Spend the Weekend at a Party School

edited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

I went to the University of Michigan, studied hard and got good grades. I always wondered what people really did at party schools. I just learned it is not too late to find out.

College campuses across the US are once again bustling with green, wide-eyed freshman and seasoned seniors. The stillness of July days on an empty quad is replaced with hurried students returning to a familiar routine of work and play. For those whose college days are a distant image in the rear view mirror, but still long for their partying days of yore, Hostelworld.com has assembled a list of hostels located in regions that boast the hardest partying schools in the nation. So while alumni may not return for the thrills of an entire school year, those with a little “party” left in the tank can revisit the college fun of their youth, if only for a weekend.

University of Georgia, Athens, GA

This year, the University of Georgia clawed its way up three spots to claim the lead on the Princeton Review’s list of the ultimate party schools. To the chagrin of school administrators and the satisfaction of students, Georgia is now the greatest party school in the country, which means you’re more likely to hear a student tapping a keg than sharpening a pencil!  Apparently, the efforts in recent years by school officials to limit drinking on campus and quell the party atmosphere were no match for the partying fortitude of the zealous student body!

De Pauw University, Greencastle, IN

Despite protests from DePauw representatives, the university now holds the dubious distinction as one of the top ten party schools in the country. With a student body of approximately 2300, DePauw is one of the smallest schools represented on the Princeton Review’s list.  Apparently, what DePauw lacks in size, it makes up for in raucous revelry. Every year, hard-partying students transform the peaceful small town of Greencastle as into a city that doesn’t sleep, but often passes out!  <

The Indy Hostel

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/The-Indy-Hostel/Indianapolis/6756

University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX Party-goers need to look no further than Austin, Texas for the ultimate in college decadence.  The penultimate party publication, Playboy, agrees and named the University of Texas at Austin the greatest party school in the nation for 2010.  Don’t be deceived by the laid back atmosphere of Austin, because when the lights go down, the party kicks into high gear. The renowned bars of West Campus, Guadalupe Street and the Fourth Street and Sixth Street entertainment districts are famous for beautiful women and bass-thumping beats that transform this Texas town into a decadent partying mecca.

Hostelworld.com recommended Hostel:

Hostelling International Austin

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Hostelling-International-Austin/Austin/878

University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison WI The best party school in the US in 2006 has lost the top spot in recent years, but it’s not for a lack of effort!  An annual contender for craziest college destination, students at the home of the Badgers study hard and party harder! A vibrant and young student body of more than 30,000 strong fills stadiums and bars to extend the endless party after the fourth quarter and into the wee hours of the morning.  Partying excess reaches its apex with the annual Mifflin Street Block Party and the State Street Halloween Party which boasts tens of thousands of partiers, students and visitors alike.

University of California – Santa Barbara, CA USCB is considered one of the greatest places to party in the nation, and nothing displays this well-deserved reputation better than the annual “Floatopia.” Started in 2003 by UCSB students, "Floatopia" is now a nationally notorious festival of frivolity. Thousands of partygoers convene on a half-mile stretch of coastline, from Devereux Beach to Campus Point, to drink and float among the waves. Sloshed attendees drift on homemade rafts and inner tubes, toting beer-filled, floating coolers in an epic display of drunken decadence. Last year, the annual event grew to include more than 12,000 floaters!

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves to party—even as an adult. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com