Connecticut College Top Questions

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.