My son is filling out his housing forms and is thinking of requesting a sub-free floor. The question is, what kinds of students end up on these floors? U of R doesn’t have a party reputation so perhaps it isn’t necessary? He just wants to be around students who have other ways of having fun than partying. He definitely will ask for a substance free room…
Many different kinds. It doesn’t matter much; there doesn’t seem to be a lot of drug/drinking peer pressure. Freshman year my kid was on a hallway of mostly athletes (because fall teams start before school) and her next door neighbors were total pot heads and TV addicts (and one was brilliant). She not only never had an issue but they were really nice people who carried her stuff around.
As a current student, I can say that it isn’t a huge deal. There will be a varied distribution of individuals on every floor, so even on a non-substance free floor he would be able to find others who have fun without drugs/alcohol! I personally chose to have a substance free ROOM, which was great decision. It was socially integrative but also kept my living space more in my comfort zone. However, the floor could be nice for a cohesive community of people? Good luck!
Thank you!
Creekland’s son here: As a current student who is and has been an RA for two years, I know that your son will be able to find other students who can have fun without partying. This will be true on any hall. The perks of a substance free hall is that everyone has committed to that lifestyle. Also, having seen who lives on these halls over the years, I can assure you that people who live on such halls are just as friendly, intelligent, and fun as those who live on any other hall. His college experience will be what he makes of it, and I’m sure he will have a great time wherever he chooses to live.
My S just filled out his housing contract and decided on substance free hall. He didn’t want to have to deal with intoxicated hall-mates vomiting in the hall and/or bathrooms. He is a bit of an introvert, but wants to become more social with like-minded kids who want to hang out and have fun without drinking/drugs involved. I do wish more questions were asked regarding roommate pairings about study and sleep habits. Hopefully it will work out well for him.