Connecticut College Top Questions

So how does a typical weekend go? Well, Thursday nights are pretty big here and so are Saturdays. The rest of the week, I'm sure you'll find people drinking, but not much is going on. Thursday nights there's usually a TNE (Thursday Night Event) which basically means a dance with some kind of theme. The favorites are usually highlighter parties, anything but clothes...you get the idea. Friday nights we have FNLs (Friday Night Lives) where a band comes to play. These can be really fun and I went to a lot of them freshman year. Conn gets some really good bands that people don't really know about yet. Saturday nights are the most fun. There's usually a dance or some kind of event going on at Cro (the Student Union building) and if there isn't, people usually congregate there around midnight anyway. We don't have a Greek system, so SAC will throw a lot of dances and events to get people involved on weekends. There's also a bar on campus, which a lot of seniors go to. Off campus there are a few bars in New London, and people like to go to Mohegan Sun as well. However, if you're not 21 yet, you pretty much stay on campus.

There are a lot of different opportunities for students to get involved. Their are so many different clubs from MOBROC to REC to Italian club, providing something for all most everyone. There are also numerous sponsered events such as panel discussions, informational nights, and soo much more. The one thing that I feel Conn is lacking is a more engergetic and different social atmosphere. It is fun hanging out with friends, having parties in our rooms, going to the kegs, floor parties and dances, but after a while it just becomes so repetitive. I've actually met a lot of people on Thursday and Saturday nights, but they aren't relationships that have really lasted, or anything. I think the school as a whole needs to step it up and provide the student body with more engaging social activities--even a random spur of the moment student-initiated pillow fight on the green would be better than the monotonous Saturday nights we must endure.

almost everyone at conn plays a sport either club or varsity. But if one doesnt thats ok too. Although I dont know how I'd take up my time if I didnt play a sport. Life would get pretty boring. Im involved in the varsity sailing and squash teams so I'm away almost every weekend which is good because it gets me off campus so life isnt so monotonous. students dont normally leave their doors open, personally i dont because its awkward if your just sitting in your room watching tv and people just walk by and look in. Sporting events are decently popular I mean...no one really maps them on their calanders, but usually theres always an audience. If I'm awake on tuesday at 2am, Im usually procrastinating, watching tv, or actually doing work. There isnt really a dating scene usually people will meet drunkenly and hook up and then if they continue to hang out again a couple more times then theyll move on to hanging out sober and then finally they'll just BE together. I have a couple of groups of close friends. My sailing friends I obviously met through the team, my squash friends again through the team, but my non sport playing friends I met by living near them freshmen year. Festivus- a night of drunken merriment in the fall. Winter Formal-a night of drunken merriment in the winter. camelympics- dorms compete against each other in games lasting for 24 hours. Spring formal- a night of drunken merriment in the spring. FLORALIA- a Day of drunken merriment where bands come to play and everyone sets up couches and seats and tents on the green. People usually party hard on thursdays, recover on fridays and party on saturdays. we dont have greek life. Last weekend I sailed all day saturday babysat at night and sailed all day sunday. There isnt much to do on a saturday if you dont drink. People dont usually go off campus unless its to see a movie or go out to eat.

If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am typically just getting back to my dorm from the Library, which closes at 2am. I tend to procrastinate, woops. I met my closest friends through classes (Freshman Focus), my dorm and COOP, which is an outdoor pre-orientation program I would highly suggest, it was so fun! We do not have Greek life here so no fraternities or sororities. I think this has a two-fold effect: the positive is that the student body is more unified, but the negative is that I feel there may be less options of social activities from a lack of Greek life.

The most popular organizations are sports teams. Because Conn does not have frats or sororities, the void is filled by sports teams. Currently, I am involved with OVCS, where I volunteer twice a week in a New London elementary school. Students in dorms leave their doors locked. Athletic events are the most popular, followed by theater, and then guest speakers. I met my closest friends through a sports team. If I'm awake on a Tuesday at 2am I'm hanging out with my friends or watching tv, or finishing last minute work. You can find a person partying any day of the week; however, the most common days to party are Thursday and Saturday. Last weekend, I went to watch one my best friends participate in a track meet at the Coast Guard academy, and hung out with my friends. The Student Activities Counsel (SAC) works hard to have events on "party nights" that don't involve drinking.

Definitely sports are very important on campus because a large percentage of the study body plays some type of sport. Also, many students participate in community service in New London. I am involved with Habitat for Humanity and we build houses for low income families in the area and take a spring break trip every year to another part of the country to help build homes for the less fortunate there. We also participate in many awareness and fundraising activities throughout the year. Dorm life is pretty friendly, but its difficult to leave the doors open. My closest friends were met through my first dorm and sports. If I am awake at 2am on a tuesday I am doing work. There are alot of events every year- camelympics where the dorms compete in a wide variety of events, there are many dances, and there is floralia at the end of the year which is where the whole campus hangs out all day and listens to live bands. Parties happen every weekend and some people party during the week. I personally do not party during the week but I participate in an occasional party on the weekend. There are no frats on campus at all which is very nice. Honestly there is not a whole lot to do on most saturday nights that doesnt involve drinking or parties and there isnt a whole lot to do off campus!

I can't really pinpoint the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus because everyone is involved in something different. I'm on the sailing team, which is a small group of radically different people albeit one common interest. Some students leave their doors open, especially those in singles in more social hallways, but I think it depends on how well you know those around you. Athletics events are very popular, although more the men's soccer, hockey and lacrosse games. Theater and guest speakers are also popular, although less popular. The dating scene is very bizarre: people settle down very quickly and there isn't as much random partying as their is at other schools, which some people are very frustrated by. My closest friends were firstly those who lived around me and then friends of friends. If I'm awake on a Tuesday night at 2am, I'm most like doing my homework, but on a rare social occasion, hanging out in someone's room. Floralia happens every year. People always party on Thursday and Saturday nights, at campus bar on Tuesday nights and at bars in downtown New Lo on Wednesday nights. Fraternities/sororities are non-existent, and last weekend I was sailing, as I am almost every weekend. I don't really do anything on a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking, from dinner to going out with my friends.

Social life: students at Conn drink in small groups early in the night in their rooms. Then, they go out later in the night to larger parties. There us a lot of drinking, but the culture isn't terribly oppressive. If you don't want to drink, you can find a group of friends who also don't, but it is pervasive. So, to summarize, drinking is extensive, but the direct pressure to do so is not. There are usually dances every weekend, and too many themed ones to count. If you want some social activities while drunk, there are some to be had. Sober social activities and spaces are on the rise but currently in dire need. A capella is big. There are six groups, three co-ed, one male, and two female. Most are really good, there is a lot of excellent talent in a capella, and it is the most popular music presence on campus.

The most popular groups are international student groups, politically oriented groups, and community service groups. Club sports teams, especially ultimate frisbee, soccer, and hockey are very popular and many of the varsity teams, specifically soccer, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, crew, and sailing are popular. There is no football team at Conn College. I am involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, which is a group on campus where Christians of all denominations and interested non-Christians can get together and learn about Christ through studying the bible, support each other through small group meetings, grow in relationship with God through prayer, worship through music, and help others through community service. It's a great way to get to know other Christians and to grow in faith in a college environment that doesn't always see religious faith in a positive light. Many students do leave their doors open in dorms, but it would be nice to have more people doing it. Athletic events are of limited popularity, but hockey, basketball, soccer, and lacrosse games usually draw pretty good-sized crowds. Theater and dance events draw big crowds, and these events are usually quite enjoyable. The dating scene at Conn is unique to my experience. People get involved in relationships, but there are few places to go on "dates" especially if you don't have a car. Also, a lot of students aren't really that interested in getting into serious relationships, but are more interested in experiencing college life and all its liberties to the fullest. I met my closest friends while playing frisbee out on the main green freshman year. I've also met other close friends through the clubs I am involved in at school. Being awake on Tuesday at 2AM means you are either doing homework (studying for a big test or finishing a paper) or out with friends (usually a night out for seniors). Traditions/events that happen each year are Camelympics (series of athletic competitions between dorms), Halloween Dance, Black and White Formal (Dance), Fall Concert (a relatively big name in music performs), Festivus (pre-Christmas celebration with a politically correct name), Winter Formal (Dance), Spring Formal Tent Dance, and Floralia (huge outdoor, day-long, multiple-concert, drinking party). People usually party every thursday and saturday night. Seniors sometimes add tuesday night to the list. There are no fraternities or sororities, which I think makes the college more unified and socially interactive. Last weekend, I went to a dance put on by our college after hanging out with friends for a few hours prior. You can drive to another city and try to find nightlife there, hang out with non-drinkers on campus (they do exist on campus, but are hard to find), do homework, go to bed, or try going to parties sober (not recommended) if you don't want to drink Saturday night. Off campus, I go to the beach, go to restaurants, go shopping, go to a nearby major city (boston, NY, or providence) for a concert or to just see the city.

I would say that no clubs or groups in particular are popular to join, students generally prefer to remain unaffiliated. Students do tend to go to events, however, so clubs remain active. The club I'm involved with, Hillel, does a variety of activities related to Jewish holidays and other celebrations throughout the year. 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the college is Jewish, and I would say we get about 40 kids for our bigger events. Athletic events are very unpopular, but things like acapella concerts, theater and dance performances are. Kids do tend to leave their doors open, so there is a lot of interaction between the students in dorms. I met my closest friends when I lived with a lot of them freshmen year, or through friends that they knew. There are a lot of traditions, usually centered around seasons, such as Festivus, Winter Formal, and Floralia in the spring. Kids go out and party on Thursdays and Saturdays, unless you are part of a sports team, in which case it's more like every day but Sundays and Mondays. Last weekend I wasn't at Conn...People can go to movies or performances on Saturdays if they choose not to drink...and if you find anyone who does, let me know.