<p>My son is a freshman at U of AZ and living in a dorm on Highland. He didn't want a party dorm because he is a good student, however, he enjoys socializing. Fortunately, he has a great roommate. We told him the dorms would be so fun and more social life than his college-prep high school. However, everyone keeps their doors shut! Back in the day (prior to technology, in the 80s) people in the dorms would hang out in the hallways with their doors open. Are students now behind closed doors, engaging in technology instead? Hardly anyone attends the dorm functions and at the last one, they went for the pizza and left without socializing! </p>
<p>Greek is only 13%. What is everyone else doing? Where are the parties? Why does the place have a reputation as a party school? Are the parties off-campus? Or are the partiers in the frats? I'm thinking that maybe he should go Greek, but fear the alcohol hazing. There are three new, deluxe apartments - is there more action there? We chose this school because we thought he'd have more fun than other schools where his head would be stuck inside the books. </p>
<p>He said it seems that the Tucsonians stick together because they already know each other. Is it just a big high school for them? </p>
<p>Thanks for any feedback. We are wondering if he should transfer or if technology has changed all colleges. </p>
<p>A few thoughts…</p>
<p>Res Life Depts everywhere will tell you that students are not as active in dorm life as they used to be. It is no surprise that people are not attending dorm functions to socialize.</p>
<p>Does he live an an honors dorm? Is it a suite style hall? I know that at the university where I work the honors dorm is a mixed bag of people…some never come out of the room while others are very social. Also, over time, dorms at most large state schools acquire certain reputations…party hall, jock hall, nerd hall, engineering hall, etc. Perhaps many people in his hall choose it because it is known to be quiet. He may just have chosen the wrong dorm.</p>
<p>Even at ‘party schools’ (I work at the former #1 ranked party school), most freshman don’t party hard. I suspect most of the partying happens at off campus apartments. Off campus residents have to be careful about letting in underage students, especially ones they do not know. </p>
<p>What is everyone else doing if not going to parties? If they are like my son…movies, ice skating, football games, on campus concerts, rec center (the U AZ rec center is fantastic), video games, hanging out with friends in the room but the door is always open, go out to eat, etc. Typical Saturday for son…attend (or watch on TV) a Sat. football game (getting there at 9am for the 11am start), follow that up with a game of ultimate or touch football, then dinner the dining hall, nap, and then hit the on campus movie at 9pm. Consider yourself lucky that your son is not attending off-campus parties.</p>
<p>It is not uncommon for students to hang out with friends from high school.</p>
<p>What is he doing to meet new people?</p>
<p>
ASU?</p>
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You must be referring to schools outside of AZ. UA is considered the more “studious” college, ASU the more “fun” college.</p>
<p>I’m being a bit tongue-in-cheek, of course. Listen to @Haystack.</p>
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<p>maybe ship him some booze so he can host some parties?</p>
<p>Haha, thanks soccerguy315!</p>
<p>I went on a tour of U of A and they told us for some reason the Dorms on Highland seem to have people a lot less social, now I have friends who go there, not involved in Greek, and they party most of the weekends and some weekdays. I heard the dorms not on highland are a lot more social for some reason, Coronado is the “party” dorm but everyone says they regret not living there. Outside of dorms I know there are tons of concerts at U of A, if he’s into EDM there have been a few fairly recently.</p>
<p>Ok So I have son at the University of Arizona and he LOVES life at the UofA, now like your son is is socialable, very and freshman year he was in Likins, the newest hotelikedorm, where all the SoCal Greek life girls and athletes live. Now he loved his dorm, but spent hardly anytime there and he certainly didn’t go to the ‘lame’ dorm socials!<br>
So I dont think there is anything wrong yet. Now what tends to separate UofA students is the level of social life, there is one but for upperclassmen its offcampus in homes. Now my son does Greek life having pledged about now in freshman year and it has been an ‘amazing’ experience and funtime for him, he wouldn’t change a thing. Now as an underclassman not in Greek life, well there really isn’t that much UNLESS he throws himself in sports/activities or ASUA, it may just take him a while to figure it out. My DS11 is doing great even allowing to Greek Life, he is a 3.2, Double Major, will graduate in May as they all should, in four years with no debt. He has had the quintessential american college experience and I am very proud of that. There is a ton of life and parties and activities and late nights and college fun but he will have to make the effort, he has missed fall rush, but consider rush in january if he hasn’t thrown himself into it. </p>
<p>I have a son at U of A, he is now a junior. He lived in the honors dorm the first two years and yes, said most of the parties were at Coronado, but he was glad he could come back to his dorm where it was quiet. I know he spent many evenings gaming in his room behind a closed door, and a sign of the times, often in the same game sessions with kids just down the hall. He found a few fellow gamers by moving his laptop to a common area every so often and met some other people into the same things that way. He did not join a fraternity, but never wanted to. </p>
<p>As a freshman, he went to a few football games and has confirmed that is where all of the binge drinkers are on game day! But he had lots of fun, so see if your son can go to any of the games and look for people he knows from classes, if no one from his dorm goes. Guaranteed there will be lots of people there. He also signed up for a few intramural sports through the rec center and met yet a different group of people there, too.</p>
<p>This year he is in an off campus apartment where there are many more parties, likely because some upperclassman are in fact 21, so access to alcohol is now legal. He also has a good friend who is an RA at one of the dorms and they are always complaining that while they try to do things with people from their floor, most think the dorm organized events are weird. It is funny to hear the RA side because he is always trying to figure out what to do, but it is very hard to try and force people to interact. Your son is not the only one who hasn’t found an instant new group of friends.</p>
<p>In short, he will need to make some effort to find others that have common interests, and not all events evolve around the fraternities, those are just the more obvious ones initially.</p>