I am applying to college and one of my concerns is the drug/alcohol/party scene. I really want to stay away from it. But, the thing is I am not some nerdy wimpy kid. I am a jock and part of the “cool” group in school and part of the class clown crowd, but unlike the rest of them I am not into drinking and partying. I was wondering how many people I would meet like myself in a chem-free dorm. I want to be away from all the partying, but I don’t want to live with a bunch of people that are completely different than me.
Wow, listen to what you are saying: you self-identify as a “cool jock” and look down on “nerdy wimpy” kids. It may be time to live with some people who are different from you!
@snarlatron I do not consider myself a cool kid. I put cool in quotes because that is the stereotype of the friend group I am a part of. aka the class clowns. I do not look down on nerdy wimpy kids. I have plenty of friends in robotic, math clubs, etc. Thanks for the help. 
I think a chem free dorm is a great choice for someone who isn’t into or wants to stay away from partying when there is one available. I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be a diversity of students in chem free dorms just like anywhere else on campus. The thing is that these types of dorms are selected by students who want to stay chem free like you, so in that respect they are like minded.
It is possible to stay away from partying no matter where you choose to live on campus. Sometimes it isn’t so easy to stay away from the results of too much partying when you don’t live in the chem free dorm–which can be really gross–since kids your age aren’t always so great at cleaning up–especially when drunk or high. So the chem free dorm has the advantage of staying cleaner on the weekends too.
The kids I have known who chose chem free dorms have all been interesting individuals, not monks. Wearing a 12-pack box as a hat is the easy route; taking a stand is not. I think it is a great idea and I think you’ll make good friends. Good luck!
I used to oversee a substance-free living space when I was a hall director. By and large the students who lived there were just like the students who lived elsewhere; the only difference is they didn’t want drugs in their space. I don’t even think there was a prohibition on them drinking or doing drugs themselves - although most of them didn’t - they just couldn’t bring it back to their space, or bring evidence of it to the space (no loud drunken entrances at 5 am).
Also, different colleges are different and you may want to get a handle on the actual scene before you apply for a substance-free space. There are some residence halls on some campuses that aren’t technically substance-free but are still quieter than other residence halls. I lived in an upper-class residence hall when I was a hall director; it was set up apartment-style, and it was very quiet. Almost like living in a grad student apartment building. Even the one room that occasionally had parties only did them 1-2x a month and they were always done by around 12 midnight (and they weren’t loud and drunk). I almost never got calls or incidents in my own building!
And some campuses just don’t have the loud partying on-campus culture at all. My own alma mater was a lot of fun but we partied off-campus, especially after junior or senior year. And at some campuses most of the upperclassmen move into off-campus apartments - and apartment complexes all have different flavors, too. (I lived in a small college town for a year and deliberately selected a complex that was mostly grad students, postdocs and young professionals - much quieter. But there were some that were notorious for being rowdy undergrad havens, and others that were known for being mostly undergrads but still a lot quieter.)