<p>So I've heard such glittering reviews of Santa Catalina, or "FT". Apparently it is the ultimate freshman experience and the best living, other than the distance. I must say that there are a lot of pluses, including the parking, sociability, area, etc. But I heard it is MAJOR party dorm.</p>
<p>I do like a lot of these pros a LOT and I'm really considering it, but I'm not a drinker or a smoker or anything and I really would rather not get into that stuff.. Does that mean that I should just not consider FT? Or can I still dorm there and be able to keep clear of certain things and have quiet areas when I need it andd meet decent not drunkards?</p>
<p>Help ASAP would be mucho appreciated.</p>
<p>Oh and is it a pain with the distance from the beach, as well?</p>
<p>common question…and the answer is that it’s not that crazy.
the party people usually head out to IV and do their shenanigans there.
it was a fun dorm but the distance sucked so much that i wouldn’t do it again if i had to choose.</p>
<p>if you really don’t drink at all then go somewhere quieter like manzanita.</p>
<p>I’m not speaking as a typical FT resident- I am living on the substance-free floor this year (ninth floor, north tower currently). Apparently, the substance-free floor was <em>very</em> easy to get into this year- we even filled the floor with a few people that didn’t sign up specifically for substance-free; no guarantees for you, obviously, but definitely good to keep in mind.</p>
<p>A good majority of the floor is probably completely alcohol and illicit drug free, but it’s not like we’re no fun- at certain times of day you might find a few people playing apple juice pong in the halls.</p>
<p>The people that do party mostly keep it to the beach houses where the parties go on (or the other floors… but I wouldn’t know too much about it). Only one or two managed to bring back with them their drunk buddies (and the floor was pretty unhappy about that… so much so that they were probably impressed of such fact- it didn’t happen again.)</p>
<p>For the other floors, it seems like after the initial few days where people were being stupid about their parties and getting busted, everyone who does it in the dorms are pretty discreet about it.</p>
<p>You do want to keep the distance in mind- bike rides are 5-10 minutes depending on how fast you’re going, and buses can be overflowing on rainy days. If you don’t mind the commute, I would say FT is a very good experience, especially if you manage to get in the substance-free floor (which is a lot quieter, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence).</p>
<p>Quiet areas- your room (unless you end up with suitemates or roommates that aren’t too quiet), friend’s rooms (ditto their roommates/suitemates), lounge (after 9:30 it’s supposed to be quiet hours on weekdays), study room, etc.</p>