Good Grades, but I like to Party

<p>I was wondering if anyone had any opinions or had some information about highly ranked schools that still offer a good party scene. I know many people say "you shouldn't choose based on how much you can party", but it is important to me. I never really worked that hard to make an "image" for myself to apply to college. But I did reasonably well on the SATS (720 math, 740 CR, 750 W) and I am 5th in my class at a school that sent their top 5 to Harvard last year. I want a good education, but I want to get hammered every weekend as well.</p>

<p>Penn has plenty of opportunities for partying and public transport is easy.....you can party in Philly/NYC/DC or Baltimore.......always something going on.</p>

<p>All I have to say to you is:</p>

<p>Vanderbilt</p>

<p>Hazmat... I am assuming you are referring to University of Pennsylvania... I am applying there RD.. as well as BC, Harvard (deferred early), Dartmouth, Cornell, Northwestern, and Georgetown</p>

<p>You are correct. There is only one Penn..........</p>

<p>Duke - kids are getting hammered constantly, and it makes absolute good on the "work hard play hard" mantra. The type of person you describe yourself as can describe the majority of people who go to Duke.</p>

<p>But last April when I was visiting colleges when I was deciding, I got pretty wrecked at a number of colleges - Columbia, Dartmouth, Williams, and Penn among others. The only school I went to but didn't get wrecked was Cornell, but that was because my host was in a substance-free dorm for some reason.Every school has a party scene, its just that at some of them they will be among the center pieces of campus life (Duke) whereas at other places it will be on the periphery from what it seems (like Columbia, from what I thought).</p>

<p>Urban campuses are less the focus for there are clubs in the cities and bars.
Most kids who party regularly don't need to get hammered to have fun.....it isn't so funny or fun when you are out on the town......really. More sophisticated partying is good too. Beer bongs aren't the only way to have fun.</p>

<p>DO NOT GO TO HARVARD!! I repeat, DO NOT GO TO HARVARD!</p>

<p>ooo.. I agree hazmat... I certainly enjoy other ways to have fun... and I am hoping to be relatively close to a city so I can enjoy all the perks...</p>

<p>You will have fun and love doing it.........what is your first choice? Boston is a great town to throw a few back.....there is an arts scene there and some fine dining and fun concerts.....sports......why not go to Harvard?</p>

<p>kcirsch... is Harvard really that bad?</p>

<p>DARTMOUTH!!! I'm a student there right now.... it's definitely a work-hard, play-hard school. I think I can sum it up by what a 07 (junior) told me last term: "At every college, students drink too much... but there is no other college where blacking and passing out is so socially accepted, and in fact, encouraged." A bit of hyperbole but still amusing. :)</p>

<p>Best of luck in your college search!</p>

<p>as I recall puking/p****ing on the president's yard is de riguer for Frosh ...... the rite of passage at D'mouth. Not much else to do really.</p>

<p>Yeah. I got pretty destroyed at Dartmouth and ended up having a bad day touring the campus the next day. The real campus at Dmouth starts after 10:00 pm from what I saw (and I only went there twice ever, once last November and once this past April). </p>

<p>Like most people are saying, just about every college has a party scene, though some are better than others. </p>

<p>Of the NE schools that you applied to, I will vouch for Penn and Dartmouth as great party schools.</p>

<p>Hazmat... I am from Boston.. which is kinda nice I guess. I applied to Harvard early because I was the top ranked applicant from my school who was planning on applying. I thought my chances were pretty good based on past years of my school's early acceptance rate with Harvard. I basically convinced myself that it was my first choice because I wanted to get in early, be done applying, and tell people that I was going to Harvard. Once I got deferred, I started to consider experience over name.</p>

<p>Wow you must be licking your wounds. Sorry about your result. Well since I came outta Exeter and have worked for two summers in Portland I can tell you I have had plenty of good times in Beantown. Now........since you are from the Beanery you should consider Philly.......it is quite a nice atmosphere. I hope you seriously consider Penn.</p>

<p>Well, I have yet to boot on the president's yard, but I suppose that can be a winter term goal. Although Hanover, NH, leaves one with little to do other than go out Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday...</p>

<p>The party scene isn't just fraternities, however - cocktail parties and theme parties, held in dorms and apartments, are common too. Pretty much the regular scene for any college campus, at least from what I've observed from visiting my friends' schools.</p>

<p>Sounds like you are working your butt off huh?</p>

<p>Of all the schools you are considering, Harvard is by far has the worst "party atmosphere" - most students are consumed by studying and very antisocial</p>

<p>Oh, I just thought of something potentially useful for someone looking for a school with a large party scene (notice I said potentially useful - I make no promises)! Since Dartmouth is on a quarter system, we only take three classes at a time, with the possibility of only two with AP credits. These classes are more intense in the amount of material covered, as they condense a semester class into 10 weeks - but if you can avoid lab components there isn't a significantly larger amount of time spent in class, it seems. Last term, I had class Monday through Friday from 10 to 12, but next term I have the infamous MWF schedule, with classes from 9 to 12. A sizeable amount of Dartmouth students are on MWF schedules, lending Monday and Wednesday nights to general debauchery, etc. The free time in the afternoon was generally enough for me to get all my work done, unless I had an exam the next day.</p>

<p>Edit: Oh, Hazmat, I'm just good at time-managment. You know. ;)</p>