College parties are free?
Posted by sirenbr@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 152 comments
I'm watching Off Campus and a question came to mind: are these college parties free?
The college experience in Brazil is quite different, and parties at student residences (repúblicas) are paid and sometimes very expensive.
If they're free, who pays for the drinks?
ayebrade69@reddit
Fraternity parties are free for the brothers and girls, there may be a general fund for a keg gathered up before the party. If you’re a guy and not in the fraternity you’re not getting in, generally
Dr_Watson349@reddit
At my school the fraternities basically ran all the parties and they were all open to everyone. Guys paid 3 bucks to get in and girls were free. Fraternity brothers got in free as well obviously.
That 3 bucks got you a cup for beer and you could usually by shots for like a buck.
nomadschomad@reddit
Wild. That would not fly anywhere I’ve lived. Gotta have a liquor license to sell alcohol.
5timechamps@reddit
Next you’re gonna tell us you have to be 21 to drink, right?
nomadschomad@reddit
Liquor license police (CA ABC, ILCC, TABC) have nothing better to do.
Real police who enforce MIP etc… do
TheRealDudeMitch@reddit
These are house parties in college towns not businesses 😂
nomadschomad@reddit
CA ABC, ILCC, TABC wouldn’t distinguish
busterb13@reddit
Most frats aren’t too concerned with the limitations of the law
wiarumas@reddit
We had lawyers that would regularly meet with us and would tell us how to legally have a party, the limits of the law, how to deal with the cops, etc. Blackout curtains, sober brother (and pledges) at the door, a "guest list", a pledge at the exit making sure nobody left with any drinks, etc. They would need a warrant if they wanted to see inside and if anyone stumbled out, they must have drank elsewhere. Also, people not in the frat would sometimes get upset we wouldn't let them inside without knowing someone or being on the list, but that was another way we made sure no undercover cops would get in. It was a great deal of planning and coordination.
nomadschomad@reddit
Yeah… big parties had to be registered with campus security. Campus security had to be allowed to inspect. Or school could revoke charter.
nomadschomad@reddit
As a member, rush chair, president, advisor, and trustee… That hasn’t been my experience
Concern is great. Execution is inconsistent.
shelwood46@reddit
The volunteer fire companies got around this rule (there was always a beer truck for parades, picnics and other events) by selling mugs with unlimited refills for the expensive mugs, a fixed amount of refills for the glass mugs, and birch beer (non-alcoholic) refills for the plastic mugs. So they sold mugs, the beer was free (they did have to get an insurance rider for the day).
codenameajax67@reddit
Where was this?
reichrunner@reddit
Oh it's illegal everywhere in the US. Its still crazy commen everywhere lol
CommonNative@reddit
Ah, but the beer is free. The cup is five bucks.
The_Amazing_Emu@reddit
My house (not a fraternity), we charged $3/cup or 2 for $5. Girls were charged the same price. The number of girls offended by this was amazing
EpicBlinkstrike187@reddit
lol if I was a college girl and knew what i know because i’m a guy, I’d be offended too. No reason to charge girls to get in. They got the goods.
Was way too many sausage parties around here, maybe your area was different
The_Amazing_Emu@reddit
Usually, one of the three guys they brought with them would buy them a cup. Don’t think anyone ever left because we didn’t give them a free drink
q0vneob@reddit
Thats how I remember it too, usually $5 though or you could bring a 6 pack and they'd probs let you in.
greeneggiwegs@reddit
As a girl this explains why all these people paying for parties made no sense to me lol. Usually you have to have someone who knew a brother, though; they didn’t just let any girl in. The ones that did tended to be the creepy roofie frats.
I was also invited over during rush week to make the frat look more attractive to rushers so theyd think the house was crawling with girls all the time.
WinterMedical@reddit
It’s free for the girls because they want to get them drunk.
dorv@reddit
Granted I haven’t been in college in a couple of years, but none of the fraternities on campus blocked guys not in the house.
ForestOranges@reddit
I was in Greek Life at a small university and it was nothing like this. I visited a Big 10 school and the guys were like movie stereotypes. I remember me and two other guys brought 7 girls with us, but they still wouldn’t let us in. The girls left with us because the guys were being extremely douchey and referred to them as “bitches.”
Neat_Cat1234@reddit
I went to a ton of frat parties at my school with guys that were unaffiliated. As long as the group’s ratio of guys to girls was even or they knew one of the brothers, they were generally able to get in. None of us ever had to pay.
relikter@reddit
Especially true at the beginning of the school year when frats are trying to attract pledges.
I had friends in enough different frats that I never paid to go to a party. I'd bring along a 24 back of cheap beer (Icehouse!) sometimes too to not be too much of a freeloader.
Sea-Chain7394@reddit
You just sneak in and blend in if you are a guy
loves2teach@reddit
Or the house that you are hosting the party at is actually in a girls name and she absolutely puts her foot down about gatekeeping. I don't know that from experience at all. I did kick someone out for bringing Natty though.
NatAttack50932@reddit
Unless you bring a bunch of girls. That's how I got into all parties
TomBombomb@reddit
I visited my friend at USC once. I was an NYU student and Greek life was just not a big deal here. We went to a frat party and they were trying to keep me out, but I showed up in a group of two men and eleven women so they ushered us all inside.
Eubank31@reddit
Must be different down south, if you tried that where I went to school (Bama) they'd say "thanks! Come on in girls" then let you enjoy walking home by yourself
I was able to go to a few frat parties/darties because each brother got 1 "band" which basically allowed 1 non-affiliated guy to get in, but you had to be on the list ahead of time
NatAttack50932@reddit
Depends on the school and the culture of Greek life I'm sure, but the girls I went with were always my friends so if I didn't get in we just went to a different party.
Comfortable_Tale9722@reddit
Yes. My roommates dated guys in the same frat and we always drank for free.
Not_an_okama@reddit
Our campus was small so we generally invited all the greek houses to big parties, each brother got 5 +1s and each house we invited got 10 +1s. We would also invite our rush list.
$5 at the door was standard and covered keg beer until it was out (the liquor store closed or we already spent all the cover fees on kegs and drank them all) it was also common to sell gimmicky shots.
Usually the host house worked the party the whole time but the cover fees would pay for a smaller private party the next week. Was also typical to keep a keg in reserve for the afterparty. We would also just go party at the other houses when we werent hosting.
NASA_Orion@reddit
> free for the brothers
lol. Lots of my brothers voluntarily dropped after they turned 21 because it’s cheaper to buy drinks at a bar than paying $1k dues (which is probably below national average) per semester.
Dr_Watson349@reddit
I mean a 1k tab even at a cheap college dive bar wouldn’t be that hard to run up in a semester.
Granted I was lucky as my dues were $70 a semester.
NASA_Orion@reddit
damn how did you guys pay for drinks lol.
1k is actually decent. a frat might throw 10 - 15 parties at max every semester. if you go out every weekend for a semester (4month x 4weekend), you get like $60 per weekend. this is like 5~6 drinks. It will be enough if you pregame at home.
the issue about frat dues is that not all of it goes to parties. it has to cover other BS costs like some "mixers" with sororities whose members are just there for free drinks
Talshan@reddit
Maybe some dropped because they did not want to be at a parties with underage drinking.
MakeStupidHurtAgain@reddit
If you’re a *straight guy. If you’re gay and bringing a bunch of women with you, you’re going to the front of the line. Ask me how I know.
Cicero912@reddit
I never paid for a party once in undergrad, or grad school outside of occasionally supplying some of the booze.
I went out about once a week in undergrad (and probably 3x a week my freshman year lol)
natigin@reddit
At my college it was an unwritten rule that all parties were free for keg beer and bring whatever else you wanted
OriginalDavid@reddit
When i was still playing music, our band house had a few legit big house parties. We circled guests large vehicles to make a border on the lower yard, put up a TON of signs saying 21+, had people checking ids, and hired a bartender from a local high volume place (my now wife's best friend) and had people tip for the free cocktails after 5 at the door for the keg.
The last one, our bartender made about 800 dollars on tips. We competed with or beat the biggest bars in town that night, while staying legal. Three bands, including a short set from us.
I will never forget hosting those things. Real community shit. No problems, no fights. The worst that happened was a girl cut her foot pretty wide, so I stitched it with unwaxed dental floss using a sewing needle and rubbing alcohol to hold until until she was ready to go to the ER.
Wild times. Wouldn't do that now.
Dazzling-Climate-318@reddit
When I was in college parties were free that were put on by fraternities as a recruiting tool. The fraternity alumni groups often covered the costs. Independents typically had parties for friends with a request to chip in $10 each for beer and wine, with any food being bring your own snacks.
4Q69freak@reddit
Many years ago when I was a college student (‘late ‘80s-early’90s) it cost you a couple of bucks to buy your cup usually a clear solo cup marked with a special mark to indicate that it was from their party. Most of these parties were “rent” parties where the profit went to help pay the hosts rent. The only free parties were usually frat parties and were BYOB.
Shop-S-Marts@reddit
It depends. All the ones I went to were free, but I know some charge 5 or 10 bucks
WhereasTherefore@reddit
It’s usually bring your own, or give the host some small amount of money if there’s a communal key or mixed drink.
sharpshooter999@reddit
When I went to UNL, I had friends who rented a house in the North Bottoms. They had a party once month where they'd make 4x their rent and beer money charging for cups of beer. They also got broken into twice in 3 years but that happened to everyone living there
Majestic-Macaron6019@reddit
I was in a club that threw a party as an informal fundraiser (technically, a member threw the party and donated the proceeds to the club). We made several hundred bucks from the $5 per cup.
sharpshooter999@reddit
Which college? I've always wanted to see North Carolina
Majestic-Macaron6019@reddit
This was at the University of Alabama. I'm from Alabama, but live in North Carolina now. It's a lovely state to visit. Come see us!
Gunther482@reddit
I had a friend that worked at a liquor store so he would sell us Icehouse kegs that were about to expire for like $25 and we would pay for our rent and such with that money too that we made off of cups.
sharpshooter999@reddit
Yeah North Bottoms is right next to campus, across a major roadway and a few train tracks. It's an older, bit rougher part of town with cheap houses to rent. Cheap rent and close to campus means a lot of college students who don't want to live in the dorms end up there. The only real problem when I was in college was the occasional burglary, usually targeting college kids. No idea if it's better or worse than 15 years ago. Lincoln overall is quite safe
TricksyGoose@reddit
That was my experience too. You either bring booze to share, or you throw a donation in the collection jar or give it to the host(s)
Unenthusiasticly@reddit
Ones I went to you pay for a red solo cup at the door. Usually like $5.
AZJHawk@reddit
This was my experience too. The host buys a keg or two. You pay $5 at the door and get a red solo cup and usually a hand stamp. Then you can drink all you want. It’s been a couple of decades though. It may be $10 for a cup now.
AmazingRefrigerator4@reddit
Same.
"This aint no funky reggae party....$5 at the door" -Sublime
BoysenberryKind5599@reddit
It gets so real sometimes
Lunakill@reddit
Who wrote my rhyme?
AcousticOnomatopoeia@reddit
I've got the microwave, got the V-C-R
Lunakill@reddit
Got the deuce deuce in the trunk of my car
dobster1029@reddit
If you only knew all the love that I found
Educational-Big-6609@reddit
Jamaica (I think), you’re the reason that my soul’s unsound…it’s YOU…
nukey18mon@reddit
It is, but usually the ones I go to have some live music and both beer and jungle juice
Unenthusiasticly@reddit
inflation a bitch
RavenRead@reddit
This was my experience as well
earmuffins@reddit
Never had to pay! Just show up! BYOB or drink the random jungle juice in the sink or a bucket outside
somecow@reddit
Can be. But at least drop a few dollars into the fishbowl, or just bring your own.
Educational-Big-6609@reddit
Most college parties at houses are free or you buy a cup at the door (usually $5-10) to drink for the evening. The parties usually involve kegs of beer purchased by the hosts.
winteriscoming9099@reddit
Depends. House parties? Often BYOB (especially for smaller ones), and/or the house provides a keg or some communal mixed drink and you chip in (we’d just Venmo the host). Often free to get in (unless it’s one where you buy a solo cup at the door) but pay to drink. Some of the ones that were advertised ahead of time, you ended up Venmo-ing the host a cover beforehand.
Frat parties? They’ll be free for girls. For guys, you’ll usually not get in unless you’re a brother (in which case, you don’t have to pay for entrance, but your dues go towards the parties so you’re essentially paying for it). If you do get in as a guy, you’ll likely have to pay. I went to a big university though… the culture seems to be more relaxed in smaller universities.
WhompTrucker@reddit
I never went to frat parties. Just random house parties and it was BYOB or there was a keg
Deep_Contribution552@reddit
Attended a big party school roughly 15 years ago: some parties were free, some were BYOB and share, and a few were pay-at-the-door. This applies to “independent” parties only, I didn’t rush a frat so I never did frat parties. It wasn’t hard to find a party as a freshman either as long as you had a pretty broad social network, and for the last couple of years the bars offered great, on-demand party atmospheres anyway.
BreakfastBeerz@reddit
A lot of parties were keg parties where the host (usually a group of people) would get a keg or two of beer. Buying it by the keg was pretty cheap. I think back them it was about $60 for a keg...so get 6 guys together for $10 each and you had 150 beers. That was good for 20 people and a lot of people brought stuff too like bottles of liquor for shots and mixers.
shinybeats89@reddit
People didn’t charge for parties at my school. It’s wild to me seeing all these comments from people who had to pay to go to a party. Like I understand chipping in for drinks, but did people’s friends really charge money to hang out with them? Also, Greek life wasn’t a big thing on my campus. Like they weren’t any Greek houses and most parties were not oriented around Greek life. Also my definition of party is like getting together with people you are already friends with and kicking back a few in a dorm room. Is this not what people are talking about?
freeski919@reddit
When I was in a fraternity in college, we used to invite 1,500 of our closest friends over every other Friday night.
Five bucks at the door, we would profit about two grand after expenses and letting in various young ladies for free.
False_Counter9456@reddit
We would give you 2 options. Pay $5 at the door or bring your own stuff. Usually a case or bottle.
sammysbud@reddit
When I was in school 10 years ago, it was like $5-10 at the door. The hosts had super cheap alcohol/beer and mixers, but people would also bring their own bottles if they wanted something nicer. A couple of clubs (like the college radio station for example) would host parties as fundraisers. Frat parties are free for women.
Alternative-Quit-161@reddit
When I was in school the house mates saved up for the kegs and the beer was free. People all often brought a bottle or weed. Every house in our friend group hosted at least one party a year.
Traditional_Trust418@reddit
Whoever is hosting typically pays for it. And then word spreads and everyone shows up and drinks free alcohol. Usually multiple people buy and supply the alcohol
ForestOranges@reddit
I went to college on the East Coast. Either it was free entry but it was BYOB or you paid $5 for a cup to drink. People already trashed your house at college parties.
killproof@reddit
I’ve never paid for a party in college or out, and I’ve been to house parties as well as frat/sorority. sometimes people will ask for a contribution of a few dollars if you’re drinking, but it’s optional, and most of the time the party is thrown by a group (frat/sorority or 3+ roommates) who divide the cost among them.
it is pretty common to ask people to bring drinks or snacks to add to the table if the people throwing it don’t have money to spend, as opposed to charging to attend.
LadyGreyIcedTea@reddit
Every party is different. At the college my best friend went to, everyone brought their own beer to parties. At my college, the people hosting the party usually bought several 30 racks of a cheap beer like Busch Lite or Natty Ice. Some of them charged a cover fee, some of them didn't.
peter303_@reddit
We typically bring a beverage and/or snack. The host will have some seed beverages and snacks to get the party going. And order more if things go short.
MyUsername2459@reddit
Fraternity parties, which is probably what you're talking about (I don't know the movie you're talking about) are private parties for the members of the fraternity, paid for by member dues or by contributions from members, with guests and dates of the members welcome. They aren't things you're supposed to just be able to walk into and drink for free, you either contributed to the party beforehand, or you are a guest of someone who did.
ForestOranges@reddit
I went to a small university and what you’re describing sounds like a mixer or formal. The mixers were themed parties with a sorority and formal was a private party where people brought dates. On regular weekend nights fraternities regularly had open parties where kids from campus would come party at their house. Since the university wasn’t big and we didn’t have a Greek Life culture these open parties were a recruitment tool to get guys interested in joining. I visited a Big 10 school in college and it was a completely different but other universities I visited with under 10k students seemed more similar to my situation.
o93mink@reddit
Men can’t walk in and drink for free.
Women explicitly can. Thats the point.
NASA_Orion@reddit
Frat parties are mostly free but brothers pay for the drinks. It’s generally free for girls and any reasonable traditional IFC frats won’t let random guys (I.e, don’t know anyone in the frat) in instead of charging them. I did overheard that some ethnic frats charge guys money to let them in.
House parties are hosted by a person. You have to get invited, which typically means you know the host or you’re a good friend of a good friend of the host. Sometimes host pay for all the drinks and sometimes you have to bring your own drinks or a mix.
ForestOranges@reddit
I went to a small university and frats let any guys in. I’ve visited big universities and the frat culture is completely different and much more similar to what I saw in movies.
cyvaquero@reddit
From Happy Valley PA. Frat parties were usually name on list only, private parties either tended to be know someone or cover charge. In all cases, guys usually had to pay, girls got in free.
There is a lot of variation but but the above covered a significant portion of the parties at PSU.
ForestOranges@reddit
I visited friends at PSU a couple of times and found the party culture to be kinda douchey. Coming from a small university the whole scene there seemed like a bunch of stuck up assholes. Apparently even if 3 guys show up with 7 girls that still isn’t good enough. They also referred to the girls in our group as “bitches” so the girls decided to not even go in the frat party. I went to a smaller party and people were nice. Some of the bars were decent too.
Bright_Cattle_7503@reddit
State College was always super chill with the party scene but I’ve heard the fraternities have gotten pretty strict about who they let in
trustme1maDR@reddit
Granted this was almost 30 years ago, but I never paid to go to a party, and generally didn't like frat parties (I went to a couple my first year and didn't have much fun).
Basically if you were throwing a party you had the funds to buy a couple kegs of beer, make jello shots, punch, etc. People would bring bottles of liquor with them if they wanted, but there was usually enough to go around. I never threw parties because I paid for school myself.
All the best parties would bust out a full meal at about 2am (tacos, pizza, etc). I always thought that was a super classy move if the hosts cooked themselves.
ForestOranges@reddit
Maybe it’s a generational/regional difference. I was in college 10 years ago and the hosts were already offering up their house. It was BYOB and I’d they did provide alcohol then they charged $5 for a cup.
forwardobserver90@reddit
5 bucks for a red solo cup so you could drink from the kegs or some sort of jungle juice. If you brought your own beer sometimes it was free. Depended on the party.
ForestOranges@reddit
I went to a smaller university with only a few thousand students living on campus. Most parties, including frat parties were free, but it was BYOB (bring your own booze), meaning you provide your own alcohol. I remember my freshman year the frat that threw the biggest parties would charge $1 to get in unless you were cool with them. I can’t remember if girls had to pay the dollar or not.
Occasionally there would be a keg or jungle juice or something like that. In those instances they would charge $5 per cup and I’m pretty sure girls had to pay too.
Troopx@reddit
I lived at a party house in college called The DMZ. $5 a cup. Sometimes people would buy a keg, and not charge, but that was rare.
GoddessOfOddness@reddit
You pay cash at the door for a cup. I knew a few sets of roommate shoe paid there rent by hosting two parties/month.
Sad-Corner-9972@reddit
Males pay cash. Most girls? -not so much.
Sea-Chain7394@reddit
Free for women. For men you either have to know someone or sneak in
RickySlayer9@reddit
Usually yeah, most of the time it’s a “potluck” or BYOB type situation
GooderApe@reddit
Parties I went to in college were basically funded by the hosts. At least the ones we hosted we always paid for everything.
rawbface@reddit
Depends on what kind of party.
When I was in a fraternity, open parties had a cover charge. Mixers and closed parties didn't, they were covered by our budget.
And if you want to just invite people over for drinks you could do whatever you want.
milkandsugar@reddit
As an oldtimer, my experience was that all parties were free. This was the 80s though, so that is probably why.
clekas@reddit
When I went to college, they were free for both men and women - the people living at the house paid for the drinks. Most people would throw a party once a month AT MOST, so it kind of evened out - you’d drink free many nights, so the money you would have spent those nights can be pooled to pay for your party.
Probably worth mentioning that at my college, most students came from upper-middle class families and were still supported by their parents.
Dry-Tomorrow8531@reddit
College parties aside from sometimes fraternity ones... are not necessarily "free" as they are unorganized.
Got a bunch of 18-20ish aged people that are drunk/high and hierarchies tend to diminish. Everyone's running around with low accountability or awareness.
I say this as somebody who in my early twenties I would constantly attend college parties I was never invited to and made all kind of friends... Which once you make people laugh or befriend somebody and makes it even easier, be fed and drink.. and then really just leave whenever you're ready. That's also key don't stick around till the morning... Not just for being found out but for safety reasons and entertainment it's like a golden hour period then past a certain point things decline
Academic_Solid85@reddit
Normally it’s a 10$ cover then your good
Usual-Reputation-154@reddit
At most schools with Greek life, girls get in free to frat parties, guys have to pay. I’ve heard tale at some schools that pretty girls get in free, ugly girls have to pay, but I’ve never seen that first hand
ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit
If guys are even allowed in
LoiusLepic@reddit
Generally guys in fraternity can invite 1-2 guys. That's how i got into parties when i studied in the US on exchange.
ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit
Exchange sure, but I’ve also seen that if you go to the school you can’t pay. I paid when visiting a friend but for actual students is “just be a brother
Equivalent-Speed-631@reddit
The first university I went to had a dry campus. Students who lived off campus would have parties and the money they made paid their rent. They’d get the cheapest beer by the keg and they charged $4/$5 a person. Some people had liquor parties but they were more expensive. People who lived in the dorms had alcohol, you just had to be smart and not get caught. There was a bar within walking distance of campus for those 21 and older.
The college I graduated from allowed on campus parties with alcohol. They had a set number of dorm parties each semester and there was always a big party in the fall. Can’t remember who paid for the kegs. I just checked and it looks like now they don’t allow kegs.
Pedadinga@reddit
Back in the 1900s, there were two types of parties (I don't count frat parties, that's a different animal, one that I AVOIDED); there were big parties that you could go to even if you didn't know the host, pay 5$ for a cup and drink beer/jungle juice all night. These were often thrown as a way to make a profit. Then you had friend parties, which could also get big, but we're more communal affairs. You didn't have to pay, but you were expected to contribute something, from bringing the records to cleaning up to the weed to tacos... From what I can see, compared to my youth, kids today seem dangerously responsible most of the time.
Emotional_Ad5714@reddit
It's usually free for hot girls and $5 for everyone else.
Khpatton@reddit
I graduated ~15 years ago and never paid for a party (and neither did the men who went). Granted, I wasn’t going to Greek (frat/sorority) parties, but big house parties nonetheless. I only went to one frat party and there was no charge there either, but it wasn’t one of the big frats.
I did go to a university where a lot of students come from money, though, so I imagine charging for entry would have been perceived as gauche.
VariegatedPlumage@reddit
We didn’t have frats at my small liberal arts college and I never went to a dorm party where anyone was expected to pay anything. It was generally considered nice to bring a 6 pack or a bottle of wine or weed or whatever with you but hosts didn’t expect anybody to chip in.
HermioneMarch@reddit
Usually fraternities will buy a keg and invite people. People bring their own alcohol as well. Most of the parties when I was in school were very informal. You just showed up.
Gertrude_D@reddit
Pay at the door and get a stamp to drink all night. Most house parties were very large and thrown by guys. The mess they left in their wake was not something most people would want to deal with.
We_R_the_Penguins@reddit
This wouldn’t have been possible everywhere, but I went to college in a state that made you pay a deposit on bottles of juice, cans of Red Bull, etc. Like, if it was $2.00 you’d pay $2.05 and get the $0.05 back when you recycled the can. As you might guess, college students drank a lot of stuff in bottles and cans. We had our own recycling bins, and we’d use the money from cans and bottles to buy kegs.
If there wasn’t enough, we’d just pass a hat around. When my club wanted to throw a party it was only a few bucks per head to buy a keg or two.
For a little context, we were allowed to drink on campus, but weren’t allowed to charge for drinks.
Tandom@reddit
Most of them, I’ll bring your own alcohol or sometimes provide the host with some money.
Some of the parties are a social fundraising event that require the pre-purchase of a ticket.
lavasca@reddit
Usually free unless it is a campus sponsored event.
BAMspek@reddit
BYOB or a $5 cover
workerscompbarbie@reddit
Hmm at frat parties girls would get in free, and of your a guy(who's not a brother) you needed to have a good ratio (ex: 2 guys bringing 5 girls) to get in.
At sorority parties and sports team parties, it was $5 for a cup, and you kept that cup all night. Or BYOB.
Electrical-Speed-836@reddit
I went to a midwestern party school and some of the weekends the entire student neighborhood was a party you could just walk anywhere and have a good time. For my fraternity it was invite only but generally free and we pretty liberal with who could be invited
Critical-Patient-235@reddit
fraternities parties are free and paid for by the fraternity (the members pay fees to be in the fraternity). Getting into the party if you’re a guy not in the fraternity is hard.
Upstairs_Highlight25@reddit
All the parties I went to were free but not that large. I don’t think I ever went to a party with more than 30 people at it. Normally the host(s) provide some drinks and food and guests bring more food and drinks if they want to. Mid party grocery runs were common and it polite to contribute some cash to them.
jeff1074@reddit
From my college experience: there are different kinds of college parties. The one you typically think of are frat parties. In my experience these parties are BOYB. It costs money to be in a frat, and the frats i went to, if you are a guy you had to know a frat member to get in if you where a girl you could just walk in.
Another kind is a good old fashion house party. I was a major host of these parties. The way I ran them was primarily byob, but I also supplied lots of hard liquor myself. I had a pretty well stocked bar and a friend that became the de facto bar tender. I kept a fund going people could send money to or put money in the jar. I probably mostly lost a lot of money this way but it was so worth it.
mrhanky518@reddit
Ive been to both. Just depends who's throwing it
wiserTyou@reddit
Free? Only for the ladies. Cheap? Yes. Pre gaming was very common so you were generally loaded by the time you got there.
TrainingLow9079@reddit
When I was in college parties were free. Someone nice just bought everything or evreyone brought something.
dragonsteel33@reddit
When I went to college parties (early-mid 2020s, smaller school with frats/sororities but no “Greek life” in the way some schools have):
There generally would be no entrance fee at parties. Hosts would usually provide some alcohol but BYOB was standard. Usually the roommates hosting the party would split the cost of alcohol between themselves and sometimes other friends involved in planning, or run a bar at the party where it was $5 for a strong drink
I went to almost no frat parties because why would I. When I did go, it was generally either invite-only or there was a small cover charge. The beauty of being obviously gay and having many attractive female friends is that I did not ever pay cover.
wapera@reddit
If you’re a girl is always free.
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
I got all of my partying out of my system when I was still in high school. But that’s because I lived on the border of Mexico and the bars never carded girls.
SZGriff@reddit
In my experience back in 2010 it was $5 for all you can drink of whatever keg was cheapest at the distributor.
47362514736251@reddit
I never paid to go to a party, but my college only allowed professional fraternities. I had friends and we partied together. Everyone either brought their own drinks or pitched in a few dollars. If someone was broke everyone shared.
nomadschomad@reddit
It depends. The biggest parties are typically hosted by fraternities. Typically, they are free for all guests. Guests might include all women… Or only ones deemed attractive enough by whoever is working the door and 1-2 male friends per fraternity brother if they put on the guest list in advance.
There are often enterprising college students who organize bus parties to off-campus nightclubs. Those have a ticket price for everyone that includes transportation and may include some form of drink package
Otherwise, people just chip in for a keg or BYO
karmapuhlease@reddit
At my college, yes they were free for everyone (guys and girls alike). Usually you had to know someone who was hosting it, or a guest who was close friends with the people hosting it. Often the parties were thrown by student organizations on campus, so all of their members plus members' friends were welcome.
In general, juniors and seniors paid to host parties and the expectation was that eventually most people would effectively pay back into the system by hosting their own parties for others to attend. A decent chunk of students at my college were well-off, and so they could chip in some money to buy beer and alcohol more often.
308_shooter@reddit
I have no idea. I went to school to get an education.
MuppetManiac@reddit
Most of the college parties I went to were free, and the guests were expected to bring some drinks. As long as everyone pitched in, there was plenty to go around.
jrhawk42@reddit
It really depends. Sometimes they're BYOB and everybody just pools stuff together, and shares w/ a few moochers here and there. Sometimes somebody will just buy a bunch of booze and share. Sometimes they charge, but it's usually pretty cheap.
Horizontal_Bob@reddit
Brothers pay for the parties with their dues
Women typically get in free…there may be a guest list
Randoms who just show up might have to pay a cover. Depends on the event
Could just be greeks and guests
jessek@reddit
Depends on the party. A small get together of friends? Yeah. A big raging kegger? People have to pay for cups to drink from the keg, typically.
mmbg78@reddit
5 bucks for a red cup
davdev@reddit
We used to go around to all the recyle bins in the dorms and basically take all the bottles and cans (which can be substantial on a Sunday nigh), then we would return them all. We could easily make a few hundred $ a month. We would then go to the store across from campus and buy all the cheap booze, like Gordons Vodka and Toms tequila. We would mix it all in a bucket with some sprite and cranberry juice and give it all away at parties. it was awful, but it was sure to light a fire in your belly.
SphericalCrawfish@reddit
Yes, they are free. A lot of times it's BYOB.
Boopa0011@reddit
Most of the parties I went to, at a school with no real fraternity culture, were in people's dorm suites. Some of the suites in our dorms were quite large. Generally, everybody was expected to toss a few dollars into a jar at the door. This wasn't really enforced.
Occasionally some student group would rent out a ballroom or bar, and they would sell tickets for $5-$20 for folks to attend.
tcrhs@reddit
Some parties are free, some are not. The fraternity usually pays for the drinks at the free parties. If they’re formal parties, the fraternity brother pays for his date’s night.
3mptyspaces@reddit
We had no frats. We’d get a couple kegs & charge people we didn’t know $5 for a solo cup.
Combat__Crayon@reddit
When I was in college 20+ years ago the host would charge $5 for a cup. Then it was drink until the kegs ran out.
Gex2-EnterTheGecko@reddit
Sorta depends. Smaller parties in my experience were usually BYOB and it was just sort of expected that everyone shared. Bigger parties sometimes had a cover. Frats almost always either charged guys or didnt let them in if they were in the frat.
madcatzplayer5@reddit
When I went to college parties (2011-2013).
There’d be a house with three guys standing at the door who’d collect $5 from men and women got in for free.
Greek life was there but I wasn’t in it, so as a man , houses parties were the only option, so you always needed a $5 bill ready to go on Friday.
In the house party, they usually had kegs of Natural Light (4.2%) in the house free with admission. Then they had other housemembers in the kitchen serving shots of well liquors for $1 or $2 each depending on the party.
dgputnam@reddit
fraternities generally have social fees (ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars per semester) which go towards buying alcohol, paying for formals and away trips, etc. Girls always drink for free. Guys who aren't brothers may have to buy a cup or pay a set fee to get in
Ok-Armadillo-5634@reddit
I have never paid for a college party
blackhawk905@reddit
When we'd have parties in college is was free to go but it was expected that you would provide something, alcohol if you're over 21 or something else if you were under 21. I would often bring cases of water since that was something we always needed .
Blutrumpeter@reddit
Most the time it's girls get in free and then the guys organizing the party are paying for it. If you're a guy invited and you're not organizing them you probably have to pay. One of the benefits of being in a frat is that if you're in one that does parties then part of your fees that you pay go towards that and you will always be invited for free and you know everyone there