So what is college/university like in the US?

CM30

CM30

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Because I swear, the way people talk about it online, it seems pretty different to how it is in the UK. As in, more like those old comedy movies Homer Simpson has apparently watched on The Simpsons.

So yeah, for those over in the US who actually do attend, is college/university life over there really some sort of crazy 'anything goes' situation filled with insane lunatics? Are the webcomics and internet accounts actually accurate in any way? Or is it just like it is in over here in the UK, where people actually do take it seriously?
 
The only thing I ever really knew about universities came from the Simpsons until my brother went. I too find it hard to believe the portrayals I've seen of US collages.
 
No it's not crazy like it's shown on TV, granted there are groups that some college students make called fraternities which can range from "normal activity/club style groups" to "insane, anything goes, murderous cults". The latter isn't a common thing and obviously doesn't fly but movies tend to use the concept for those outrageous movies. Frat houses are just dorms full of crazy students doing (possibly) illegal things. My college was the same as high school really, just with less idiots trying to fit into social classes.
 
Some colleges are not even what you would imagine. Just small buildings with a few classes that are taught once a day that you do not live on the grounds of.
 
Lol yeah I completely agree with Porkman and Vince. It's not all that wild the it is portrayed in movies. Some of them are really small too.
 
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Iv'e been to Harvard (used to hang out right outside it at The Pit and The Garage) and M.I.T. (got my A+ certification there) and M.I.T. is a LOT bigger than Harvard but the people at Harvard are VERY nice, friendly, and open-minded. Like, that beginning of Legally Blonde would NEVER happen in real life. I used to dress like a vampire every day and night and they never made fun of me. The Pit is full of 'freaks' and oddly dressed characters. 'The Pit', by the way, is a small circle of stairs 2 steps high that sits above the subway station at its entrance. Good place to meet random people. Just a bunch of strangers and friends playing cards, dice, D&D, or BSing at all times. The Harvard building is like 100 feet away or so. hence, Harvard Square's 'pit' lol
 
agreed, with what porkman said... granted I've never attended a university (just smaller colleges) but there are definitely plenty of students that take it seriously :)
 
I go to a Liberal Arts Christian college (albeit we're apparently known as the party LACC in the area) so I'll offer my own thoughts…while there are parties going on, especially over the weekends, they're fairly isolated (frat houses and semi-off campus cottages mainly) and you kind of have to go out of your way to find anything like that (I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen/heard a party and my dorm is across the street from some of the frats). I've lived in a small dorm both years (same one, actually) and my floor's got a great sense of community (most of us stuck around for a second year). We have a good time talking, playing video games, and watching TV/movies together…no need for drugs, alcohol, etc. I think that webcomics focus on the party aspect because it's more interesting to write "Lord Regal goes to crazy frat party Sunday evening" than "Lord Regal staying in on Sunday afternoon to do homework and play some League of Legends with friends"(what I actually did).
 
I'm in a fairly decent college. And it's... It gives you a whole new definition of head-desk. Because it's college and not Uni there are a ton of people in their 40's. But in my cafeteria there are, I guess you could say, nerds every where. Last semester, I went in at 8 Mon-Fri. They were there, playing Pokemon (Cards and 3DS), Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic (cards), WoW and other MMORPG's. One even called me out on my Nightwing hoodie. The teachers... They hire new ones right out college pay them dirt, then fire them before tenure can be obtained. So they're kinda inexperienced. Won't know anything about Uni until next year. But I've taken one class at one so far and it's... Meh, pretty tame, really. A little stiff actually.

I just wish the other people didn't look at me like I'm a weirdo when I say I didn't go to high school and think it's pointless =/
 
There are some schools that are known as party schools, but most colleges/universities are pretty normal. Most of the people that are there to screw around get weeded out quickly. College kids still like to drink a lot on the weekends but that's about the only trope that's more true than not.
 
I got my bachelors about 3 years ago and it wasn't nearly as drunk and stupid as I'd worried it would be. For the most part, people buckled down and got stuff done when they needed too. But then, I didn't do any of the 'normal' college things. I know there were wild parties, and homecoming nonsense and stuff like that, but I didn't attend any of that. There's always gonna be some idiots in every group though, and the larger the group, the more idiots will show up!
 
Depends on the school. I go to a large public university and there's a nice variety of people. It's really not that crazy, but there are regular parties off campus and especially on fraternity row, a street where most frat houses are. The grad students keep more to themselves, but some of the undergrads can get pretty crazy. There's campus police and regular police around in case anything gets too out of hand. Drinking culture is a bit different, I imagine, since the drinking age here is higher than in the UK.

The important thing to remember about movies is that they are movies, it's all Hollywood. While the wild and grandiose parties do happen, they aren't very common and certainly don't take place on every campus.
 
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