<p>Another option to consider is a Scholastic Emphasis (SE) dorm. At S's school, it means "music or other sounds should not be audible outside the rooms." This policy is in effect 24 hours a day. All dorms have some quiet hours Sunday through Thursday, but weekends can be hell!</p>
<p>carolyn:
Thanks for taking the time to post the link. I looked at it on the web and was discouraged by what felt like a pretty venomous introduction from the editor. I'm so tired of such politically motivated crap (pardon the french) right now. Yuk.</p>
<p>I'm with jamimom here. These type of dorms/floors are going to vary school by school, and even year by year depending on the group of kids living in them. Don't make the mistake of assuming that all the kids in these substance free situations are actually substance free themselves. It's equally important not to make the assumption that all kids in regular housing are going to be "trashed all the time". Why would anyone get that impression? Personally, I find that kind of insulting as my first two Ds live in regular housing and D3 will certainly do the same next year. </p>
<p>One complaint I've heard about this type of housing at a couple of schools is that it tends to be made up largely of very conservative and religious kids, not necessarily just kids who want to study all the time. A neighbor's son was made to feel very uncomfortable living in such an environment because he was neither conservative nor religious. It's difficult to predict these things, as I said, because it's going to change largely year by year depending on the current residents.</p>
<p>Substance Free at D's School is as follows</p>
<p>Substance-Free areas are designated as places free of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. Residents sign a contract agreeing not to use substances while in the community or to cause a disruption while under the influence of substances used elsewhere.</p>
<p>Substance free at many schools mean that you will not drink and smoke in your dorm and you won't make a nuisance of your self or cause a disturbance if you do it outside of your dorm. There are many drinkers who after partying, just want to go to sleep because they can't stand being around loud rowdy drunks.</p>
<p>always: In the case of my D she is applying to "liberal" environment schools, so I doubt the dorms would be filled with religious conservatives, though I am sure this could happen at many schools and appreciate the 'warning'.</p>
<p>I do not assume the kids are all substance free in the substance free dorms, nor do I assume the kids are gonzo in the other dorms. I imagine, though, that the kids in substance free probably value a peaceful living environment and are less likely to be committed drinkers or smokers. Probably a smattering of abstainers and lots of moderates would be my guess. (Maybe even a few party animals whose parents insist they live in a substance free dorm.)</p>
<p>Anyhow, it might make it a bit easier to meet other non-drinkers who will have her same sense of what's a good time.</p>
<p>No offense meant to kids in regular dorms; I was one of those kids who would <em>never</em> have chosen sub free even though I was moderate in my habits.</p>
<p>It pays to take a peek at who is in the substance free dorms at a college, and the perceptions of that dorm by the other kids. Even liberal schools have pockets and clusters of conservative students, extra religious students, pious students. And so it should be. But is a streak of intolerance for others is in those clusters, it can well affect the atmosphere for someone who is interested in substance free dorms simply for what the label implies, not with some others things thrown in there. And I smile, SBmom,at the thought of the party animals thrown into that mix by their parents. I know parents who have filled out the housing forms after their kids show no interest in getting it done, and what they put down for roommate preference is not doing the prospective roommate any favors. I always wondered what my son put down for that freshman year as he ended up with an ultra neat, cleanaholic when he is a slop par extraordinaire. On the other hand, had it put down what he really was, I would have hated to see those quarters.</p>
<p>I was thinking as I read this that the "need" for substance free dorms might be another repercussion of the 21-years drinking age. I honestly don't recall that there was much drinking or partying in the dorms when I was in college. In fact, I recall the dorms were pretty dead on weekend nights. That's because everyone was old enough to go to bars to party! And even that was done in semi-moderation because it was expensive to drink at the bars and so you made one beer last a longggggg time. </p>
<p>I'm not so sure about all this dorm "segregation." For the individual student it might be good, but overall, it might not be good. I recall on our campus (way back when...) all the black kids lived in one dorm, all the Asian kids in another, all the Indian kids in another, the Kosher kids ate in their own cafeteria, the black kids only attended events sponsored by the black student union, the gay kids always hung out in one place in the student union, and on and on. It was basically self-imposed segregation, but very conspicuous none the less. Cripe, would it have killed us to mix it up a little?! Hopefully things are better now.</p>