UGA Honors Program Turns a Party School into a Study School

Introduction
If you're an average student, received Bs most of your high school career, and hope you can struggle through the tough academic environment that is college, don't go to UGA. I've found that average students (as well as those who are below average) tend to sink into the irresistibly abundant party life that UGA has to offer. Our drop-out rate is enormous, and most of those people are students who came into UGA with the hope they got from their grades in high school, then lose it after one or two years of too much partying and not enough studying. However, if you are an above-average student who is going to college for the learning experience and career opportunities it has to offer, I would recommend UGA. I started in the honors program and noticed a significant difference between the honors student body and the rest of the student body: honors students tend to spend their free time studying, working hard, and basically "going to school," instead of going out drinking and partying every night. I chose to go to UGA because, although it is a very large school, the honors program turns it into a small group of dedicated students with whom I can relate.

Campus Life and Social Life
If you live on campus at UGA (which is required your freshman year, unless you live in a neighboring county), you will be bombarded with offers to go out partying and drinking every night. In a dorm, it is practically impossible to get any studying or work done without being coerced or forced into going downtown with your friends/roommates/people you barely know. I have found that living off-campus has been the best decision I ever made. Not only do I lack the temptation from friends and classmates to go drinking downtown every night, but I also have a quiet atmosphere to study and work. Don't get me wrong, if you're a partier you'll love UGA. I'm just the kind of person that goes to college for the educational experience, and not the partying scene. Academics
UGA is currently developing a program to increase "academic rigor." Apparently (surprise, surprise) all the students are going downtown and partying instead of going to class or doing their homework. The president and other big wigs have suggested having more classes on Fridays so that students won't party Thursday nights. They are also thinking of increasing the penalties for underage drinking. Most of these partiers can squeeze by their first two years of college by taking introductory-level classes on topics they pretty much remember from high school. Once they need to start "buckling down" and choosing higher-level courses in their areas of interest, they fall off the map and end up going home to live with mom and dad and flip burgers for a living. However, there are quite a few honors courses available where the teachers expect you to come to class everyday, take good notes, study each night, and basically try hard to pay close attention. So, if you were a top-rated student in high school, you may sail through your first two years at UGA, but you'll get more and more interested and challenged as you go along.

Student Body
As I said before, the typical UGA student is a major partier. Fake IDs, borrowed IDs, kegger parties and class-skipping abound here in Athens. Many students are from small, suburban areas where these kinds of activities were never dreamed of, and have now found their heaven in over-indulgence. Others are straight from Athens and have been living the party life since they entered middle school, so going to UGA was the only sensible option. Overall, I am not proud of our student body, but there are many amazingly capable students peppered throughout that make being here worthwhile.

In Closing...
Your collegiate experience happens only once, so definitely enjoy to the fullest. However, everything in moderation as these years are reserved for launching you into everything that is to come. Be smart!