Although the autumn equinox doesn’t commence until September 22nd, summer has officially ended for many college students across the country. There are generally two types of students this time of year: those dreading being back at school, and those ready to rage.
For the ragers, “Welcome Week” kicks off the festivities. Memory-erasing bashes, Greek recruitment and starry-eyed freshmen — wandering around their new habitats, anxious to do all the things their parents told them not to — are a few of the main hallmarks of most campuses during Welcome Week.
So what campuses go the hardest? SCO took into account personal experience, reputable polls and studies in compiling the following. Here are our Top 5:
5. University of California, Santa Barbara: With a campus located minutes, if that, from the Pacific, it would be hard to argue against the Gauchos placement on the list. However, many outside of Santa Barbara are just learning what fun it can be. But for UCSB students — past and present — it’s just boozeness as usual. The infamous Del Playa Drive (of the Isla Vista community) has long been a social staple, and is the party nucleus of UCSB.
4. Syracuse University: The Orangemen students have always hung their hats on being a top partier, and for good reason. Syracuse is a surreal place, and during basketball season the atmosphere is second to none. And with a Facebook page like Syracuse House Parties, there’s no excuse to ever let the night go to waste.
3. Florida State University: This place may be heaven on Earth for college students. Especially because of — though not limited to — all the angels you will see floating around the campus. The Seminoles are home to academia’s most beautiful women, and it’s not up for debate. With their football team projected to win the ACC — by some outlets — it could be a thrilling fall in “Tallanasty” this season.
2. West Virginia University: You will never be bored. The minute you even let the thought cross your mind, you will have already thought of some off-your-rocker collegiate hell to raise. That’s what WVU inspires. Their football team — the Mountaineers — are one of college football’s most high-powered, and the same can be said of their student body. This is a university that lives and breathes Mountaineer Football, which makes for an unparalleled game day experience. Morgantown’s High Street is the focal point of WVU’s nightlife, if the Greek-endorsed ragers ever become redundant.
1. The Big Ten: Visiting — and quite familiar with — several of these campuses, it became increasingly difficult to place one ahead of the other. In short, no one parties like the Big Ten. Iowa City (University of Iowa) — named the #1 party school of 2013-14 by the Princeton Review — Bloomington (Indiana University), and Ann Arbor (University of Michigan) may be the flagships of the conference’s party identity. However, places such as Madison (University of Wisconsin) and Happy Valley (Penn State) are no slouches either.
The Big Ten has five schools ranked in the Top 25 for football, currently, so this fall will be an adventurous one — especially if the Ohio State Buckeyes live up to their preseason hype. And venues like Rick’s (of East Lansing) and Kilroy’s (of Bloomington) will remain prime destinations for students. Like many other places, Greek life runs much of the social circles across these campuses.
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Speaking of Greek life, and tailgates, many pregame festivities — as always — willbe hosted by universities hottest fraternities. So hear the Songs That Frats Will Overplay This Fall.
- “Cruise Remix” Florida-Georgia Line featuring Nelly
- “Wake Me Up” Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc
- “Clarity” Zedd featuring Foxes
- “Treasure” Bruno Mars
- “Can’t Hold Us” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton
But the fraternities won’t stop there, because there are timeless tailgate songs that will just never go away, such as:
- “Party In The USA” Miley Cyrus
- “Glad You Came” The Wanted
- “Pumped Up Kicks” Foster The People
- “Call Me Maybe” Carly Rae Jepsen
- “Dynamite” Taio Cruz