Actually, no. There is a party gestapo that pounds on the doors of every student at night, and will drag the unwilling out and pour alcoholic beverages down their throats and force them to listen to loud techno music and laugh at dumb things that other drunks say. It's unavoidable. They come after you in the night!!
Of course the parties can be avoided. In fact, you'll have an easier time avoiding them on campus rather than off. The campus is dry, and the RAs (especially on the Freshman quads) are rather draconian, so the campus tends to be rather quiet in the evenings and weekends, when the students looking to have a good time head downtown to the bars with the not-so-strict ID policy and many, many, many frat parties. Although there are a few individuals who party with great frequency, the majority of the students keep it to the weekends in order to blow off steam, socialize and hang out with their friends.
I also resent the label of a 'party school.' Albany is a good school, even possibly an excellent school in some regards. The parties are there if you want them, but if you don't, they're easy enough to avoid. Just because people like to drink and/or have fun doesn't mean that they also don't like to go to class and get good grades. I managed to do both, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
As did mine. I wasn't really making a value judgement, just commenting. When my brother first started looking for an apartment, he was saying he might well get an apartment before I did and we started thinking of it as like an unofficial contest.
Most definitely. He and 3 friends are splitting the rent (for a 4-bedroom, I'm fairly certain). Rent in Troy, of course, is much cheaper than rent in Boston.
He worked a lot during high school and did work-study at RPI -- and they won't start paying for this apt. until June 1 -- though I remain somewhat impressed (though really more by the initiative than by anything else).
Oh my parents were big supporters of us making our own money. He only worked during summers but he saved a good chunk of it. I think he does workstudy ~ 6-8 hrs/wk at RPI.
I turn 23 in July and have only had mild desires to learn to drive. My brother is 4 years younger and was always eager to learn to drive and did so as soon as he was legally able.
The agreement has always been that our parents will split the bill the college sends (tuition+room&board) but we are on our own for everything else (and also on our own for grad school should we choose to pursue that).
I was...24? I think? Yeah. I'd just turned 24 when I finally got my license. My brother, Dan, got his when he was...I want to say 21. Just entering his last year at SUNY Albany, anyway. My younger brother, Jon, is 20, and has no desire to drive or even learn to. Growing up in NY, I didn't really need a car, though it's essential now that I live in Minnesota.
College tuition is a messy subject in my family. I was a sophomore and Dan was just finishing high school when my parents decided to split. My first 3 years or so got paid for. I don't know about the rest. My parents barely spoke, and neither would tell me or my brothers anything. Dad's tried to saddle me with repaying student loans now and then, but I simply CAN'T. I don't have the money and he does. But I intend to take over the repayment as soon as I can. Dan's on his own with law school. Dad has to pay half of Jon's tuition until he turns 21, which he will in October. No idea if he'll continue to help pay. It's a mess. :-P
I always paid for my own books, clothes, and everything else. And for about a year and a half I paid rent and utilities. I really miss my autonomy. :(
I grew up in a suburb of Boston without a car, but we lived close enough to schools, supermarkets, etc. that walking places wasn't a big deal (and my dad was a stay-at-home dad, so he could do mini grocery runs every day) and my parents were never big on going out to eat or out to dinner or whatever. We have a car and it can be very useful, but I want to live in the city (for assorted reasons of convenience) where I have no intention of having a car (and all the hassle of owning a car never appealed to me) so learning to drive is still a vague "That would be a useful skill to have, and yet . . . ."
I live with my mother. My father and I don't talk at all. :-P
If I moved back to New York, I'd get rid of my car. If I moved to Boston...possibly. I lived in Newton for a summer, and had a pretty easy time getting around without a car, though walking would suck in the winter. :)
Since I work at Harvard I'm looking for an apartment in the Harvard Square/Davis Square/Allston area -- somewhere where my commute will be significantly less than its current hour and a half :) And I love winter, so as long as there's not too much of the gross weather like tons of slush, I really have no problem walking in the winter :)
I love winter too, but I'm not a big fan of walking in snow. *g*
Hmm. I had a couple of friends who lived in that area for a little while. Their apartment was pretty cute. Parking was a small nightmare, though. They tended to just leave the car, except for major trips, because it was such a hassle. And anyway, they were pretty close to the T.
I think I could enjoy living in Boston. I've been there a few times.
Yeah, I don't particularly envy people who have to drive in Boston and I would certainly never wanna have to park there. And Boston's public transportation system is imperfect, but you can get just about anywhere on it.
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Date: 2006-02-04 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 10:02 pm (UTC)(Despite the fact that I'm like...ten minutes away. Heh.)
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Date: 2006-02-04 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-02-04 11:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 04:19 am (UTC)Of course the parties can be avoided. In fact, you'll have an easier time avoiding them on campus rather than off. The campus is dry, and the RAs (especially on the Freshman quads) are rather draconian, so the campus tends to be rather quiet in the evenings and weekends, when the students looking to have a good time head downtown to the bars with the not-so-strict ID policy and many, many, many frat parties. Although there are a few individuals who party with great frequency, the majority of the students keep it to the weekends in order to blow off steam, socialize and hang out with their friends.
I also resent the label of a 'party school.' Albany is a good school, even possibly an excellent school in some regards. The parties are there if you want them, but if you don't, they're easy enough to avoid. Just because people like to drink and/or have fun doesn't mean that they also don't like to go to class and get good grades. I managed to do both, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
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Date: 2006-02-05 02:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 02:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-02-05 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 01:46 am (UTC)(Though my parents paid for that one, since he was still in college.)
He also got his drivers license before I did, and he's 2 1/2 years younger than I am.
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Date: 2006-02-05 01:56 am (UTC)The agreement has always been that our parents will split the bill the college sends (tuition+room&board) but we are on our own for everything else (and also on our own for grad school should we choose to pursue that).
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Date: 2006-02-05 02:04 am (UTC)College tuition is a messy subject in my family. I was a sophomore and Dan was just finishing high school when my parents decided to split. My first 3 years or so got paid for. I don't know about the rest. My parents barely spoke, and neither would tell me or my brothers anything. Dad's tried to saddle me with repaying student loans now and then, but I simply CAN'T. I don't have the money and he does. But I intend to take over the repayment as soon as I can. Dan's on his own with law school. Dad has to pay half of Jon's tuition until he turns 21, which he will in October. No idea if he'll continue to help pay. It's a mess. :-P
I always paid for my own books, clothes, and everything else. And for about a year and a half I paid rent and utilities. I really miss my autonomy. :(
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Date: 2006-02-05 03:56 am (UTC)My sympathies about your repayment mess.
Are you living with one of your parents now?
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Date: 2006-02-05 05:33 am (UTC)If I moved back to New York, I'd get rid of my car. If I moved to Boston...possibly. I lived in Newton for a summer, and had a pretty easy time getting around without a car, though walking would suck in the winter. :)
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Date: 2006-02-05 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:50 am (UTC)Hmm. I had a couple of friends who lived in that area for a little while. Their apartment was pretty cute. Parking was a small nightmare, though. They tended to just leave the car, except for major trips, because it was such a hassle. And anyway, they were pretty close to the T.
I think I could enjoy living in Boston. I've been there a few times.
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Date: 2006-02-05 05:55 am (UTC)♥ Boston
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Date: 2006-02-05 03:03 am (UTC)And good luck to you on finding a place.
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Date: 2006-02-05 04:27 am (UTC)I've been too tired this week to look at apartment listings much, so I've gotta get back on that.