I’m interested in these schools but I am concerned I will get bored on the weekends. Is there fun things that students do on the weekends? Or is it only really partying? Also do a lot of people participate in inturmural/club sports?
Yes, lots participate in other things, do outdoor activities, go to school sponsored events, participate in the arts, and believe it or not, they study, too. And go to sports events, hang with friends. You’re only going to be as bored as you let yourself be. Check out the list of clubs/activities and the school calendar of events.
I can only speak for Colgate, but many students tend to party every Friday night. In the weekend, they start to do homework from the morning until 5:00 pm. Then go out and hang out with friends. Every Sunday the library is packed. I live about 5 minutes so I know the routine.
I spoke to a current Bowdoin student that we know just last night. I asked her the pro/cons and she said the biggest con was that the school and student community doesn’t offer more organized events and activities to do on the weekends. She is not a “partier” and she said many weekends it feels like the choices are go to the parties or just study more. It’s not like Wesleyan or Vassar where they have multiple competing events – theater, dance, music, etc. – every weekend night. You look at Wesleyan and they have a vibrant student-run theater organization that produces dozens of plays a year in a dedicated building (just for student-produced stuff). Bowdoin’s equivalent org seems to produce a handful a year (and their website hasn’t been updated in a couple years). Just one example. I know Bowdoin has an amazing outdoor activities club, so that’s a strength, but if you’re looking for a curated activity for a couple hours on campus it sounds like it can be sparse.
A Colby professor I know says on weekends the students basically drink, do drugs and… ahem… “party.” Yes, this is a euphemism. Not a whole lot else to do in Waterville! That’s why, even though his daughters would have attended Colby for free, he sent them instead across the country to a large urban research U.
It’s really too bad the schools, especially ones with specular endowments like Bowdoin, do so little to cultivate non-“party” activities on the weekends. Some equivalent LAC’s like Vassar and Wesleyan seem to get this right but many do not. Which is not to say that many don’t party at Vassar and Wesleyan, just that there are many programmed alternatives. I also find that student comments on this sometimes lack perspective. Some students who enjoy parties with alcohol and drugs think there’s tons to do on the weekend and believe that "you don’t have to drink to enjoy the party. But they have likely never attended a party where most people are drinking and not partaken – it’s just not fun to be around a lot of drunk people when you’re not.
In terms of schools like those listed, Hamilton students have access to a college-run Jitney which runs regularly to a nearby suburban area (mall, cinema, etc.). Though I couldn’t imagine ever being bored at any of your choices, the opportunity to get off campus once in a while might nonetheless be something to look for when considering your options.
Colby has a really active outdoor club. A lot of students go skiing, hiking, etc. There are intramural sports. You might want to ask these questions on the college’s pages where students will see the question and can answer.
“A Colby professor I know says on weekends the students basically drink, do drugs and… ahem… “party.” Yes, this is a euphemism. Not a whole lot else to do in Waterville! That’s why, even though his daughters would have attended Colby for free, he sent them instead across the country to a large urban research U.”
This is a myth, that schools in rural locations have higher levels of drinking and drug use. It is also a myth that students in urban locations do more “city” things off campus.
But in answer to the OP’s questions. My son did overnights at about 8 schools and he really had fun. I did as well, on one I hiked Mount Katahdin and on another tuna fishing.
^ Even a study occasionally posted on CC found no statistically significant correlation between rural locations and increased alcohol consumption.