<p>My daughter has been accepted to Beloit, and it’s looking like her first choice right now. Can anyone tell me about the drinking/drug culture at Beloit? My daughter is not a substance user, and with an enrollment of fewer than 1400 students, I’d be concerned if “partying” was pervasive.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>My daughter does not drink and she does not do drugs. Period. This was a concern of hers as well when she was looking at colleges. When she did the admitted students weekend, she asked specifically to be matched up with a host that did not party because she wanted to get a sense of what Beloit would be like from someone with a perspective like hers, and admissions gladly (and easily) complied. The girls she met assured her that it wouldn't be a problem, and introduced her to enough people who also didn't party that she felt comfortable. </p>
<p>She opted to live in Bushnell, Beloit's substance free dorm. It was a good choice for many reasons - she has found a very tight knit community of friends there, none of whom drink/do drugs, she has a single room, the dorm is one of the quieter ones but definitely not boring judging by some of the antics I hear about. She's also found many friends in other dorms on campus who are also not partiers. </p>
<p>However, I'd be lying if I said she hasn't commented on other students drinking, and to, a lesser extent, taking other intoxicating substances, especially freshmen, and especially in SOME dorms (Stay away from Peet). She says that the partying is mainly on the weekends for most and that it is not exactly a wild animal party scene, except in a few rare instances. In that regard, I would say Beloit is no better or worse than any other college. </p>
<p>But, my daughter, at least, hasn't found it to be a major issue, besides sometimes being annoyed at the stupidity of some people. She hasn't experienced any peer pressure (she says a simple "no thanks" suffices), finds plenty of non-alcohol activities to keep her busy, and feels that there's enough of a non-drinking student population to balance things out. Of course, she's a pretty tolerant person, and doesn't really care what others do, as long as they respect her right to not do it. :) However, one thing that has disappointed her is that there are <em>some</em> people who live in the substance free dorm who do go out and party on the weekends -- they just don't do it in the dorm. But, as I said, for the most part she's pretty happy.</p>
<p>So, again, I'd say Beloit is fairly normal for colleges these days, but there's definitely enough room to be comfortable and happy there if you're not a partier. If your daughter would like to email mine, let me know.</p>
<p>When my DD went up for her scholarship weekend, the school paired her with a student in the Women's House (and a male candidate was also housed there that night too--one gay male student lives there FT). I was rather disappointed when she told me that some students were in another room drinking alcohol and smoking weed--disappointed that they would do that with at least 2 prospective students staying over. However, they didn't offer the substances to my D, who uses neither but wasn't fazed by the presence of either, so she just told me to chill--and remembering my own college dorms, I did! She had a great time listening to music at the Women's House and playing air hockey, attending classes and just hanging with her new acquaintances in Bushnell. I'd agree with Carolyn that the atmosphere is pretty much what the student wants it to be.</p>
<p>When my son went for his overnight visit, they paired him up with a fraternity guy. That was the wrong choice! The frat house had had a party the night before and the place was a mess. He was totally turned off by this guy who just wanted to talk about drinking and sit and watch TV. My son almost crossed Beloit off his list after the visit. We had to remind our son that the frat guy was just one student.</p>
<p>As a first year student who does not engage in any drug related activity and is unable to consume a drink without adverse effects followed by a panic attack, I can assure you it will not be a problem. While many students at beloit do choose to drink, others choose not to , and everyone is fine with it.
Your daughter will have plenty of people to hang out with who don't drink and they'll find ways to have fun or she could hang out with people who do drink while not doing so herself and still have fun. I have never had anybody force me to drink and very rarely do I even have to explain that I can't drink.</p>