The exaggerated fantasy of college of constant parties and promiscuity

jonnypacket

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies from American Pie to Van Wilder: your college years will be one big blur of drinking, parties, hook-ups with easy girls and experimenting with drugs. The reality is quite different in my experience. More like counting your pennies at the end of the month to pay the rent for your mold-infested shoebox apartment that you share with an illegal Chinese immigrant. And getting up super early to check if your grant came in before anyone you know sees you. Thoughts?

hatrickpatrick

jonnypacket wrote: »

The reality is quite different in my experience.

You're doing it wrong, brah.

blindside88

My experience of college was a lot of partying to be fair. Id say we were at a party 3 nights per week and drinking in the college bar during the day most days

jonnypacket

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

You're doing it wrong, brah.

I must be. Irish college girls are very cold and stand-offish (in my experience). YMMV.

cloud493

jonnypacket wrote: »

I must be. Irish college girls are very cold and stand-offish (in my experience). YMMV.

Or they won't go off with you on the first night, how dreadful of them

jonnypacket

cloud493 wrote: »

Or they won't go off with you on the first night, how dreadful of them

Well that's how it works in the movies. So the movies lied to us, which is my point. I don't understand what's to gain from pushing a false perception of college in every single college-themed movie.

Phil Mitchell

3 years in college and not one party. Didnt even get the shift

One eyed Jack

jonnypacket wrote: »

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies from American Pie to Van Wilder: your college years will be one big blur of drinking, parties, hook-ups with easy girls and experimenting with drugs. The reality is quite different in my experience. More like counting your pennies at the end of the month to pay the rent for your mold-infested shoebox apartment that you share with an illegal Chinese immigrant. And getting up super early to check if your grant came in before anyone you know sees you. Thoughts?

Key words highlighted there OP. You're not on your own either by any means. There are actually thousands of students like you, and then there are indeed the students who go for the whole party hardy lifestyle.

I was somewhat a little bit from column A, a little bit from column B, came out the other end of it relatively unscathed. Gained employment in a multi-national which was almost a hotbed of sexual impropriety and all manner of debauchery... :eek:

Fond memories of that place actually

Cold War Kid

Why use America as a frame of reference for Ireland?

And why compare movies to real life? The movies don't always claim to depict real life, certainly not comedy "frat" movies.

cloud493

jonnypacket wrote: »

Well that's how it works in the movies. So the movies lied to us, which is my point. I don't understand what's to gain from pushing a false perception of college in every single college-themed movie.

Cos thats creating a work of fiction. Expecting some girl to come home with you just cos you bought her a drink or two is stupid.

Mr. Incognito

I went to college in galway.

Made american movies look tame.

No shortage of drugs or sex if you wanted either

endacl

Phil Mitchell wrote: »

3 years in college and not one party. Didnt even get the shift

Accountancy?

pablomakaveli

I did an engineering degree so as you can guess i didn't party much either.:(

Uriel.

My college days had plenty of partying and ending up in very odd situations like sleeping in in a hot press during a party in a stranger's house. Ah those where the days...

jonnypacket

Phil Mitchell wrote: »

3 years in college and not one party. Didnt even get the shift

You're far from alone. I suspect many of the stories of keg stands and pulling several girls a week are fabricated. In my experience, most of the females in my course lived at home with their parents and spent their spare time in the library. As frigid as an iceberg and would wince at the thought of a man touching them.

Also what's the obsession with the red cups??

anncoates

Constant is probably stretching it but it was - and presumably still is - definitely a time of sex and parties, at least relative to the other stages of life

thelad95

jonnypacket wrote: »

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies from American Pie to Van Wilder: your college years will be one big blur of drinking, parties, hook-ups with easy girls and experimenting with drugs. The reality is quite different in my experience. More like counting your pennies at the end of the month to pay the rent for your mold-infested shoebox apartment that you share with an illegal Chinese immigrant. And getting up super early to check if your grant came in before anyone you know sees you. Thoughts?

For a lot of people, it is like the stereotype especially during their Freshman year. There are quiet weeks though which don't seem to happen in the movies.

Uriel.

The one thing though is that in my experience, American college life may well be, at least to some degree, what it is portrayed as in the movies.

I have friends in the US (American born) and been over plenty of times and been to loads of house parties with them and they quite literally are mad affairs, with plenty of drinking, drugs and sex. 20 to 40 people in the house, loads coming and going as the night wears on and plenty of drinking games...

jonnypacket

Uriel. wrote: »

The one thing though is that in my experience, American college life may well be, at least to some degree, what it is portrayed as in the movies. [\QUOTE]

Elliot Rodger would disagree. He spent his nights in his Santa Barbara City College dorm room posting on internet forums after repeated failures to integrate into the campus culture. Go figure.

jonnypacket

Uriel. wrote: »

The one thing though is that in my experience, American college life may well be, at least to some degree, what it is portrayed as in the movies.

Elliot Rodger would disagree. He spent his nights in his Santa Barbara City College dorm room posting on internet forums after repeated failures to integrate into the campus culture. Go figure.

Links234

jonnypacket wrote: »

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies...

Quite simple really, Animal House was a gigantic hit, so they stuck to the same kinda outline in every frat house comedy from Revenge of the Nerd to Old School. Why does Hollywood always stick to tropes and cliches so tightly? It works for 'em

Cold War Kid

jonnypacket wrote: »

Elliot Rodger would disagree. He spent his nights in his Santa Barbara City College dorm room posting on internet forums after repeated failures to integrate into the campus culture. Go figure.

Hell of an example. It doesn't happen for some people. Still happens for lots of others though.
Happened for me, but as others have said, not "constantly". Just moreso at college than any other time.

Probably depends on the amount of teaching hours a person's course has too.

Lia_lia

Depends on the crowd you hang out with really. I went to plenty of parties etc..

Zymurgist

When I was in college it was nightclubs twice a week and hash and Fifa tournaments the rest of the time

Except for the three weeks before exams, Summer and repeats, then it was cursing the fact I spent so much time on the above..,,

syklops

jonnypacket wrote: »

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies from American Pie to Van Wilder: your college years will be one big blur of drinking, parties, hook-ups with easy girls and experimenting with drugs. The reality is quite different in my experience. More like counting your pennies at the end of the month to pay the rent for your mold-infested shoebox apartment that you share with an illegal Chinese immigrant. And getting up super early to check if your grant came in before anyone you know sees you. Thoughts?

I wish I'd gone to college - because of the non-stop drinking, parties, promiscuous sex and what not. Well mostly the promiscuous sex.

chops018

I went out a good bit in first year of college, second year I think I went out only two or three times, third year was my final year so I went out a decent bit again. I graduated in 2009 so I tried to get a job but ended up doing feck all for the year, went back to do a Masters in 2010-2011 and I didn't go out at all that year, head down and studied for all of it.

I do remember some of the house party's being a bit eventful. Also the RAG weeks were mental.

College is all what you make it. You can try have a good balance and do ok in college grades and go to some nights out. Or you can be a nerd and never go out, or you can just be a recluse and not a nerd, rather play xbox all the time, or you can be the party mad guy who always drinks and ends up repeating first year three times. I've seen them all. I like to think I was a mix, bit of a computer-film-tv show-book nerd, yet I had plenty of friends and options to go drinking and parties with (always had a place to stay there if I went drinking), and did just enough study to do ok in my course.

College was great, but it certainly isn't like what they make it out to be in American movies.

The country was still going ok when I was in college, and although I drove down due to being only 40 mins away, my parents said they would have paid for me to live there. Never was short of cash for any expenses due to my family, had an odd part time job here and there but never anything permanent so I relied on them a lot. My dad was on good money and my mother worked, the granny lived with us and she would give me money up and down for the college week. Not to forget when I went to college the fees were only €800 a year. I cannot believe how people go to college these days and pay €2,750 per year. I got my degree for less than a years college fees.

Just to add, my family were (and still aren't) rich, but my dad got good money on the buildings, house was paid for etc. So did alright out of it I suppose.

hatrickpatrick

jonnypacket wrote: »

I must be. Irish college girls are very cold and stand-offish (in my experience). YMMV.

Jaysus, that is literally the exact opposite of my experience. My college experience has involved sessions which went on longer than entire semesters.

I'm studying music so college social life revolves around non-stop gigs, with the predrink parties and after parties they entail. The off license, Lidl and take-aways in Dolphin's Barn has probably never and will probably never see as much business as we've given them over the last four years

As for the women in my course, they're some of the most fun people you'll ever meet.

hatrickpatrick

Zymurgist wrote: »

When I was in college it was nightclubs twice a week and hash and Fifa tournaments the rest of the time

Except for the three weeks before exams, Summer and repeats, then it was cursing the fact I spent so much time on the above..,,

Now that many nightclubs have become so outrageously overpriced and over-bounced, house parties have taken over. The nights when we just stay in someone's gaff and have the absolute bants all night until we KO are, in my view, far more fun.

Cold War Kid

I don't believe for one second that "all" the girls are "frigid".

Adamantium

It's a monday night OP, get off the computer, unlock the door and join the party outside your door.


If your posting from Galway, this will almost certainly be the case

JonEBGud

The grand tour might change your way of thinking.

Sheep Lover

Adamantium wrote: »

It's a monday night OP, get off the computer, unlock the door and join the party outside your door.


If your posting from Galway, this will almost certainly be the case

College must of been good to you, because today's Sunday, not Monday...

thelad95

The best thing about college is definitely gaff/house parties. Night clubs are fun in 1st year but you get bored of them pretty quickly. They're overpriced, bouncers and bar staff are often ****, overcrowded and it's very difficult to hear anyone.

House parties are cheaper by a mile, you can do any drugs or whatever without having to worry about somebody spotting you and it's way easier to talk to and get to know people.

JonEBGud

The "Grand Tour" might change your mind.

ZeroThreat

jonnypacket wrote: »

I must be. Irish college girls are very cold and stand-offish (in my experience). YMMV.

Don't know about that tbh, but most of the people that seem to attend lectures for the professional accountancy qualifications could be described as the above. Most of the beancounters seem to be pretty stuckup with the charisma on a used snot rag..

suicide_circus

I had more partying after university than during!

Adamantium

Cold War Kid wrote: »

I don't believe for one second that "all" the girls are "frigid".

Exactly, you'd have to be blind and dumb to think this.

efb

jonnypacket wrote: »

Why is Hollywood pushing this fantasy so hard? You've seen the same scenario in countless movies from American Pie to Van Wilder: your college years will be one big blur of drinking, parties, hook-ups with easy girls and experimenting with drugs. The reality is quite different in my experience. More like counting your pennies at the end of the month to pay the rent for your mold-infested shoebox apartment that you share with an illegal Chinese immigrant. And getting up super early to check if your grant came in before anyone you know sees you. Thoughts?

http://cybersafetyadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/Fr.-TED-FR-DOugal-Maguire-Dreams-Vs-Reality-rabbits.jpg

Schwiiing

I had no interest in parties or drinking in college. Sadly I had chosen LIT, the biggest clown college in Ireland to study in.

40 people started my course, 8 graduated 2 years later.

It was so bad that sometimes the lecturers would walk past the door looking through the glass panel, see about 5 students, and keep walking.

I lost countless hours of lectures simply because of all the wasters in the class more interested in drugs and booze.

strobe

jonnypacket wrote: »

Elliot Rodger would disagree. He spent his nights in his Santa Barbara City College dorm room posting on internet forums after repeated failures to integrate into the campus culture. Go figure.

There's probably a happy medium between Van Wilder and Elliot Rodger? This is where the college experience of most people lie, I'm sure. The odd weekend you head out party like it's going out of fashion, drop a couple of e, hook up with the quiet goth girl that turns out to be a freak in bed, then the next weekend you sit in broke and post on internet forums or whatever. Bit of both like?

Man, if your sitting in posting on internet forums failing to integrate into campus culture or whatever this weekend... give the going out and dropping e and pulling the quiet goth girl a bash next weekend. Mix it up a bit. No one's going to call over and do it for you. Just go out and do it.

mynamejeff

Schwiiing wrote: »

I had no interest in parties or drinking in college. Sadly I had chosen LIT, the biggest clown college in Ireland to study in.

40 people started my course, 8 graduated 2 years later.

It was so bad that sometimes the lecturers would walk past the door looking through the glass panel, see about 5 students, and keep walking.

I lost countless hours of lectures simply because of all the wasters in the class more interested in drugs and booze.

id say your great craic altogether,
was it worth it all , do you have a high payed socially and morally important job that fulfills you

Hans Bricks

I went on all the big nights out, RAG week, Mystery bus tour etc. in first year, but thats about it really. Kind of fizzles out after first year I found here in Dublin anyway. From what I hear about the likes of Galway and rural Ireland, the whole wild experience in college is taken is a lot more seriously. Probably due to the number of students living away from home for most of the week / semester.

Even the regular party crowd, external ent officers etc. who went to every big event / night out in my college only seemed to go out on occasion and less so as they progressed through their course.

Phil Mitchell

endacl wrote: »

Accountancy?

Yes :pac:

errlloyd

Here like American college life is completely different. They all rack up the eyeballs with debt and so almost all of them live on campus, and many of them miles from their families. It makes the whole thing way more liberated.

They end up leaving college owing the bank like 100,000 dollars - but on average they pay about 20-25% less tax than us so they can handle that debt more easily than we can.

Tigger

Adamantium wrote: »

It's a monday night OP, get off the computer, unlock the door and join the party outside your door.


If your posting from Galway, this will almost certainly be the case

monday morning ?

silverfeather

The guy who was the biggest college party animals I knew just became a Dad! :-D

r93kaey5p2izun

I went to lots of parties and nights out all through college. I think it depends a lot on what and where you study. We had regular course nights out and several traditional official faculty events. Add that to the usual house parties and student nights in clubs (still a thing 15 years ago anyway) and it amounted to a pretty healthy social life.

I didn't join any clubs or societies but that would be another source of social events.

Life is never really like the movies ( I can't believe anyone thinks it is!?) but it sounds like you're missing out OP.

Arsemageddon

jonnypacket wrote: »

Elliot Rodger would disagree. He spent his nights in his Santa Barbara City College dorm room posting on internet forums after repeated failures to integrate into the campus culture. Go figure.

Elliot Rodger's views on college social life are about as relevant to this thread as Jeffrey Dahmer's contributions to a thread about cooking.

thelad95

I think if you live on campus or in a student house it can to an extent be like the movies but if you live in digs or commute to college, it can be a very very different experience indeed.

I'm just finishing first year and there have been some weeks and nights like the movies but more often than not, in the evening you'll just sit at home in your tracksuit pants watching Netflix or doing coursework. It's not party central 24/7.

silverfeather

Arsemageddon wrote: »

Elliot Rodger's views on college social life are about as relevant to this thread as Jeffrey Dahmer's contributions to a thread about cooking.

There is a difference between people who are not as out going because they are shy and those who are not out going because they actually have no real heartfelt caring about people.

silverfeather

errlloyd wrote: »

Here like American college life is completely different. They all rack up the eyeballs with debt and so almost all of them live on campus, and many of them miles from their families. It makes the whole thing way more liberated.

They end up leaving college owing the bank like 100,000 dollars - but on average they pay about 20-25% less tax than us so they can handle that debt more easily than we can.

Debt does NOT make you more liberated!