Beyond the Bubble: Partying Outside Dartmouth
I've always wondered how other college kids spend their Friday nights, especially since my visiting friends are so intrigued by Dartmouth's social scene. As the bad and lazy friend that I am, I have yet to visit any of these friends at their own schools, and I was the ripe old age of eight when I visited my sister at college, so this term has been my first real encounter with a non-Dartmouth college social scene. For all you similarly curious souls, I will recount a few of my evening adventures and let you decide how they stack up against Dartmouth's widely diverse nightlife options.
My first weekend, I decided to experience a typical party at another college. My high school friend invited me to an NYU frat party, getting me excited by declaring that there was a zero percent chance it would be fun. Unaware that a campus brimming with students far hipper than anyone I could possibly meet at Dartmouth would be fertile ground for the frat-boy lifestyle, I had no expectations. This was for the best, for it was comparable to neither the mocked-but-secretly-adored highlighter party nor the classic "chill pong scene" I have come to associate with Greek life.
This frat house was an entirely new experience. First of all, it smelled lovely, even better than Sig Ep, and there was not one piece of flair in sight. Secondly, it was not a house at all, but a two-bedroom apartment. A suspiciously unofficial-looking figure manned the door, apparently to serve as a bouncer, but we were enthusiastically welcomed without question. Following the stream of people flocking outside to the fenced-in patio framed by Christmas lights, I discovereda few people tossing balls into red cups (an activity also known as normal pong) and boys in dark skinny jeans hitting on sleek girls wearing heels. This led me to the conclusion that everyone at Dartmouth is unattractive and unfashionable.
When I asked my friend how these frat boys got away with making so much noise and completely obstructing the entrance to the apartment building (they did have neighbors, after all), my friend simply said, “It’s Alphabet City.” Note to self: do not live in Alphabet City.
Shortly after solving that mystery, I left with my friend to go watchNew Girlin her apartment.All in all, it was not the wildest night, though I hear frat parties aren't exactly the strong point of NYU nightlife.
I couldn't stray from Dartmouth for too long, of course, and my second weekend I returned to what I know best and attended two parties hosted by alumni. One was a surprisingly classy wine and cheese event and the other was only moderately more rowdy, though there was a pong table set up. With all of my conversations with alums centered around Dartmouth, my fellow '15s and I concluded that the whole experience was essentially round one of rush. So far, I had learned that Greek affiliation continues to play a role in determining the social circles of alums, and it is impossible to recreate a Dartmouth frat party in an apartment, no matter how hard you may try (although I have heard rumors of a bar that offers Dartmouth-style pong).
Finally, after spending last Friday night watchingAmerican Psycho (2000)before falling asleep at midnight, I decided to be more active on Saturday and venture into the complete unknown of a non-college, non-Dartmouth New York party (accompanied by three other '15s, of course). In a situation very similar to freshmen year pregames, we were so entertained by watching YouTube videos in the apartment beforehand that we nearly forgot to leave. Eventually, after themidnight hour, we forced ourselves to depart. The next 90 minutes confirmed our hypothesis that leaving the apartment for a public venue is pointless, since we only continue to talk amongst ourselves and categorize anyone who dares approach us as a weirdo. But we felt less lame for at least being surrounded by other people, even if we didn't interact with them, so maybe it was worth the thirty dollar cab ride.
As of now, I have yet to fully immerse myself in New York City social life due to my crippling fear of strangers, but I will continue to try in order to prepare myself for my terrifying future after June 2015. After all, though I am a strong supporter of Bean boots and Patagonia, I'm enjoying the opportunity to use those nice clothes I otherwise have no purpose for, and it's a relief not to have to decide when I will replace my pair of crusty Urban Outfitters frat shoes. The only major downsides so far have been the series of credit card swipes that each night depressingly entails and the fact that I can't wander home at4 a.m.feeling confident I won't get mugged.