I haven’t been able to find a school that suits me. I’m looking for a small college, with a huge party scene. It’s hard to find because most small colleges don’t have a huge party scene. Any ideas? I’m looking for one in a scenic small town. Haha I haven’t found one I like. I’m looking for them in Pennsylvania, Ohio, new York, Illinois, Virginia, Connecticut, and north/south Carolina. Any ideas?
Allegheny College in PA? Small, ~30% Greek, maybe not a “huge” party scene but I’ve heard about plenty through my boyfriend’s freshman year roommate, who went Greek and came back to the room drunk basically all the time.
You’re looking for DePauw in Indiana.
Check out the consortium of 5 colleges located in and around Amherst, MA.
UMass-Amherst
Amherst College
Hampshire College
Smith (women only)
Mt. Holyoke (women only)
Of the 5, I think only UMass (aka “Zoo Mass”) could be characterized fairly as a “party school”.
But with so many college students in one small area, you should be able to find plenty of action regardless of which one you attend.
Check out Colgate, too. It seems to have a reputation for more drinking/partying than at many other selective LACs.
St. Mary’s College of MD is less selective than some of the above, but is still academically solid (and has a much lower sticker price). It has a very scenic waterfront location.
You are looking for Miami of Ohio
The things that contribute to a party atmosphere are 1. Residential College 2. Strong residential Greek presence. 3. A walkable college town with a vibrant restaurant and bar scene. Smaller LACs usually have these but in smaller quantities than say a Wisconsin Madison or U of Illinois etc. Size does make a difference as small schools in small towns don’t support as much business as larger schools or more urban areas do.
Denison University used to be very much party community and I am sure is still a very social school but I believe they got rid of their residential fraternity system because of too much partying, poor behavior and destruction. Ohio University in Athens certainly fills most of your criteria except size. It is a mid sized public college with around 20k undergraduates. It has a very liberal arts feel to it though it is a research university and is bigger than it feels. Miami University is somewhat smaller at around 15k undergraduates. It looks similar to OU on paper but it has a more upper middle class feel to it and I think feels bigger than it is. It has a very strong Greek residential system. The University of Dayton is a more urban university but very residential.
Rollins College in Winter Park FL was really fun.
Look at Lehigh in PA (maybe not a scenic town but a lovely campus), Bucknell (LAC with huge Greek life, not sure about town).
UCSB is a big school with a huge party scene. With a population of only 90,000 Santa Barbara isn’t all that big - and if you live in Goleta/Isla Vista then every weekend is a nonstop party.
The Princeton Review’s 2017 list of Top Party Schools is dominated by big state universities. However, their Top 10 included three small Patriot League schools in PA/NY: Lehigh (#4), Bucknell (#5), and Colgate (#10).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/uw-madison-top-party-school_us_57c09881e4b04193420f1b9c
All three schools are relatively small by university standards, with total enrollments of about 7000, 3500, and 3000 respectively. Bucknell and Colgate are both located in friendly, rural small towns (Lewisburg PA and Hamilton NY).
Lehigh is in Bethlehem PA, which is a medium-sized city. However, the campus and the adjacent South Bethlehem neighborhood are actually located at the edge of Bethlehem; they are cut off from the rest of the city by the Lehigh River. So the part of Bethlehem adjoining the Lehigh campus has a small-town feel, although it is definitely more gritty and industrial than Lewisburg or Hamilton.
I feel like the only thing that’s gritty about Bethlehem is the old steel factory (mill?). And that’s been converted into a cultural center. My girlfriend is from there and it’s just a cute small town IMO.
Here are a variety (mountains, beach, New Orleans):
Dartmouth College
UNC Asheville
UNC Wilmington
College of Charleston
Tulane Univ.
W&L in Lexington, VA.
Moving further south, I think Davidson, Furman, or Elon could suit you.
Gettysburg College
Sewanee - The University of the South
Depends on your stats. Some of the suggestions above are still very selective even if they do have a party vibe.
Kenyon (Ohio), Washington & Lee (Virginia), and Sewanee (in Tennessee) all fit the bill if you are looking to party at an esteemed small college located in a truly scenic “small town” environment–though the towns in question are so small, especially in the case of Sewanee, as to hardly be there at all. If you like plenty of snow, you might also consider Colby College in Maine.
My family visited DePauw in the spring. Town: beautiful. Campus: gorgeous. Keg party raging on front lawn of frat at 10:00 a.m. Dan Quayle is alumnus. Something like 80% of students go Greek. If you can find something that meets your preferences better, I will eat my shoe.
@moooop Can you describe the town that Depauw is in (Greencastle)? It seems like a fun school with lots going for it, but someone told they didn’t like the town. I’d love to hear more about the town, especially from someone who like it. Thanks so much.