congratulates herself a little every day for choosing Rice and can’t imagine herself anywhere else.</p>
<p>Drinking is a big part of the culture, though Rice doesn’t like to emphasize it. That being said, you are in no way pressured to participate in any of it (you can cheer for Beer Bike sober). I don’t drink, and I still manage to have fun and find my own group of friends who do not drink. It’s really a matter of if you want to participate in it, and if not, finding other ways to enjoy college life.</p>