University of Vermont— Will I fit in?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Vermont
1

Hey everyone
So uvm is one of my top schools but I’m seriously stressing about where to go. When I visited I liked the school except after reading reviews I got really worried I won’t fit in because of a couple reasons. Some background about me: I’m an athletic kid, politically moderate slightly leaning conservative and I really want to excell in college. I’ve heard some stereotypes/rumors about the school and I was hoping to either confirm or deny them here.

  1. I’ve heard a significant number of people smoke frequently, or get into it at the school. I have no issue with weed (as I know it will most likely be at every school), however I don’t want it to have a serious presence like I’ve heard.
  2. As I consider myself moderate (slightly conservative) I want to find people similar to me in that respect. Is the population generally liberal or is there a mix of the spectrum? Will I be overwhelmed by people on the other end of the spectrum?
  3. How intense is the school work/study atmosphere? Do most people really care about grades?
  4. This isn’t my primary concern but, I’m not a huge party guy but I know that can change in college. Are there parties at UVM or (relating to my first question) is it more that people like to smoke?

Thanks for your help!
Footballman123

2

UVM is definately large enough to find your own “tribe”. There will be weed and alcohol at every school, as there will be liberals and conservatives but in general the size of UVM should make those non-issues. I would hope that most of the students care about their grades, goodness, college isn’t cheap and parents who are helping to pay certainly aren’t of the mindset to pay for 4 years of partying…again, there’s always the outlier. If you are substance free, you might check into housing options. My D goes elsewhere but had a dorm in substance free housing her first two years. She had never really been around kids who used either so this helped her the first two years. She did not feel it necessary for her last two years.

3

I think you would not have a problem finding a group where you fit in. While there is definitely more of a liberal presence, you should not have a problem because everyone is super accepting. The only concern I would have is if you want to study political science the professors are definitely more liberal so that might feel weird. But I personally know quite a few conservatives at UVM and they have had no problems finding friends or fitting in.
For the party/drugs scene question, there are plenty of parties and they aren’t just dominated just by smoking. There will be people smoking, drinking, etc. it is not a problem if you don’t want to but it is there if you want it.
But all in all, UVM is a great school and you would not have a problem finding your own “tribe” as NEPatsGirl said.