Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I did not attend UVA, but based on my small anecdotal sample of friends and colleagues, schools in less urban areas seem to have more heavy drinking culture. I went to school in a southern city and while there definitely was a heavy drinking culture, it seemed much easier to find an alternative bc the city offered a lot of options. At the state school near my fairly small hometown, drinking or frat parties were pretty much the social scene on weekends. FWIW, I will also say, I was shocked freshman year to see the kids who could play hard but also study hard - it was more common among the kids of means who had been drinking through high school, so had figured out the balance between academics and fun, but it was not the burnouts - it was the smart kids.
This is why I encouraged my son and daughter to organize drinking parties for their teammates and friends, from spring of 9th grade on after learning to drink within our house that previous summer and fall. I wanted them to learn BEFORE college how to handle their alcohol and their responsibilities, so they wouldn't be cutting loose for the first time in college. I also wanted them to build the confidence that comes from being at the top of the social pyramid, and that starts with high school. They needed to learn who they should be friends with, and who's embarrassing.
Things move fast in college those first few weeks, and kids make the mistake of being desperate and latching onto the first kid or group who they think could be "friends". The LAST thing you want to do is to get yourself anchored to someone everyone (especially Greeks) sees as a loser. YOU want to be the one deciding who's a loser, and who's cool. YOU want to be the one the frat or the sorority wants. YOU want to be the hot commodity.