If you are about to be a freshman in college, you are probably wondering more about the future of your social life than you are about what classes you’ll take or who your professors will be.
The college party scene often offers college students a great way to get to know other students and to take a break from studying and going to class.
Knowing what kinds of parties there are, who hosts them and what to expect with regard to the world of college parties.
Here is some information to help you get a sense of what to expect at college parties for new freshmen.
1. Specific campus sponsored parties
Sometimes, colleges will sponsor events for incoming college students. They may be held as part of the orientation program, or they might be something that the school sponsors early in the semester.
These parties are generally a great choice for new freshmen because they will be supervised, alcohol-free parties, and the college may even make provisions for getting the freshmen back to their dorm.
2. Look for school sponsored dorm parties
From time to time, a college may allow different floors or parts of floors in a dorm to have their own parties. The school may also have an all dorm party to allow all of the freshmen to get to know each other.
These events will always be alcohol-free because most freshmen are under the legal age for drinking alcohol anyway. They will be supervised by dorm staff, resident advisers and possibly other college staff as well.
3. Fraternity and Sorority rush parties
Early in the first semester, colleges and universities that have fraternities and sororities will enter the period that is known as rush. This is the period during which these groups try to lure students to join them.
As part of this attempt to recruit new members, each of the fraternities and sororities will sponsor their own rush events. On occasion, one group will try to outdo the others in the hope of getting the richest, hippest and most popular students.
Be careful when attending rush parties because alcohol is often one of the draws of these parties. Without adult or college staff supervision, there is much more freedom at these sorts of events and one can never predict what may happen.
Make sure that if you intend to attend one of these parties, and you are going to drink, that you have a way to get back to your dorm safely.
4. Regular fraternity and sorority parties
Once rush is over, fraternities and sororities will have their own parties. Sometimes the parties will have a theme, often they won’t.
The common thread that unites these parties is almost always the wide and easy availability of alcohol.
Be careful about going to these houses – especially when you don’t know what kind of reputation the fraternity or sorority have.
Sometimes these organizations get a reputation for having very loud and obnoxious parties, and if the police are called to the house on a regular basis, you will probably want to avoid attending these sorts of parties.
5. College organization sponsored parties
Sometimes various social organizations within a college or university will sponsor their own parties. These organizations may be anything from social organizations, organizations related to academic interests, honorary societies or campus government organizations.
These parties are often well organized and supervised, and offer incoming freshmen a great and safe way to participate in the college social scene.
Notes:
When looking for parties, talk to your resident assistants or other upperclassmen.
When going to college parties as a new freshman, buddy up with someone and make sure that you’ve made plans to get yourselves back to your dorm room before you head out to party.
If people invite you to parties at bars, you ought to respectfully decline. You don’t want to risk your future by being in a bar if you are underage, even if the bar allows underage patrons.
You never know when there might be trouble, and the one thing that is almost always true about any type of college party is that any time there is alcohol around, there is likely to be trouble at some point.