<p>What is it like to be a freshman at NEU? My son attends and is happy for the most part, but he tells me there is really nothing going on at the campus on Saturday nights-all the socializing takes place off campus and if you are under 21 forget about it.</p>
<p>He goes out into the city at night but would like more campus spirit and more available to do on campus.</p>
<p>Is he missing something or is this pretty accurate.</p>
<p>This just might be my impression, but most schools don’t have a ton happening on campus on weekends (at least during the evenings). Some schools, especially those with frat houses, are going to have parties, but the vast majority are going to technically be 21+ anyway (not that this is strictly enforced). Basically, I think he has expectations that simply aren’t going to be filled regardless of where he is attending school. Most people I know spend weekends hanging out with friends, whether that means attending off campus parties (which without fraternities, are basically the only kinds that exist), or just hanging out; I personally spent last Friday and Saturday evenings watching TV and singing karaoke with friends (though that probably says more about me then about the state of things to do on campus on weekends). If he is looking for campus spirit, he’s going to find it in the same place every student finds it at every university- attend sporting events whenever possible.</p>
<p>So, what if there are limited sporting events?</p>
<p>I think it just takes some time for freshmen to find a social group. NU upperclassmen usually live in pretty small apartments and have smaller parties (maybe 20-30ish people) so it’s sorta tough for freshmen to tap into a social scene outside of the dorms. I think it took me until around december to find a good group to go out with on weekends… before that I mostly hung out with the kids on my floor (but I was lucky because it was a co-ed floor with a lenient RA) or tagged along to parties with other freshmen who had connections. </p>
<p>It sucks that NU doesn’t have a ton going on for freshmen right away… I remember feeling the same way and there have been posts on this forum about it before. But, I think it just takes time, it’s only october and freshmen are still meeting each other and finding a niche. I think it’ll get better further into the semester/year.</p>
<p>Wiseguy you gave me a good chuckle! He is the kind of kid who would find singing karaoke on a weekend great fun!</p>
<p>He does enjoy so much-and he loves watching the football games in his dorms on a Sunday. I know he wouldn’t trade being in the city-but he is also a big kid and doesn’t have the same concerns about safety that I could see a freshman female having-and I hope that isn’t taken the wrong way but I think that is a reality-although he tells me campus security is excellent.</p>
<p>I can imagine some of this would certainly apply to most colleges-it is a tough adjustment.</p>
<p>I will add he has joined a couple of intramural sports which he is enjoying. I am curious about the sporting events too-does hockey season add more to the social scene at NEU knowing it is THE sport there?</p>
<p>I spent my last weekend also doing karaoke and watching tv… with wiseguy.</p>
<p>I’ve found plenty to keep myself busy. At some point you develop a group of close friends to hang out with.</p>
<p>I’ve also gotten involved in pep band, so I go to the sports games on the weekends. It’s really informal and a great way to hang out with people. If your son has ever layed an instrument, it’s awesome!!</p>
<p>There are 18+ clubs around Boston if you really want to go to one.
I don’t do much on the weekends, just go to my friends house and hang out.
You just have to look for stuff to do.</p>
<p>Just to update:</p>
<p>He had a great time at a hockey game last weekend and is getting better at finding things like these 18+ clubs-although for the most part he is keeping busy and really enjoying dorm life.</p>
<p>It’s just a different kind of school than the enclosed campus with more planned things or frats/sororities but he is figuring it out. Like you said meg you just need to look for things to do-</p>
<p>Yes he plays trumpet but hasn’t picked it up much in the last several months. He loced that hockey game though-he said he sat in the student section with the other freshman and was learning the cheers from the upperclassmen. It was the Dog something section.</p>
<p>He’s really doing fine-I posted more to see if other freshman or their parents were experiencing any adjustment issues about this-there has been some good info on here so thanks!</p>
<p>DogHouse. Although I really liked reading “Dog something section”.</p>
<p>Yes that’s it-the Doghouse!</p>
<p>Showing my age I guess. :(</p>
<p>He had a great time though-his first real experience of school spirit on a big scale.</p>
<p>This seems pretty accurate, for this school at least. Every school is different but NEU’s social scene definitely takes a backseat to the work-orientated nature of the school.</p>
<p>Being a freshman at Northeastern is really awkward. Having spent considerable time in freshman dorms at other colleges where my friends went, there’s just something strangely anti-social about NU.</p>
<p>This is particularly amplified in International Village. I didn’t even meet my neighbors for weeks. A lot of people already formed cliques at orientation or over Facebook groups, and never really cared to branch out. It was disappointing to say the least.</p>
<p>My son is in IV and didn’t know anyone prior to arrival. He seems to be doing OK making friends and doing things in the dorm-I think he may have gotten lucky with his floor? </p>
<p>Keep trying-I know he has met a lot of kids watching the football games on Sunday. He was on a Haunted tour of Boston last night and it seems that there is more going on lately.</p>
<p>I know he is a friendly guy and if he knew there were kids feeling left out he would be the first to go drag them in-so there are kids there like you! I do know his course load is much harder than he thought and most of the time he is studying and writing papers (or so he tells me)!</p>
<p>It is definitely a different experience for freshmen there than what he hears from his friends at other schools-but as more time passes he is finding he likes being in the city more and his friends are kind of getting bored with doing the same stuff on campus every weekend.</p>