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<p>This is kind of what I’m like. I will have a single alcoholic drink at most. But really it’s fine. No-one is stopping you ordering a coke (I recommend J2O, which is a soft fruit drink very common in the UK). Of course there will be some people who only go out to get smashed. These people are probably not going to be your best friends, but that’s fine. Going to the pub is a very social thing in the UK. It doesn’t mean you have to get drunk or drink any alcohol at all. You will tend to find alcohol at many social events and meals in the UK, but it is not this big taboo like it is the the US. If you don;t want to drink, that’s fine. </p>
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<p>UK students do many of the same types of ECs that US students do, but they tend to be a lot less cut throat competitive and people do them just for fun (they are not part of admissions criteria). Every university has a “freshers fair” in the first week in September/October where you can sign up to join these societies (that is one of the reasons I advise doing study abroad beginning September in the UK). I did LOTS of music. Orchestra, marching band, brass band, etc. (Actually I still do lots of music in my spare time and make a bit of money from it).</p>
<p>There is only one club in Lancaster. I know this because my sister went to Lancaster. The club is called the SugarHouse. If you intend to get all your entertainment there, you will be very bored! Lancaster is a small place in the middle of nowhere really! However, it is on the edge of a beautiful national park called the lake district, so you will find lots of outdoor activities available. I was in the walking (hiking) club at Oxford and through this I got to travel all over the UK at weekends and also made some great friends.</p>
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<p>I suspect all activities will be less cultural than you expect! Lots of Americans seem to expect Europeans to be into things like art appreciation and opera (ie high cultural stuff). I guess some of them are, but so are some Americans. Most young people in Europe like the same things as young people everywhere. They like music, fashion, travel, sports etc. </p>
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I don’t think you’d find anything similar to a conservative US college in the UK! Lancaster is a small rural town like I said, so it’s not particularly ethnically diverse (though nearby Preston is exactly the opposite). But conservative as the US doesn’t really exist.</p>
<p>Also, be aware that Lancaster is one of the wettest places on earth. It rains ALL THE TIME! So you make want to consider taking up some indoor hobbies…</p>