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Is university really a wild as people/the media make it out to be?

Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?

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Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?

I don't go to university myself but I highly doubt it is as people will be more focused on getting a good degree. There will be clubs and societies but the things you've mentioned will be subjective and also depends on what a specific university allows to get by them. There will be some people like that but there are many different people at uni.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?

It's probably more academically difficult than anything.
Meh, you'll likely find wild bits still, the halls often get the whole 'lots of folk away from home for the first time with a bit of money' vibe for a while so can be a bit of an eye opener for some people.

It's a lot calmer than it was 20-30 odds years ago which is where the really wild reputations come from. I think main changes are technology, inc folk spending time online to cameras everywhere, unis take more of an active interest in keeping the places civil, more money is involved and overall students have to work a fair bit harder and seem to knuckle down more (out my current class of 30 odd there's like 2-3 party people, everyone else is just getting stuff done. they think i'm one of the wild ones for wandering off for a sly smoke at lunchtime)
Grades before raves
Reply 5
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Claudi0
10
Depends on what university, honestly.
Reply 6
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Anonymous #1
OP
Original post by Claudi0
Depends on what university, honestly.


My initial guess would be places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham would be 100% academic focused, but the non-Russell groups would be a bit more on the wild side. Unsure about the russell group universities below the elite ones though like manchester, leeds, bristol, birmingham, nottingham?
Original post by Anonymous
My initial guess would be places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham would be 100% academic focused


Not really! Probably more so than other universities, but not everyone at those places is a workaholic.
Reply 8
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Claudi0
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Original post by Anonymous
My initial guess would be places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham would be 100% academic focused, but the non-Russell groups would be a bit more on the wild side. Unsure about the russell group universities below the elite ones though like manchester, leeds, bristol, birmingham, nottingham?


Even then, imperial is in London and I heard there are massive fresher parties there!
Original post by Claudi0
Even then, imperial is in London and I heard there are massive fresher parties there!


Freshers only lasts for a week. You dont have to participate and many of the pub crawls are just organised by commercial companies.
Original post by Anonymous
My initial guess would be places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Durham would be 100% academic focused...


Definitely not. People who go to Oxbridge are not robots!! They like to have fun too!
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?


No, it isn't. But there are people who do. Especially in the first 2 months a lot of people will go out partying. A lot of people do have pre-drinks and pre-drugs (as my flatmate said, the drugs he took at first are now pre-drugs to the drugs he will take later on in a night out). However there doesn't seem to be a lot of sex happening, but obviously I'm not aware of everything going on.

However, there's a lot of people that don't do this. It's a mix and it depends on where your university is.
Reply 12
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stawes
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Mine - a second tier london uni - is not that like. Social life is pretty dead as majorty of students are home students who hang out with pre uni freinds or family.
Oxford is probably pretty wild - more students with lots of money to afford to socalise more.
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?


I think it really depends where you go tbh.
Generally, University life is really "bigged up", and not everyone goes out drinking/clubbing/partying etc...
You should watch some Student Vloggers on YouTube :biggrin:

I'm actually a student vlogger at Southampton, which is a russell group university. It's nice being able to show people what Uni life is really like for a typical student :smile:
Yup! At uni you can have an orgy:wink:
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?


No.
Interestingly, some of the feedback you've gotten is that it isn't true because people are/will be more focused on getting a good degree... Yeah, that bit definitely isn't true in my experience.

People essentially spend a whole lot of time watching TV, ordering in cheap pizza, and yeah, I suppose a fair bit of drinking too. But the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll stuff isn't really what I saw in uni.
Yes and no. You will find people doing all of those things- especially in first year when your grades don't count that much towards your degree. Different unis will have different types of social lives- in some cities, people will go out more, in some campus unis they may spend more time partying in their flats. At some unis, people will go home for the weekends more, so there will be less of a social life.

However, not everyone is into these things. Many people build their social life around clubs and societies, or simply aren't that into drinking. People do tend to calm down as time goes on (and they run out of money)!

I wouldn't say more academic courses/unis will have less of this culture- some courses/unis have a very "work-hard, play-hard" type culture. Also, money is often a limiting factor, so unis with more better off students may not have the tailing off towards the end of term when everyone is feeling a bit skint.

But yes, in the space of your first term, you will probably see; drinking games, open drugs-taking (especially weed), someone being sick in your kitchen, a regrettable one night stand, and a social based around fancy dress and drinking as much as humanly possible.

You don't have to join in with all these things, but it's probably best not to appear too shocked by them either.
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?


If you want to do all this, you can.
drugs are not used at all.

the partying and sex amongst friendship circles, yes there for the particular sub culture of students who go partying 4 or 5 times a week. around 25% of the student population

The majority isnt like that. around 50% of the student population

Then there is a minority that never parties. - around 25%
Original post by Anonymous
Do people do all of this wild partying that people make out they do? Is it really full of everyone doing drinking games and taking loads of drugs in their flat. Does everyone really get off their faces and have sex with everyone?


No. People come in all different belief & backgrounds. The same people in school with you are at university.

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