<p>Anyone know if any of the following schools are particularly dry?
Or on the flip side, any where alcohol is notoriously common?
I know I can't expect any campus to be 100% alcohol-free; that's just fighting reality.
I'd just like to know, especially for the colleges I won't be able to visit, and finding this information elsewhere online can be a bit tricky.</p>
<p>Stanford
Middlebury
Harvard
St. John's College
Goucher
Allegheny
Swarthmore
Williams
Amherst
University of Chicago
Washington and Lee</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Swarthmore, and I think that although a smaller proportion of students at Swarthmore drink compared to the average, the small school size might make it seem like alcohol consumption is more prevalent. Lots of people go to the parties here, where alcohol is served, and get drunk in the dorms. I don't drink, and I don't intend to, but several of my friends do. Several of my friends don't, as well. If you don't drink, you won't feel pressured, and I definitely would not call Swarthmore a party school, but alcohol is there and you can tell.</p>
<p>Relatively speaking (and I do mean relatively), Swarthmore, Chicago, and Goucher are the most dry on your list. Not that they are dry in comparison to anything other than other mainstream college campuses. On the flip side, Middlebury, Williams, and W&L are known for being relatively heavy-drinking ("wet"?) schools.</p>
<p>A lot of schools have "wellness" dorms where kids pledge not to drink and most follow that rule. But by and large you have to choose good friends, be disciplined and otherwise ignore the drunks and party animals. Its worse Freshman year, then tapers off for a year or two, then it explode again when they turn 21. Its a sad fact of life. The biggest problem is having a roommate who is the opposite from you and abuses the rules and your friendship. Its a right of passage, sad to say.</p>
<p>So pick your schools, VISIT them, ask around and get the nitty gritty....not from the internet but from real people.</p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>p.s. most of the party animals flunk out or get really poor grades. To get good grades you have to avoid parties. Its very easy to find people early on who are the academic types and easy to pick out the trouble makers.</p>
<p>Washington and Lee a non-drinking culture?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA!!!
[My sister went there... it is an excellent school, but quite the frat party scene]</p>
<p>as posted before, amherst and williams are prob to avoid if you dont want drinking. The other ones I dont really no about but from what ive heard u of chi isnt big on parties. BYU im sure is dry. Basically wherever u go ull find people that drink and people that dont, and you will prob find friends that dont drink anywhere u go. Also, I think it's cool that you have chosen not to drink, but I was just curious as to what led to that decision and if you had ever tried drinking before. I personally believe that it is a fun part of college life and that you may, if you have never tried it, might want to. Obviously it is your own choice, and its never good to drink to a dangerous point, but drinking in moderation can be enjoyable. Also, in response to nocousin, kids who party and drink dont always get bad grades, i meen there r some that do, but it is def. possible to go to parties, drink, and still do well in school. I also want to say that even if u chose not to drink you shouldnt avoid relationships with those that do drink, you can still get along quite well, contrary to what it seemed some of the posters were saying. Lastly, even if choosing not to drink, u should still go to parties, they can still be fun, dont be one of those kids that sits in his room and plays video games friday and saturday night, u keep urself from having the kind of social experiance that makes college great.</p>
<p>What's the big deal about drinking? I don't udnerstand all these kids who are opposed to it. I do understand if you don't enjoy the atmosphere associated with binge drinking, such as debased frat parties in a dank basement. I also understand if you for some reason believe all people who drink will partake in this kind of activity.</p>
<p>But what's the big deal if you're hanging out in your dorm with 10 people and everyone is drinking? It's not a raucous evening. The alcohol simply adds to the flavor of the gathering. How can that be a big deal?</p>
<p>I'm not looking to avoid alcohol entirely, I just wanted to know where it was most prevalent, and where it was less so. A lot of you were very helpful in this regard, so thank you. Your help is very much appreciated.</p>
<p>patsandheels, I just disagree with the principle of it. I feel like people my age don't know how to have fun without drinking anymore, and it bothers me. There are several other reasons, a few of them private and I'm not really willing to share them, but mainly it's just that I've never felt the pull of alcohol. Most of my friends drink just to drink, or because they're bored and can't think of anything better to do, and I find it absurd. And also I'm a bit of a purist; I don't like the negative effects it has on the body. Call me naive or whatever you want, but that's just how I feel about the topic. </p>
<p>dontno, I don't think it's a big deal, but all the same, I want a campus where people realize there's more to having fun than drinking. That's all.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>^ this formula is just a bit oversimplified - I don't know too many state flagships that are exactly dry (U Va, Wisconsin, U Mass ....).</p></li>
<li><p>And along the lines of "dry," many schools that have a strict policy against alcohol on campus still often have heavy drinking student bodies. Here alcohol either happens in secret, at off campus frats/apartments/houses, or at the wet college down the road.</p></li>
<li><p>Most schools will generally not be so overwhelmingly "wet" that a non-drinker would be uncomfortable. In general, more urban places like Chicago, Columbia, Harvard may feel more welcoming. Although ......... remember that drug use (especially pot) at some of these same schools may be somewhat MORE prevalent. </p></li>
<li><p>Of all the colleges you're considering, I'd agree that Washington and Lee may be a bit too damp.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
1. ^ this formula is just a bit oversimplified - I don't know too many state flagships that are exactly dry (U Va, Wisconsin, U Mass ....).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I didn't say it was the ONLY way to reach that result ;-) But, by and large, the more rural campuses among top schools tend to have more of a drinking culture. Going down the list of top LACs: Williams, Midd, W&L, Colgate and Bucknell all fit this profile (and maybe Kenyon, to a lesser extent). When there isn't much to do in the surrounding area, students have to make their own fun, which usually involves partying.</p>
<p>"The last bastion of the Southern Gentleman who can hold his liquor and is damn proud of it...."</p>
<p>Swarthmore is a good example of how you have be careful in framing your question. It has one of the lower binge drinking rates in the country, well below the national averages. Very few alcohol poisonings. Yet, alcohol is probably more freely available than at almost any school you'll find, including at campus wide parties every weekend, Pub Nite on Thursday nights, etc. It's a great school to consider for someone who either doesn't drink or wants to drink moderately. There's quite a bit of peer pressure against the Animal House binge drinking nonsense.</p>
<p>Statistically, what you want to ask is the binge drinking rate. National average is about 44%. Anything above that is seriously bad news unless you like drunks. The low end of the spectrum is down in the 30% range.</p>
<p>Princeton Review ranks schools that party alot and don't. I believe W&L is near the top of the "party" list. I know they consume a lot of alcohol for such a small school.</p>