<p>Of the top 30 or so universities in the U.S. for engineering, which would be most conduicive for someone who strongly dislikes partying and drinking. I know that "You can always avoid it" but for what college costs, I don't think I should have to avoid it. I'd still like to be social, just only with my type of peers: nerdy, funny, xkcd types. I don't want to have to put up with drunk idiots outside my dorm/as my roommate. So which of the top schools for engineering offers this?</p>
<p>You probably want to look at threads for particular schools, but Case Western Reserve and Rensselaer (RPI) might be worth looking at.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I am a nerdy, funny XKCD type, and I like to get messed up on several different things whenever my schedule permits. </p>
<p>I think if you are specifically looking for a school where you can be plugged into a social scene, but drinking just never comes up, you will be disappointed. You can find friends anywhere who aren’t into it, but it’s fun and people really like it, so it’s going to come up a lot. </p>
<p>If you can handle just not doing it, skipping a party now and then without feeling left out, you will be fine anywhere. If you just want it to never be a factor, it’s probably unlikely.</p>
<p>Plain and simple, there are no major universities with no party scene. Even the conservative Christian ones have a party scene. If you want to avoid it entirely, you will have to find some super-small college somewhere that probably doesn’t have engineering. Basically, any school large enough to have a decent engineering school is going to be diverse enough that you will find some heavy partiers.</p>
<p>There is no way around that, just like in life. I would say that you ought to get used to being around some partiers. There isn’t a place in your life that you will end up that is totally devoid of the party scene unless you move to a conservative Middle Eastern country. It is simply a part of Western culture. That said, none of that means you have to partake in college just like you don’t have to later, but you do generally have to learn to tolerate it.</p>
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At worst, you would have to put up with a year in the dorms, after which you could find an apartment with whomever you wanted and at that would be that. Even then, most schools offer some type of special-interest dorm that would most likely provide you the type of environment you are looking for. Contrary to what you might think, no one will be looking to party with the guy who doesn’t want to party.</p>
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I think you are going to be very, very surprised how many nerdy, funny, xkcd types like to party. I mean, of all the engineers I know, I can not think of more than one or two that avoid partying entirely, and the teetotalers have religious motivations. My last engineering conference had a day that started with in-depth discussions of nanosat design and operations and ended at a gay karaoke bar.</p>
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Well, most to all “tech” schools (those that that offer few or no non-STEM majors) will lean a little “nerdier” than the norm, but I cannot think of any which actually cater to what you are describing. Ultimately, most schools want their students to have fun, and what you are looking for is very much a minority definition of that term. Really, you are looking for a bible college or monastery with a strong engineering program, and I do not think such a school exists.</p>
<p>It’s amusing that the author of xkcd wouldn’t be included in your peer group of xkcd types.</p>
<p>I think you’re making a bigger deal out of this than you need to. The fact is that ceaseless partying isn’t ubiquitous at any university anymore. All you have to do to “avoid it” is decline invitations to parties, and find different friends if you find some groups of people party too frequently for you.</p>
<p>I attend what is/was one of the biggest party schools of the Northeast, and now the university and its police department are shutting down parties throughout campus. With the spread of internet reviews, parents are becoming more concerned over infamous college parties, and they won’t send their kids where they don’t think it’s safe. In addition, academic competition between engineering universities is becoming more intense, and a party-stigma never looks good for academics.</p>
<p>I reread my post, and feel like I was snippier than I intended. Here is the thing: not drinking isn’t going to make you an outcast with people who do drink. But coming across like you are judgmental of it or like you think people who do it are doing something stupid and wasteful just might. </p>
<p>I am a 26y/o freshmen, and I literally had never been really drunk until recently. I remember when I was 18, my best friend went to college and started doing that stuff, and it was a big deal to me. I tried to make him feel bad about it, and he ended up hiding it from me, lying to me, etc. I feel silly over it now, because we get messed up together.</p>
<p>And fact is, I have never been more focused, motivated, effective or responsible. Lots of students are that way. Lots of us are better students because we get out and take our minds off school in a way that doesn’t really work sober. I am a straight A student, and I am not a special case.</p>
<p>I don’t say this to try to convince you to get out there and get hammered. If you think keeping that kind of thing out of your life while you are in school is going to make your life better in any way, great, I think that’s awesome. But know that a lot of us can either balance it, or even work better because of it in some ways, and that coming across like you think the 99% of students who drink are a bunch of unambitious morons is going to be a problem at almost any school. </p>
<p>I’m sorry if I came across as snippy, and that other people may have as well, but we are like half moms and half internet nerds…imagine how the greater college population will feel. </p>
<p>Good luck with whatever course your life and college career takes, and remember that the best way to make sure most people like you is to be cool with who everyone else is.</p>
<p>Oh, one last thing. I know I seem like I’m just piling on here, and I really feel bad about it…I know you weren’t asking for my stupid little hippie life lessons, but:</p>
<p>“I’d still like to be social, just only with my type of peers: nerdy, funny, xkcd types.”</p>
<p>Chances are that you will likely mostly end up with friends who are a lot like you. Especially if you are a “nerdy XKCD type” going to school for CS or engineering. But especially in college, you will get a lot of value out of people who aren’t. I am a plain old WASP nerd, and in a few months I’ve become acquiescence with people from all sorts of backgrounds, ethnicity, paths and interests I knew nothing about. Sounds trite and annoying maybe, but just talk to people and see what’s up. I have some weird friends who I wouldn’t have expected to make.</p>
<p>Similarly, I really hate the whole “we are engineers, every easier major is for baristas and idiots” stuff that goes on on forums. I like talking to art majors. I would love to do a history degree. I know some schools don’t have a lot of liberal arts stuff anyway, but I feel like a dick being on forums where people talk endless **** about everyone who isn’t on their life path or who doesn’t have their worldview.</p>
<p>I just realized I am a cliche hippie as I typed that, but I am a cliche hippie who likes talking to people who are not exactly like me, and who thinks other people would too.</p>
<p>Nothing hippy about that. The world would be a lot better if people just learned to live and let live more often. Art majors are no more hippy losers than engineers are uninteresting needs or business majors are partying frat boys. Acting like everyone fits into those kinds of stereotypes is silly and a waste of time. I’d say you have a pretty good outlook, PoppinBottlesMGT.</p>
<p>To the op, it’s probably not top 30 but byu has a good school. Every student there has to have some kind of religous relationship or something like that while going through school. There are STRICT rules about drinking or having premarital sex. The town it’s located in doesn’t even have a bar I believe, which would be Provo. I was thinking about trying to get in there if I go for an mba because it’s rediculously cheap, and a top rated program. There will be no offensive behavior, and you will be surounded by people that will tell on you if you do decide to come back to the dorm drunk, lol.</p>