Campus Culture Questions

Social Scene/Hazing/Campus Safety

The culture and climate of college campuses today are discussed more recently. The social scene and hazing are issues that students and parents want to learn more about.

Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind when going through the college admissions journey.

  • Social Scene:

    Think Deeper: Most of what you see on social media is glamor. Period. Bama rush, etc makes college look like a party 24/7, while I am not condoning partying in college, students and parents need to look beyond the surface, and social media reels, to see if the social scene at a certain school is right for them.

    TO DO: Visit different size schools starting in junior year, narrow down the list and read up on the school before your feet hit campus.

    Once you have identified what type of school, large public flagship, small liberal arts, engineering program, look into the specific social scene- beyond TikTok- and what your BFFs older sister who attends there says.

    TO DO: Visit campuses and sit in on a class, meet with a club or professor and attend an open house so that you can talk with as many current students as possible.

    Hazing/Greek Life: Is Greek life the entire social scene? What type of hazing goes on? And when do students rush? I am not a fan of first term, freshman rushing. It should be seond semester freshman year at the earliest, but you can ask and inquire about the expectation of rush. I’ve seen students’ grades plummet during rush and it’s really hard to raise a low average from a tough semester from rushing. Here is a good resource on my website. Keep in mind that only about 50% of colleges report hazing incidents.

  • Campus Safety:

    Many parents, nowadays, ask me about campus safety. Go to this link and you will find helpful information about campus safety. Every college and university has a campus police or security system. Therefore, you can easily go to their page on the college’s website for this information.

    Some schools are more forthcoming with incidents than others but there are two great places to see what’s the culture on a campus:

    1. Read the student newspaper.

    2. Ready the campus police blotter (weekly).

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