I’m really against excessive, binge alcohol consumption, but, still, my (already high) opinion of JHS has gone up now that I know he did flaming shots.
The dorms my kids lived in no longer exist, but the general dynamic was the same: The largest dorm was the party dorm (and the second-largest dorm the second-biggest party dorm). The little dorms that were scattered around were perfectly social, but the students who lived in the big dorms thought that the little dorms must be anti-social, so that was their reputation, which became something of a self-fulfilling prophesy.
This is merely hearsay, but I have heard from some accepted students (some who enrolled, some who didn’t) that the administration almost seemed to be encouraging drinking and partying during their O-Week through their passivity. Some posit that this could be because the school wishes to shed their “fun goes to die” reputation.
Of course, this may not be true. This is just what I’ve heard, so take it with several grains of salt.
My D did say that she wasn’t sure they knew “how to party” when she was handed an “itinerary” at the first party she attended… :-bd
The administration encourages drinking and partying during O-Week by having three or four days’ worth of substantive activity crammed into nine days. And by emphasizing socializing that week. And by mostly admitting people who are 18-19.
I don’t have any recent year Chicago O-weeks to compare it with, but this year there was apparently a lot of talk on boards and elsewhere of planned drinking during O-week, especially at frat parties.
But for any students considering Chicago, or parents of students, DD confirms that it is easily possible for a non-drinker to have a fantastic, fun, social O-week and an equally fun first weekend after start of classes. This is something we were looking for in a college experience, and we have not been disappointed.
My D did tell she attended a frat party that week - turned out to be at the Chabad House.