While Skidmore might not be known as the craziest party school, there is usually something social whenever you’re in the mood to unwind. Between your roommates, friends or total strangers, Skidmore is crawling with people with whom you can walk around campus, go to late night with at the Dining Hall or even just hang with in someone’s dorm room.
For many freshmen, one of the most exciting parts about going away to college is the newfound freedom to explore their school’s party scene without having to worry about parent supervision. College is full of new people to meet and friends to make, and parties can be a great way to interact with people that aren’t in your classes.
However, without Greek Life offering a consistent source of parties, it can be difficult to find things to do on the weekends here at Skidmore, especially as a freshman who is still branching out and is in the process of exploring Skidmore’s social scene.
Skidmore usually consistently offers smaller parties in the on-campus apartments of Northwoods and Sussman villages during the weekends, which can be a lot of fun. However, since the apartments are reserved for upperclassmen, first-semester freshmen, like myself, don’t have as many connections to these parties since they are usually reserved for apartment residents and their friends.
On the whole, what I have noticed from my experience is that apartment parties aren’t particularly well-advertised, which is reasonable considering the potential repercussions if Campus Safety shows up, bringing the party to a dead end. And while the hosts of apartment parties might not be opposed to freshmen showing up at their gatherings, they aren’t particularly likely to invite you themselves.
Once you are there, however, people tend to be fairly welcoming. This might stem from the fact that once you’re there, as long as you can hold your own and blend into the rest of the crowd, you won’t be immediately identified as a freshman. I discovered in the last weekends that the key to attending apartment parties is to go with a good group of friends. Doing so will compensate for the fact that you probably won’t know anyone else there, and most likely won’t be introduced to new friends either. In this sense, you can still have a good time.
All of this, however, assumes that you can actually find an apartment party to attend, which can be pretty tricky if you don’t know any upperclassmen yourself. Chances are, though, one of your friends does, and on a relatively small campus like Skidmore, you will eventually hear about some events. Or, you can always walk around Sussman and Northwoods until you hear loud music and knock. This second approach is definitely riskier, considering you have little to no idea what you’ll be walking into, and you might not be allowed to certain parties if you are not invited. However, it can be fruitful if there is nothing else to do, especially if the weather is nice.
Apartment parties are, at the end of the road, what you make out of them. Essentially, Skidmore’s party scene lies entirely in your expectations of what your college life will be like. If you’re hoping for tailgates and fraternity parties, then it can be pretty easy to be disappointed by Skidmore’s party scene. While we may not have the mirror image of college parties in movies and TV shows, Skidmore apartment parties are certainly a good way to let loose after a long week of classes. In short, it really is up to you to make the most of your time here at Skidmore College.
Still taken from Calden Wilson’s “Skidmore College Campus Tour'“ video (2010).