<p>I just got back from a visit to the Univeristy of Chicago and I wanted to once and for all expel the notions that U of C is where fun comes to die.</p>
<p>Now for a slight bit of background: I am a party animal. I like to drink, I like to get wild and drunk and have a good time. I was honestly unsure if I would be able to do that at U of C.</p>
<p>I got to the campus in the middle of the day and by 2 I had already started drinking with some random people I met. Later on I went to a frat party that was the same as all the other frat parties at state universities and there was alot of alcohol and alot of fun. Of course there are people here who do not drink and who do not party but they were so much fun in their own way. The final conclusion on this matter is if you like to party, you can party your ass off every night of the weekend with full support of the administration (before the overnight, the admission's councelor basically said if you are smart about drinking and do not drink yourself into oblivion, no one will stop you or care if you do it)</p>
<p>I came to U of C wondering if I could have an active party life there and I came away knowing that I can and will have an amazing time there if I choose to go.</p>
<p>Wow. I hope there aren't a lot of people like you at UChicago. Looking like an idiot isn't my idea of fun. That's the kind of juvenile crap most of us are trying to avoid. Maybe you should have some shame.</p>
<p>I have to say that if partying is your main concern look up a list of the top party schools. It is cool to have funn but if you are going to not pick a college just because you can't party well then you might have some issues beyond where you will attend college.</p>
<p>Never heard this about Chicago before, haha. Interesting. I figured it had to be hidden in there somewhere, haha.</p>
<p>Why is everyone being so harsh? OP wants to go to a school where he will feel comfortable, and he obviously didn't apply to Chicago looking for a party school. Now he knows that there are opportunities to party there. I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way, but I would never go to a school that offered no opportunities to party.</p>
<p>And how is partying "juvenile crap?" This is college we're talking about. Students at Chicago created the slogan "where fun comes to die" to push away students who didn't understand the intellectual atmosphere, not to attract people who are anti-partying.</p>
<p>People need to calm down and let loose. No need to hate.</p>
<p>EDIT: Forgot to mention that the info about partying now makes me less hesitant about going to U of Chicago. Thanks for the story!</p>
<p>It's fine to not want to participate in partying, it really is. Just don't go to college, even Chicago, looking down upon those who drink/party, or soon you'll find yourself without a lot of friends. Chicago is a prime example of a college whose huge partiers (word? haha) are often very intellectual, inquisitive and intelligent.</p>
<p>As a non-partier (for the most part.... ) I really have to say that the "divide" between people who drink/party and people who don't is nearly non-existent. I'm psyched that the OP was able to see a side of Chicago that he or she wanted to see, but not everybody at Chicago likes to party all the time (certainly OP knows that!) and even the kids who do like to party like to do lots of other things too. The kids who aren't into huge, raging drunkfests often find themselves "chilling," or "hanging out" with a group of kids where alcohol is present and there's no pressure to drink. Alcohol has been a part of almost every social gathering I've been to here and at almost every one there has been at least one sober person... religious reasons, track meets, UT shows, you name it. There are a lot of reasons NOT to get smashed. People DEFINITELY respect that. As somebody who didn't start drinking until later on in college for a variety of reasons, I can say that from personal experience.</p>
<p>OTOH, if you're looking for a loose, live-and-let-live approach to alcohol in the dorms, then yeah, Chicago has probably one of the most lenient policies a school could possibly, possibly have. That's because students generally know their limits and ambulances don't have to make rounds on Thursday through Saturday nights. Every year during Orientation Week, a few freshmen girls get hospitalized (and by a few, I'd be willing to bet I can count the number on one hand, out of a class of 700 girls). As far as I know, the university does zero alcohol education during O-Week (though they should) and super-excessive drink-till-you-throw-up-then-drink-some-more drinking would make people concerned, while having a good time with booze won't.</p>
<p>To be fair, we do mention drinking durnig the orientation period, but as Unalove pointed out, it isn't harped upon. In general, resident staff/police don't really care about what you're doing, because students tend to be responsible. I totally agree with Unalove, though, that alcohol at the U of C is part of the diverse atmosphere of the school, and you will never feel pressured to drink if you don't want to.</p>
<p>Yeah, everyone chill out. The person was just trying to share their own experience that might help others. And let's be serious, this is college.</p>
<p>I myself as a Chicago Early admit found this interesting. Although I don't drink, I don't look down on it. I like to go to parties and have fun, so this was comforting to me, since I have not been able to visit and was wondering to what extent the rumors are true about Chicago. Because Chicago has such a....bizarre reputation, I think it stands out in that is has to be proved that there IS a party scene. It's reputation is so intense that there are plenty of people who write Chicago off, and attend other schools with big party scenes like Dartmouth and Duke.</p>
<p>I'll be honest, I'm not a huge party person myself, but this post, in combination with other recent posts about the academic/social life at Chicago have made me like the school more. Basically they have said that it's not as bad as some say (there are parties and people know how to have fun), and not as good as some say (the academics aren't out of this world good in absolutely every area, but a good mix of strong and weak). </p>
<p>And to the person who doesn't want to spend 4 years in a drunken stupor - neither do I, but there is no philosophical justification for you to act so superior. Unless being a hateful and unpleasant person makes you happy.</p>
The Greeks, including Socrates, did it all the time. I highly recommend Xenophon's Symposium. You might particularly enjoy the part where an inebriated Socrates extols the virtues of being a pimp.</p>
<p>If you can name one important/ genius human being, in the entirety of history who did not drink, I will personally drive to your house and pat you on the back,</p>
<p>There is absolutely nothing wrong with your decision,
but stop perpetuating that terrible University of Chicago stereotype which the OP's topic is meant to counteract</p>
<p>Colleges want a strong allumni connection, with successful alumni with huge networks, that often means having basic social skills. That often involves not being a total snob, and speaking on behalf of a student body which you potentially do not belong to.</p>
<p>I think the spirit of the challenge was more so about partying as opposed to specifically drinking. Certainly raping young girls counts as partying, no? (perhaps in an archaic Middel Eastern way)</p>