Party scene

After all I paid to get myself through University, I'll feel obliged to smack you if you want to go to University for the partying. I couldn't even afford Jack Daniels, although the friends I've made have been life-long (knock on wood).

I did a bit in the Marines and that was enough. I'd assume not have such a distraction.

This should not be a factor in considering a college....You need to pick a college based on your educational needs.  Like many have said here, any college is going to have a party scene!  If you are at a place where the majority of people are 18-22 years old, they are going to be partying.  If you just want to go to college to make tons of friends, meet mad girls/guys and party your brains out then pick a large school with 20,000+ students (you will probably flunk out in no time)....But if you want to go to school to learn something, just remember that you will always be able to find a party at any university.

I'm sure most, if not all, colleges have some sort of party scene, but it's not anything that I'm interested in. I don't plan on picking my college based on the nototrious parties that the kids have thrown there. I'm not a big fan of parties and I don't feel like being distracted by nightly outings and hangovers---no thanks!

Every school has a party scene. A good rule is to not waste too much time in it. Make some friends, have a drink, for sure, but don't wash out of college because you are too drunk to read all the time.

This is the most important thing to AVOID. It just causes trouble.

Very important. If you aren't happy socially at the school then you should transfer. College is considered by many to be the best years of your life. It's a time when you live with friends, make your own decisions, and have little to no responsibility outside of class. I can look back and say yeah I got a good education and I had some really great times as well.

It shouldn't be the deciding issue, but the social life at college can be far more important in post college life than most people understand or care to admit.

The party scene wasn't at the top of my list of criteria for picking a college. Heck, you'll find a party at any college. People who think they can go to college and party every night have something else coming to them. It's hard work and the types who think life's a party won't last a semester. However, going to parties allows you to network with people whom you'll probably find useful later in life. It's good to come out of school with a well-rounded perspective; there are a lot of things you don't learn in the classroom while at school.

Completely unimportant--especially considering the alcohol-filled, sexually-minded, rowdy, negative parties that so many college students seem to participate in.

That's not a terrible thing to decide your college on, but it is a bad thing.

Hey, I paid good money to find a place where I can goof off, become a complete wreck, and waste my life and my parents' money (most likely). That pretty much sums this topic up. Students must have fun. However, I believe that stuff like classes, curriculum, and degree plans were among the real main reasons why a person would spend their money or their parents' money on college.

Most (though not all) of the people who were entirely too big on the "party scene" at my college shortly dropped out. I don't mind going out and having a good time on occasion, but I do mind people killing animals by assuming that mice and pigs like alcohol (I'm dead serious). If you want to party, fine, I don't care, just don't kill anything.

The people who gave the "party scene" a bad rating are clearly the type people who are tremendously jealous of those that had or are having sucessful college experiences. If your paying 30k a year to get an education, it's nice to be at a school where you can party hard too and relieve some stress. For those that don't think a party scene is important, your wasting your money and furthering your own misery.

there are college parties at every college

Come on, every college has their own party scene. It doesn't matter where you go, every college has animals.

That's a ridiculous reason to choose a school.

Good grief...

You don't need to go to college to be a party animal.

Gotta have things to do after the game.

Parties are fun, but what are you paying for? Parties or an education? When looking for a college, party scene should be on last on your list of importance. Parties aren't going to help you in life, your education is.

I totally agree with AxelRod. Parties are created by the jerkoff fraternities and sororities anyway, so why even bother looking for a party scene. Plus, I hung out at the college radio station, that was my party scene.

If I were ever to go back to college, the Party scene would be the last of importance. I am Not a partier anyway and spending a lot of money for an education great parties is not a prerequisite for starting a college. I live near a big college famous for being a party college not anything to be proud of.

It shouldn't be a huge factor in choosing a school, but let's face it...what are you going to do on weekends? I personally go to a school that was formerly known as a "party school", and the administration is trying to crack down. Well, that's really nice of them to look out for the safety and morality of their students, but the university hasn't offered anything in its place for those who don't go to bars (because of age or choice) and those who do not have cars. At least a party scene is something. It allows people to meet one another who aren't in the same classes. Academics are the most important, but most people want to do something on weekends that do not include studying or sitting in front of their computer.

C'mon. . .partying matters. They are already legistlating all fun things out of life anyway you might as well party in college. There is nothing wrong with inquiring about how the students unwind and relax because you will need to. . .It isn't the most important thing but I definitely considered it. Why is everyone so uptight about this topic? You all sound like a bunch of victims having some sort of revenge-fest.

Irrelevant. Any college can be made fun or made boring. It's up the individual and their friends.

You're a bunch of nerds. Spark up a few blunts and live a little. If you can't hang, maybe you shouldn't be in college in the first place.

As a college graduate, I don't know how many times I've seen first year students come in and talk about how they are going to party all night and get plastered, etc. Funny thing is, you see those same students at the end of the term with large bags under their eyes and a panicked look on their face. Somehow, during all those weeks of school, they forgot to do any studying. I know the temptations that are out there, and how it feels when you finally get some independence. However, when you are going to college, partying should be the least of your concerns. You've got your whole life to do that. Take four years and get your degree, and you'll probably have a lot more money to party with once you get out.

If partying isn't your thing, then it makes sense that this aspect of college life - and don't deny that it usually is an aspect of college life - would rank low on your list of criteria when it comes to choosing which school to attend. But to say that it isn't a factor at all is kind of ignorant. You can party without wasting tuition money. There are people who like to party - whether it's because it's how they like to meet people or for whatever reason - and those people simply wouldn't have as good an experience at a school which lacked in this department. I personally have visited one such school, and without bashing anybody, I can say I wouldn't have lasted 4 years there.

I've never liked partying. Standing in a room that's either too hot or too cold, listening to crap music with people you wouldn't be caught dead mixing with; what's the point? Choosing where to get an education based on the night-life it offers is just wrong.

Every school has a party scene, whether it has 45,000 students or 450. If you want to party at a given school, you'll find a scene. Don't use the party scene as a factor in choosing a college.

First of all, just because someone doesn't go to "parties" (whatever definition you want to use for it) doesn't make them antisocial. There are plenty of other ways to socialized. That being said, just about every college (with the excetption of some strict private colleges) has groups of people that party a lot. Whats the point in using that to distinguish a college?

Oh, yeah, like ALL colleges don't have some kind of social or party life. If this is your only criteria save your (or your parent's) money, get a meaningless job near a college and just attend the parties. Then when you hit say 28 and you're still living in an efficency appartment with 3 other people and holding down a minimum wage job at least you won't have to tell people you flunked out of school. On second thought, go to college party moderately but base your major selection decisions on academics not something you may not even remember two days after it's over.

If your are trying to gain knowledge then don't choose a school because it has a popular party scene. Partying has its place but don't make it the basis for choosing an institution of learning.

Not important to me. While a good social life is nice, I do not go to college to party 24/7.