<p>So many new parents come and ask this question. Often the threads digress into all sorts of arguments about religion, binge drinking and the like. So here's a thread to list colleges where drinking is not a major part of the culture (note, there is drinking, but it's not the favorite weekend pastime of the majority). Add the schools you know and then we can use it for referral. Here's a couple national caliber from my region to start:</p>
<p>Kalamazoo College
Hope College
Calvin College (strong religious aspect)
Wheaton (strong religious aspect)
University of Chicago</p>
<p>Mollymauk - that list is nearly 7 years old and I don’t believe it is very accurate anymore.</p>
<p>Op - add Grove City College (strong religious aspect) to the list. AND FWIW, from Princeton Review - the top 20 2009 Stone Cold Sober Schools (not sure I agree with this list but here you have it):</p>
<p>Top 20 Stone-Cold Sober Schools</p>
<ol>
<li>Brigham Young University</li>
<li>Wheaton College</li>
<li>United States Coast Guard Academy</li>
<li>College of the Ozarks</li>
<li>Wesleyan College</li>
<li>United States Air Force Academy</li>
<li>United States Naval Academy</li>
<li>Wellesley College</li>
<li>Thomas Aquinas College
<ol>
<li>Calvin College</li>
<li>Grove City College</li>
<li>United States Military Academy</li>
<li>Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering</li>
<li>City University of New York</li>
<li>Marywood University</li>
<li>Mills College</li>
<li>Berea College</li>
<li>California State University - Stanislaus</li>
<li>Agnes Scott College</li>
<li>Simmons College</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t know that i would include the University of Chicago on that list. I think you need to define what you mean by culture. Believe me, between Bar Night, the Pub (for of age students), other frat parties and the innumerable apartment and dorm parties my kids’ experience is that plenty of drinking occurs. Is it the only activity available on a Saturday night, of course not. But it’s there, and very available.</p>
<p>Uh…H attended USMA ( #12 on the list) and drinking was a very large part of the culture. Not so much plebe year when they were rarely allowed off campus, but by the time they were seniors most had cars and guess where they went and what they did? A lot. The irony was that (at least at that time) they were not allowed to drink within a certain range around the post (the school) so drinking and driving was a big problem.</p>
<p>A “dry campus” is just the official policy of an administration. It does not necessarily reflect the reality of (underaged) drinking on or off campus.</p>
<p>Wellesley College has been on that list for as long as I can remember. My D didn’t want a wild college scene and looked at all of the women’s colleges in the NE. She visited and overnighted and also has friends at Wellesley, Barnard, Smith and MHC.</p>
<p>Wellesley is a fairly dry, quiet campus. Though dorm culture varies-some are quite social (though not in that rah rah, music blasting, state u way) and in some you would be hard-pressed to find an open door. Most of the young women there work very hard and are involved in many time-consuming activities, which is probably why there isn’t much drinking on campus. Many will go out to shop/dine/visit friends in Boston on the weekends but then return to campus and hunker down to work into the wee hours.</p>
<p>There are few reported instances of substance abuse on the security webpage, which anyone can check at any school to get a feel for any potential problems. There seems to be many student organizations that sponsor activities and parties fairly frequently but most are fairly tame. There is an on campus pub (student run) at Wellesley for those who are of age, but, again, I don’t think it’s a very rowdy scene. Most of the young women who are inclined to “party” do so off campus–either in Boston or at nearby schools (MIT/Harvard, etc.) --all easily accessible by transportation provided by the school (at a reasonable cost on weekends and free on weekdays-- last I heard.) </p>
<p>Wellesley women are generally proud of their quiet pristine campus and prefer to go elsewhere to “enjoy” themselves in that way. I think Wellesley is the kind of place where you sometimes have to work a bit harder to find “your people” --whoever they may be. It’s definitely the place for a fairly specific type of young woman.</p>
<p>I think women’s colleges in general are a good choice for those who are quite serious about their path and really want the leadership opportunies/alumnae support that the environment fosters. So, you probably won’t find too many of these young women clamoring to be in a girls gone wild video!</p>
<p>This is the second time recently that people have tried to push any discussion of drinking on campus off into its own little ghetto (for want of a better word). Why is that? Obviously the question is much more complex than that. For instance, there is not one single college on that list that could remotely fit my son’s needs (not that I fault berryberry for posting it) due to either a. single sex school, b. engineering school c. military academy (cannot attend for medical reasons) d. religious affiliation e. academic rigor f. Simmons - library science? lol. I really wonder why some parents seem to find any such discussion so annoying if not offensive.</p>
<p>mummom, your S can go to any school he desires. If he chooses not to drink, it will be accepted. At least that is what my kids have told me. My S attended a top LAC and joined a fraternity. He told me some of the “Brothers” do not drink and no one cares.</p>
<p>D’s at two other top schools, did not join sororities, and have friends that do not drink. </p>
<p>College students are by and large accepting. If you do not want to drink, most students will accept this. If you begin to preach, they may back off or become aggressive. Likewise, if you say no and they become aggressive, back off and leave the situation.</p>
<p>^^ That’s true to a certain extent, but if you do not drink, you might find a lot of the social life very annoying. Drunk people can be very obnoxious- especially to a non-drinker. That’s even true in the adult world. I know a girl at my son’s college who pledge a sorority, is a non-drinker, but never really enjoyed the alcohol-based social life which is the norm at the school (Ivy). You can find like-minded friends, but it itsn’t always that easy.</p>
<p>Not quite sure what Mummom means about pushing the discussion to its own ghetto, nor do I think there is anything offensive about the truth of things. I do think you’d be hard pressed to find a school where there is a campus-wide compete abstinence from alcohol barring some religious affiliation or similar. But when I think of environment or college culture, what you’re really hoping is to find a place where there is a decent social life for the non-drinker. Some colleges have better situations than others in this regard. For example, a lot of schools have social houses or clubs that adhere to a non-drinking culture. I would search those things out when visiting college campuses if this was ultimately very important to you and then try to work with admissions to set up to meet with one or two members or that group/house/what have you. Just as kids research any type of culture of a school (athletic, academic, etc), I think drinking is part of that search.</p>
<p>In the absence of a specific group on campus, I personally think it’s probably a little easier to be a non-drinker on a larger campus than it would be at a small rural LAC just by virtue of sheer numbers and demographics. However, just as every rule as an exception, I was recently reading Middlebury College’s student newspaper, and despite their party hard reputation, there was a letter to the editor about a group called Xenia. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So, despite there being a lot of partying on the weekends, the opportunity for a rich and varied social life can exist. And unless there is some very strong reason why there can never be any alcohol present or that no one else can drink alcohol (because remember, a lot of college students ARE 21 when it’s perfectly legal to drink), isn’t this what you’re really looking for? A group of like-minded friends that don’t just sit in their dorm rooms on the weekend? If the goal is to put an end to underage drinking to appease your own kid - good luck on that one. But if the goal is to find a good experience, there are options out there.</p>
<p>The truth is, at the vast majority of colleges in this country, drinking exists. If you do not want any drinking on campus, you must attend a religious school. Unfortunately, none of the top schools fall in this category.</p>
<p>So basically it boils down to–Do you want to go to a named school and do not partake-- drinking, drugs, etc., OR</p>
<p>You go to a school where no one drinks or etc. Is it a less known school and can you get a job?</p>
<p>There are a lot of nuances in the drinking question. For example, Rice is a wet campus. They serve alcohol on campus to those of age. They have a private vs public party rule for enforcement issues and multi-levels of response to issues. . Yes there is a lot of drinking on weekends. But when DD visited and now that she is there, she found everyone accepted those who did and did not drink, i.e. nobody checking your cup and asking why it’s not booze or shunning those not falling down drunk, enough people who had other interests, and a lot of other things to do with others who may not want to get fall down drunk. There is drinking and there is excess. Then there is the weekday ethics, not so much drinking because almost all are serious students. . Don’t fool yourself into those campuses that ban drinking, they may just push it all off campus with that set of problems. The best way is to visit the campus during various times and let student stay over on a visit if possible for those colleges under serious consideration.</p>
<p>I agree about Rice. My daughter found that there was more “problem” drinking by the new freshman right at the beginning of freshman year, but it sort of settled down (i.e. not as much puking over the railing from second level stairway landings, etc.). I think Rice has a pretty good balance, actually.</p>
<p>My D’s school, Earlham College, is officially dry, although I’ve seen it described somewhere as “damp.” It’s downright wet in D’s room, as her roomie often comes in falling-down drunk at 3 am. This actually has had the effect of affirming D’s decision that she is not the slightest bit interested in alcohol, as she is seeing the ugly side of it up close and personal.</p>
<p>But I will add Earlham to your list, OP. There is the afore-mentioned no-alcohol policy on the campus and at all school events. This is partly due to Earlham’s Quaker affiliation, and partly to its emphasis on wellness of all kinds. One of the dorms has a Wellness Wing, where all residents are required to commit to abstention from alcohol, tobacco and drugs.</p>
<p>So, are you saying that if it’s a “less known school” you’re more apt not to get a JOB??? I don’t buy that. Oh, maybe if someone were in business or law or whatever and needed the “contacts”. I happen to know two young women who got their degrees at Chico State. One is an Algebra teacher who teaches at the American School in Paris. Makes a nice salary. Lives near the Eiffel Tower. Her younger sister is a Registered Dietitian working for a specialist in San Francisco. Doing very well. So yes, there ARE jobs to be had for those who don’t graduate from a “top school”. That said, I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind my daughter attending one of those “top” schools. However, I don’t necessarily feel she’ll find a better job.</p>
<p>Morrismm wrote:</p>
<p>The truth is, at the vast majority of colleges in this country, drinking exists. If you do not want any drinking on campus, you must attend a religious school. Unfortunately, none of the top schools fall in this category.</p>
<p>So basically it boils down to–Do you want to go to a named school and do not partake-- drinking, drugs, etc., OR</p>
<p>You go to a school where no one drinks or etc. Is it a less known school and can you get a job?</p>
<p>I have been thinking about this lately, and there is PLENTY of drinking at my kids’ public high school, from what I understand. Neither D partied or parties in high school.<br>
A child finds his or her people in high school or pursues the activities that appeal to him or her (like theater or certain clubs) and finds things to do with people that don’t include drinking. While drinking becomes a bigger deal at college because of the new-found freedom and while the student’s old support system has to be rebuilt, isn’t the process the SAME – finding your people, finding your activities? I mean, if a kid has always had one or two close friends rather than a large group, why expect that to change in college? Other students looking for those two or three close friends are out there, too. The theatre kids are probably not that different from theatre kids in high school,or debate kids, or environmental group kids, or whatever.</p>
<p>Are we expecting too much from the colleges – to not only educate our kids but provide each and every one of them with amazing experiences and just the right social experience that each requires?
I’m not saying it’s not tough, but the social minefields of adolescence (and this is still late adolescence) ARE tough.</p>
<p>BTW, older D, now in college, is neither an abstainer or a fall-down drunk, drinks sometimes, not every weekend – so, truly, kids in the middle DO exist.</p>
However, I don’t necessarily feel she’ll find a better job.</p>