<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I have just been accepted to the Grinnell Class of 2015! So EXCITED!</p>
<p>I was wondering if there are things to do for people who are not into the party scene AT ALL...
If I'm not into drinking or partying will that affect my social life negatively?
Do many people at Grinnell party and drink?</p>
<p>And to any 2015ers... Is anyone also NOT interested in partying and drinking? ahha We should hang out. :)</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing! I’m not into partying at all either haha. Nice to know of someone else in the same position!</p>
<p>You’ll be fine. S is in his 3d year of substance free housing where there are many like-minded students. Since all housing is integrated across all four years (no frosh dorms), you will meet lots of people, not just other freshman, who have found other ways to have fun.</p>
<p>Well, I’m a transfer student (a class of 2013-er), and I haven’t been accepted yet, but I’ve been wondering the same thing too. The substance-free dorms really appeal to me; the school I’m at now has nothing like that, and I always seem to be living with people who can’t comprehend why someone wouldn’t want to party. It’s so frustrating, especially since I constantly have to deal with partying right outside my door.</p>
<p>When people find out I don’t drink or party, sometimes they assume I’m religious or politically conservative, which I am definitely neither. I hope that’s just a stereotype, and I can meet like-minded liberals at Grinnell (if I get in, of course).</p>
<p>I’d like to know too, if anyone else has any experience with this</p>
<p>There is a big portion of students who don’t party at all or only occasionally. While sub-free dorms may be quieter than the average dorm, a lot of the time sub-free dorm doesn’t sub-free person, as a lot of students seem to end up in those dorms because their parent chose for them. That being said, there are plenty of students who don’t party/don’t party every weekend.
While the party scene at Grinnell seems to be a defining feature there are other things to do as well.</p>
<p>I’m glad a couple other people feel this way.</p>
<p>@jccm666 I agree. I am definitely NOT religious or politically conservative. I’m very liberal. And I hope you get in to Grinnell! 
</p>
<p>Thank you M’s Mom and _Silence for your replies.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my son, who wasn’t interested in parties at all in high school, really likes the Grinnell parties and goes to most of them.</p>
<p>I think there is a wellness person on campus who plans sub-free activities. Grinnell has a huge number of clubs to join and you can get funding to start one up if you don’t see one you like. I really encourage students to join a club or two first year because it’s a great way to meet potential friends that doesn’t involve drinking.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to student clubs [Student</a> Groups - Student Life | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/student/groups]Student”>http://www.grinnell.edu/student/groups)</p>
<p>They may not all be active and there may be new ones not listed, but it will give you an idea.</p>
<p>For organized events, there is something called “Not Your Average Weekend” that offers a substance free social event every week.</p>
<p>There also will be plenty of hanging out in the dorms, where some kids will be drinking, while everyone just talks, watches movies, plays cards, etc., ie., the focus is on being together and substance use is something some kids will be doing while they’re hanging out. (Maybe I’m making a very obvious point, but maybe not to some.)</p>
<p>They bring lots of speakers, concerts and other great stuff to campus, way more than you could ever do and it’s all free. There are also Alt Break activities during some breaks. My son has done one spring break with ReNew Orleans, doing building projects there and spent one fall break working at an inner city organic farm in Milwaukee.</p>
<p>I’m also accepted (ED 1), and probably won’t participate in the party scene. There’s going to be a lot of students who don’t want to, and there’s plenty else to do. Student groups, the various other activities Grinnell tries to provide, even just hanging out with friends.</p>
<p>As I said, my son does go to Grinnell parties, though he didn’t like high school parties, but I think his favorite thing is just hanging out with friends. They love to talk about everything. They cook together sometimes and have a good time. In front of his dorm is an area called “the beach”. It has a sand volleyball pit and picnic tables and BBQ grills. Of course in the winter it’s a little out of commission. He’s enjoyed visiting friends’ homes on breaks and we’ve loved hosting his friends here too.</p>
<p>Harris is a building that now seems dedicated to parties and movies.</p>
<p>I’ve never been really into partying or drinking, and I think it’s really a matter of luck about how easily you can keep out of the party scene and still have a good social life. There is a LOT of partying here on the weekends, but I was able to find friends who aren’t interested in the party scene either. Your exposure really depends a lot on where you’re living: sub free dorms never have a problem, but I didn’t get one this year so I’ve had to dodge some slightly nutty partying in my dorm. The partying culture is hugely visible on weekends, but make friends who aren’t into it and you’ll be mostly fine.</p>
<p>I’ve heard Grinnell described as being half partiers and half nerds & geeks. How true would you say this is, and how do the sizes of the two groups compare? I also keep hearing that there’s never enough sub-free housing to meet the demand. Can’t they just make more floors sub-free?</p>
<p>There have been some recent comments on CC to the effect that last year (and so presumably this year), fewer “partiers” or “quirky” students were admitted and more “normal” or “boring” students were admitted (note quotes please). Seem true?</p>
<p>D is a “normal” student that I don’t consider boring. She wishes there were more like herself so, no, her perception is that there has been no noticeable change in who Grinnell admits.</p>
<p>She doesn’t care for the Grinnell parties (saw enough pot and ETOH to last a lifetime during middle/high school-we live in a college town). The worst part of the winter can be trying (snow, cold-can’t go outside to do things so easily) and the town, though it has some good eateries, doesn’t have the clubs/music scene of a big college town- read as very limited distractions.</p>
<p>It is hard to find enough to do on weekends for the nonpartiers but she has found satisfying activities. She does the alternate activities in Des Moines (volunteering) on Fridays, cooks with friends on Saturdays, takes the bus for a “mall fix” on an occasional weekend, plays racquetball, works out a lot and takes advantage of the free activities that the college imports in. This is her third year at Grinnell and, although the social life is not as “fun” as, say, our university hometown, she would choose Grinnell again. The academic experience has been unparalleled. She loves her courses, profs, music extracurriculars and living in sub-free housing. She is beginning to see how Grinnell will pay off in her graduate school search. It already has with summer internships-Grinnell has instant recognition among academics all over the country.</p>
<p>Four years go fast. Grinnell is far from a traditional college experience but offers something just as worthwhile.</p>
<p>My son would consider himself to be one of the weirdos and he isn’t complaining about the new students. The quirk factor must still be there. Grinnell has every kind of student. It is incredibly diverse for such a small school.</p>
<p>I think it might be about half partiers, but the problem is, as I think I mentioned, the partiers are just WAY more visible then the non-partiers. This makes it feel, at times, like everyone else is getting drunk. And as for sub-free dorms, they have all kinds of weird housing calculations and stuff here, but I think the reason is there’s a really high proportion of nervous first-years who’d be fine in normal housing who ask for sub-free. Most of us didn’t get it, but my roommate and I both requested sub-free and they put us together instead. I think this is what they do in most situations like that. I’m pretty sure sub-free is way easier to get after your first year.</p>
<p>There are floors that are just sub-free and we do a lot for sub-free folks. NYAW, Altbreak, Bob’s being non-alcoholic, and a lot of different organizations that don’t drink. </p>
<p>So you will be fine! =)</p>