Connecticut College Top Questions

There are five main events that the student body looks forward to throughout the academic year - Fall Tent Dance, Festivus, Winter Formal, Spring Tent Dance and Floralia. Each event does have an element of drinking involved, but it is easy to have a good time without the help of alcohol. All of these events incorporate dorm, class and campus unity with having a good time.

Soccer games are the most popular athletic events then Lacrosse games but Conn isn't that really into sports. I could not tell you the record of any of our sports teams from last year and I don't think I majority of my friends could either. I think I went to two or three soccer games in the fall. The dating scene at Conn is non-existent for most freshman. Since the guy to girl ration tips in favor of the fellas the boys get to have their cake and eat it too. Hooking up with no commitment. As they get older the guys calm down a little and more relationships appear around campus. I met a few of my closest friends during orientation, they lived in the same dorm as me. While some of the friends I made then didn't last a few did. It took a while but eventually we branched out and made friends from other parts of campus just by going out on the weekends. I would say most people party every Saturday and Thursday night. If you the kind of person when one night is enough then Saturday will be the night for you and if you don't like going out/ partying at all you should live in Blackstone- the substance free dorm where you will meet other kids who don't enjoy the drinking culture and together you all will find something else to do, like go see the guest speakers. The best tradition at Conn is Floralia! This year we had Hoodie Allen and Matt & Kim. It was SOOOOO much fun. Students wake up around 5 am, pitch tents out on library green then go back to bed for a little. Then they wake up, most around 8, and start drinking. Kids drink outside all day long. The concert starts at 12:00 p.m. with lesser known bands, this year we had Wicked Peach- a 90's cover bad- and it was wicked awesome. The concert is over by midnight. The most heard phrase that weekend is "It is a marathon not a sprint" warning kids to drink slowly and pace themselves so they don't drink to much and pass out, missing t he awesomeness that is floralia!

The social life is great here, in my opinion. People are VERY friendly and approachable. I don't have the vibe of seclusion from the people here. Athletic events are somewhat popular--especially if parties are included. The Lacrosse team--AKA the "Lax bros" seem to think they run the school but that is not true at all. They are good bunch of guys for the most part, but they feign themselves as kings on campus but don't let that bother you. Dances are the definition of saturdays. There is almost always a dance on the weekend and some are bigger than others. While most students are intoxicated, they are a great deal of fun. Drinking on campus is a big thing and a lot of students do it. Marijuana is also kind of big, but i have seen little else. Ambulances do come on occasion on the weekends, but most students are pretty smart about it. Floor parties are great, and parties down at the Ridge are even better. Partying is usually thursday and saturday night. On friday it is usually more laid back and students just hang out. A good movie in a room, heading to the lambdin game room--just hanging out with your friends can lead to endless possibilities...

The most popular groups on campus have to be the A Capella groups and Renewable Energy Club (REC). I'd say that the a capella groups here all recruit top-notch singers, but some still hold better performances than others. REC is well-known for the changes it has brought to the campus recently, with the new addition of a composting bin, the arrival of two Prius Zipcars on campus, and the campaign to save electricity with multiple "blackout nights" throughout the year. Activities fall within a wide range; from playing club ultimate to participating in Peggoty Investment club, there are activities for everyone at Conn. In terms of social activities, Thursday and Saturday nights are full of the usual drunken parties and dances in the student center that get quite old after a while. Friday Nights Live is a weekly occurrence that brings a lesser-known band to campus for student enjoyment. Lastly, it is possible to be socially involved at Conn and not drink, but it's pretty tough to find anything else to do on the two nights mentioned before (unless you go off campus, which rarely happens). Also, not surprisingly, long-term relationships are not in the majority here. The 60:40 female to male ratio leads to more drunken hookups than serious commitments.

A lot of kids are involved with socially active groups like Save Darfur, Renewable Energy Club, and Fair Trade Initiative. The Dance Club is also a really popular club -- though it´s a little difficult to be involved in if you´re not in the dance department because it´s definitely a club for people who have a lot of training, they put on really incredible performances. Sports teams are a huge presence on campus. If you´re walking around at 4:30 you can´t miss all of the sports teams practicing and jogging. We don´t have frats or sororities, but that doesn´t stop everybody from partying. The biggest party nights are Thursday and Saturday--Friday is a chill out, hang with friends, smoke weed, and watch a movie night. On Thurs and Sat, most parties start out in someone´s dorm room. Parties can range from a couple friends drinking together and talking to a full-blown, packed, sweaty dance party. After significantly drunk and/or high, people will move to Cro (the student center) for a dance or for food. Or they might head of the apartments or Abbey House across the street for bigger parties and more drinking. Though less common, you can still find people drinking any night of the week I´m sure. As I´ve made it clear, drinking is a big part of campus life. However, as long as you´re cool with being around people drinking, you can still enjoy hanging out with your friends without drinking. No one is going to question you or pressure you. The dating scene is pretty limited at Conn. Most of the scene revolves around random drunk hookups, which might lead to a consistent hook up buddy but might not. There are some couples around campus though.

A capella group, don't ask me why, are the most popular and well-attended student organization on campus. They are our equivalent of frats and sororities. There is hazing to get into them and lots of gossip and rumors surrounding those who don't make the cut for whatever reasons. Some people don't make it because the group is being catty, not because they are not good at singing. I find it unusual that people leave their dorm door open. I usually just left my door handle unlocked. I think it's because most people have friends who live in other dorms, and because you never know if there's drinking going on inside or not. My favorite off-campus place to go is Providence, RI. It's far away but there is SO much to do, especially if you like clubs. They also have a huge mall.

Athletic events and teams are extremely popular, not a lot of dating, keg parties, bands, dances

drink in the dorms. that's it. dances are really fun but every weekend kids are drunk and disrespectful and trash the campus. new london offers nothing.

Even though admins get pissed at us for leaving our doors open we still do it anyways. Just like we still drink underage and smoke pot in our rooms. The dating scene can include anything from a one night hookup to a marriage. Whatever you want in a relationship- it's here. Guest speakers usually are mediocre, but sometimes they get some good ones (Faith Ringold) My closest friends are my frosh roommates. Such great guys. We stole a sign off of Palmer Auditorium that was attached to a large wooden beam three weeks into the year. I think I really knew that I liked them when I found out one of them had sawed through the whole damn board with a pocketknife while I was at class. You don't meet people like that everyday, except at Conn you can.

The college provides a good amount of activities that help the social life, and don't necissarily revolve around drinking. For example, every Thursday there is a Thursday Night Event (TNE) hosted by a different dorm each time. They get to plan the event, whether it be a dance, a poker night, a hypnotist, a movie.. etc. Also, every Friday there is Friday Nights Live, a live music night where different artists come to the school to showcase their talent. Although there are no frats, the athletic teams can pretty well cover the group planning of parties and such.

Conn always has something going on, you just have to be in tune to what they are. There are always TNE's which are thursday night events and usually include dances or some live performance. There are always students out and about going to New London or to the Crystal Mall or going to watch some sporting event whether it be club or varsity. People definitely do drink and party but there are a lot of people who also don't participate in that scene and are perfectly happy. For me so far most social scenes have been in the dorm rooms with close friends and then usually the night takes you to other dorms or down to the ridge for keg's or other forms of social gatherings.

Many clubs grace the Conn Campus, and many are worth while. SAVE protects the environment while Renewable Energy is investing money in clean alternate sources of energy for the campus. Political groups also run free from College Dems and Republicans to CC Left, the extremely liberal club. There are many international/minority/gay-lesbian clubs if you're looking for a niche as well. Athletic events are generally not very popular, which is a pity because they could be a great source of income from the alumni. Weekend "fun oriented" events on campus are few and very strained. Dorms are required to throw one event a year on a Thursday night, a TNE. Usually a boring dance with an unoriginal theme, drunk kids show up in packs to grind sweaty bodies in time to popular hip-hop music. If you enter one of the dances sober, the atmosphere is usually appalling and sometimes frightening. The air reeks of stale beer and urine. Girls shriek with false laughter as guys crack stupid jokes and make obvious passes. Sometimes people take the dancing too far and with their vacant faces and glistening alcohol-moist eyes, one wonders if they are actually performing the full sexual act mid dance. and if they will even recall it the next day. If you LOVE alcohol and sex Conn is the place for you, if you would like to explore other opportunities, New London is dead except for a few great restaurants.

As I said before, students can find something fun to do anytime they want. But sometimes they do have to search for it, but that's part of the fun anyway!

Despite being a small campus bereft of fraternities (or any real off-campus student thrown parties), Conn kids know how to party. If your shying away from this small school because you are afraid it won't live up to your college partying expectations, let me tell you those fears are unfounded. Having said that the sheer number of clubs, organizations, and student run groups on campus make Conn a very interesting school without drinking. The acapella groups are always performing and a couple comedy-improv groups are actually quite funny. For all over-21 students, the New London bar (bar, not club) scene is actually pretty fun (though there is an on-campus bar as well) and Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are just a short cab-ride away. I would say near 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of kids live on campus in the dorms for all four years which makes the dorms a bit more fun than the other schools I have visited. Floor parties, kegs in the common room (which oddly enough the school often funds), and the highly popular Club Sherman room parties are the standard for Thursday nights. Security has never really been a issue for me at school, as I have consistently lost my keys at the beginning of each semester and have consequently left my room unlocked the majority of the time. Not recommended by the school, but certainly doable.

Sports teams are popular, but not particularly successful. There are no frats or sororities; the closest thing would be the a capella groups. There are several yearly traditions, like Camelympics, Floralia and take-over Cro night, which are pretty cool when you're a freshman and sophomore, but the novelty wears off with seniority.

There are so many activities to partake in: Athletics, theater, volunteer work, dance, music, film... For the most part students at Conn are very involved in teams or groups on campus. Parties occur on Thursday and Saturday nights. Friday is more of a chill night. Some people do homework, some spend Friday night playing board games and drinking tea at the Coffee Grounds, while others rest up for a Saturday afternoon athletic event. There are dances in Cro most Thursday and Saturday nights and although drinking may seem to be the major party activity there are other ways to entertain yourself. Personally I can speak from both sides: I did not drink at all until April of my Freshman year at Conn. When I look back at my four years I had just as much fun my Freshman year as I did my Senior year.

There is always stuff to do at Conn- the Student Activities Board holds free weekly concerts with interesting indie bands- there is monthly improv, which is hilarious- sporting events draw a lot of people- there are about three big dances a month, only one of which is actually "fun"- there is usually one political/intellectual/humanitarian event per week, either lectures, fundraisers or film screenings. If you don't party at Conn, don't expect to have a big social life. Drinking and smoking marijuana offer the best bonding forums, and that is where most people meet their friends. Because dorms are co-ed and filled with all ages, dorms aren't as important for meeting people. There are a bunch of different traditions on campus, especially Floralia in early May, which involves drinking from 9 am until you pass out, with some good bands (Ted Leo, Girl Talk) and other activities. There is also the Winter Formal, where everyone gets really trashed after they dress up. There are some others, but they all involve getting really drunk. Humans vs. Zombies, introduced in 2008, is a fun way of bonding for alternative kids and nerds. It's actually really fun, despite its mostly misunderstood perception among the bros.

Popular activities on-campus include sports teams (although Conn isn't known for its sports programs except sailing), ski club, CCASA (Conn College Asian Students Association) and various community service programs through OVCS. Students do leave their doors open quite a bit, although it really depends on the dorms. A Capella concerts, especially by the Co Co Beaux and Conn Chords are popular as are the main stage theater performances. People don't really date on campus- it's more of a "hooking up" environment. I met my closest friends through COOP- the Conn College Outdoor Orientation Program, where we were living in the wilderness together for 4 days. Thursdays and Saturdays are generally party nights (many with campus-wide dances) while Fridays are more mellow with FNLs (Friday Nights Live) featuring lesser-known bands in the student center. Big campus events include Floralia (spring weekend), Festivus (a winter semi-formal), the winter formal, and the tent dances.

Since there is no greek life here, athletics take that place. Swimming and ice hockey are very popular games to attend.

Conn doesn't have a Greek system. I'd say the closest things we have to frats and sororities are the accapella groups and sports teams. Accapella is HUGE on campus. We have something like seven or eight separate singing groups. Most people participate in either a sport, club, or school-run organization which makes for a very socially involved campus. The party scene is fun, but pretty laid back. On a typical Saturday there's usually at least one keg (usually thrown by a sports team or club), a dance (organized by the Student Activities Council), and some type of accapella concert, dance show, or theater performance. Most students choose to hang out with their own group of friends in someone's room drinking early on at night, and then head to the Student Center later to meet up with everyone else. New London is OK... there are some nice areas, but for the most part we don't hang around there much. Conn is not the place to go if you expect huge parties with alcohol everywhere and 200+ people in attendence. You're more likely to find groups of 10 or so people drinking together playing ruit, kings cup, or other drinking games.