<p>So, what is the party scene and night life in general like at Carleton?</p>
<p>Something I’ve been wondering myself…</p>
<p>Parties usually happen on Fri & Sat nights. Sundays and other week days are usually busy.</p>
<p>Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays - but there are select groups who party on other days of the week, too.</p>
<p>What are the parties like?</p>
<p>Well, they’re not all the same. A lot of it depends on who your friends are.</p>
<p>You probably know this already, but Carleton is neither a party school nor a dry campus. There are dances in Sayles every other Saturday or so, but I never stay long because they can be pretty sketchy if you’re not into grinding. There will be parties in dorm rooms, the townhouses, and off-campus houses on the weekend in a wide range of sizes. People like theme parties (some of the recent ones I’ve seen are Lady Gaga, Boy/Girl Scouts in the Arb, and something that involved dressing as Miss America contestants).</p>
<p>PS–College parties are nothing like what’s on TV. This is a good thing. 
You’ll be able to enjoy yourself on the weekends, whatever that entails for you.</p>
<p>How strict are the restrictions on alcohol, etc. in dorms? A friend of mine was saying her school has really strict rules (caught two times with alcohol in the dorms and you’re out), so I was just curious.</p>
<p>sounds very fun!
what do you mean by they’re “nothing like what’s on tv”?</p>
<p>If you’re on a sub-free floor, you’re obviously not supposed to have alcohol in your room. If you’re caught with it, you’ll get kicked off the floor. If you’re underage and caught with it anywhere, it gets confiscated and I think they’re required to report the matter to the police, though I have no idea what happens after that.</p>
<p>That being said, it’s not like your RAs or hall director are going to search through your room unless they have a reason. I think it’s safe to say that most freshmen who get in trouble for having alcohol were just being stupid about it.</p>
<p>The security blotter usually has a blurb or two about groups of students caught with pot, but that’s about it. (On a random note, if you haven’t read the security blotter in the Carletonian, you should look it up–it can be pretty hilarious and it’s a fun way to get excited about Carleton.)</p>
<p>As far as the TV thing, I was mostly referring to the out-of-control frat parties that seem to appear in every movie or TV show made about college. I think as long as you come to college with reasonable expectations about the social life, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Because I can’t resist posting a bit of the most recent security blotter:</p>
<p>Saturday, April 10</p>
<ul>
<li><p>12:05 a.m., Security rescued some students who were somewhere they should not have been, and had become trapped in a perilous situation.</p></li>
<li><p>2:00 p.m., A student who had lost a battle with a large rock was transported by Security to the urgent care clinic.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>just to chime in: my RAs have seen me, beer in hand, several times and have also been aware when my senior floormate is buying alcohol for my friends. also, security has let my obviously drunk and underage friends and i into locked buildings to use bathrooms before. the student res life staff is fine with alcohol use but will stop you if you’re bringing it into public spaces. behind closed doors, alcohol use is your own business. that is actually a really great policy, from what i’ve observed, because people aren’t afraid to call for help when they need it and alcohol is involved. i know that sometimes at schools with stricter policies, people will be too worried about getting in trouble to call. i do have friends who have gotten minors before, but generally that was only those who were being unwisely belligerent in public spaces or who got in more serious incidents while drunk. i also know of a few who had to talk to their hall directors but from what i’ve gathered, they were trying to steal a cat…</p>
<p>I love the security blotter! Very much the Carleton way!</p>