I want to go to a school where partying isn’t the norm. I understand that it’s a major component of college life, yet I would like to go somewhere that it isn’t so prevalent. I don’t want a college with any religious affiliation, though.
I’m looking at colleges in the northeast. I got a 2040 (610 writing, 640 math, 790 reading) on the SAT, by the way.
Thanks!
Schools with high commuter or suitcase populations may have less in the way of campus associated partying.
Women’s colleges if you are female.
You can choose how you spend your time at any college. I know a student who got very involved in the outdoor adventure club, another who took up cycling, another who became serious about a capella…and all of these kids are at colleges where other students are partying quite a bit. You may want to think about what is fun for you, and look for colleges that offer those opportunities.
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/media/finalpanel1.pdf has some information on colleges associated with higher or lower rates of alcohol drinking, if that is your main concern (see page 23-25 for characteristics of colleges).
Wellness, quiet or substance-free housing may be available at a range of schools.
Exactly my thought process. I would look for schools that offer wellness dorms, that way you’ll live among like-minded students.
I guess you should look for some Christian colleges, such as Liberty or Wheaton (IL)?
^
“I don’t want a college with any religious affiliation, though.”
Kinda sucks that the options for non-party people are “go to a party school and ignore it” or “go to a really religious school, and even that might not work.”
It’s in Midwest, but look at Carleton
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I guess I don’t get this point, what sucks about it? At most universities there will be some students who enjoy partying and some who don’t. Everyone finds their own niche and where they fit in. As a couple of us suggested wellness dorms, that is a way to be around your own crowd of people that feel the way you do.
I mean if you are so uncomfortable being at a university where any students ever party, I find that odd.
I agree with Dimnarion. LOTS of learning in college happens outside the classroom. Yes, even dealing with partiers vs non-partiers. My advice is to first look for excellence in what you want to study. THEN look at the campus life aspect. Because it will be what you make it. If you don’t want to party at all, there will be people who feel the same. But that’s an awfully one-dimensional life when you’re 18-19-20-21 years old.
Feeling like you don’t fit in with the majority of students on campus. Being embarrassed when your school is known for football and drinking instead of academics.
Edited to add: At “party schools,” the atmosphere permeates everything. You feel it even if you hate drinking and sports. People across the hall in my extended-quiet-hours honors dorm last week were screaming at the top of their lungs about the football game. I reminded them that some people (like me!) had exams the following Monday and that consideration hours are 24/7 in this dorm.
“PSU pride is forever, honey.”
There are only a subset of schools known for being a big “party college”
Every university has a very large percentage of students who don’t party or barely party.
“Every university has a very large percentage of students who don’t party or barely party.”
Very true. If I were you, I would look for highly academic schools with focused students in the larger cities of the Northeast. Off the top of my head, check out BU, Northeastern, Hopkins, Brandeis, Babson, Tufts, Catholic University, Georgetown/GWU. None of these schools have top division football teams (I don’t think) which should makes a big difference. Also, if you are in a big city (compared a rural school) you can find friends who don’t party and you can always go out at weekends to a museum, concert hall, theatre where you can still go out and have fun without having to get drunk. I really think that you are overthinking this whole issue. Most highly academic schools have among them a majority of their students who are not drinking their faces off every night.
And I go to one, so I don’t know why that matters. I have in fact experienced what I’m talking about.
I’m saying for the people who say “You’ll find your tribe anywhere!” that it may not actually be true, and before you find them you’ll feel lonely and out of place.
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https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/most-drug-free-campus/
http://www.thebestcolleges.org/10-colleges-where-its-hardest-to-party/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/list-top-20-party-sober-schools-us-185443579.html?ref=gs
http://collegecandy.com/2012/11/10/how-to-survive-life-at-a-party-school-if-youre-not-a-partier/
The most successful substance-free halls I’ve seen tend to be both 1) popular and 2) distributed throughout the range of housing styles at the school. In these cases, the general lack of obvious differentiation creates a sense of continuum across the student body. When researching colleges, you may want to look for these attributes, @greenteen17 .
‘There are only a subset of schools known for being a big “party college”’
Maybe nearly every university with D1 football?
@bodangles writes ‘At “party schools,” the atmosphere permeates everything. You feel it even if you hate drinking and sports.’ That at first sounds like an overgeneralization, but 1), bodangles is at one and sees it, and 2), with a few exceptions (Chicago, Rice, NYU, Brandeis, etc) universities public and private are sports-crazed.
@greenteen17 You have good SATs and there are plenty of LACs in the Northeast that would fit what you seek. Next question, what can you afford? Full-pay, or need significant aid, or something in-between?
Well that knocks out 252 schools from 4000 colleges in the US (128 if you don’t include FCS schools).
@PetulaClark I’m only considering schools that promise to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. My parents can help me with a few thousand, but I will need a significant amount of aid.