Behind-the-Party-Scene at the Wildest College in the USA

University of Iowa fans party at a Hawkeye football tailgate.
University of Iowa fans party at a Hawkeye football tailgate.

It's official: The Hawkeyes party hardest. This week, the latest Princeton Review rankings named the University of Iowa the number-one party school in the country. And Twitter goes wild with a flood of #KeepItUpHawks #WeAreNumberOne #ProudAlumnae!

By Caitlin Scott

As a rising senior at UI, I can hardly say I'm surprised. The scene at Iowa is definitely cray. This is partly due to the fact that there isn't a whole lot to do on the entertainment spectrum in Iowa City besides hit up one of the many bars.

The revelry begins with Friday After Class-#FAC-which means going downtown (or DT, as the cool kids say). Iowa kids have their sh*t together and purposefully craft a schedule that features a class-free Friday, perfect for relaxing all day and partying hard all night.

At 7 p.m., underage students get their pre-game on (drink of choice: disgusting-but-hella-cheap Hawkeye Vodka), get a buzz going, and then flock to the bars downtown, where they party it up until 10 p.m., at which point they can no longer legally be inside of a drinking establishment. (Bars are strict on IDs and the city's "21 ordinance" has made it illegal for underage students to be in a bar after 10 p.m.)

Related: The Partying Habit That Can Put You in Danger

UI's 21+ crowd generally hits the bar scene at 10 p.m. and "rages" until bar close, which is 2 a.m. Drinks of choice: Margaritas from Los Portales, Fishbowls from DCs, and Long Islands from Brother's Bar & Grill. Brother's is by far one of the most popular bars in the land, thanks to Mug Club Thursday: $1-2 refills on a $5 reusable mug. #College

...But that's just for starters. UI students have SO MANY bars to chose from, each one conveniently located a stone's throw from the last, that students bar-hop all night long to their heart's content.

Things REALLY get wild during football season, when the entire state flocks to campus to watch the Hawkeyes take on opponents in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa doesn't boast a professional football team, so the amount of spirit (and spirits flowing) on game day is nothing short of...intoxicating (hehe, had to). It's not unusual for fans start drinking at 7 a.m. I've even heard of parties starting as early as 6 a.m. the day of a morning game.

UI students will legitimately tailgate ALL DAY, refilling their Solo cups from keg after keg. Sure, Hawkeye fans take a break from the booze at Kinnick (where alcohol is not allowed) but you best believe the alcohol continues to flow after the final score. If the Hawks win, the party continues downtown and it's bar close or bust!

As a UI student I can attest to the fact that UI's drinking culture can be completely unsafe. I've watched students get arrested for public intoxication, receive PAULAs (Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age), and I routinely play hopscotch in order to avoid walking on sidewalk vomit.

But perhaps my biggest eye-opening experience happened last fall at an outdoor concert during Welcome Back Week. My roommates and I watched a UI guy sway awkwardly from left to right, but he wasn't jamming to the performance; he was falling over because he was so drunk he couldn't stand. After toppling over, he began to vomit and after he was done, he didn't get up. The surrounding crowd took a few steps back-including his friend, who was underage and scared to help (even though UI policies have been established to encourage underage students to report emergencies). Another male student came to his side and carried the student to a nearby police officer. Ten minutes later an ambulance arrived.

And then there are the drunken hookups. My friend Anna (whose name I changed here) remembers getting so drunk that she was brought home by another student she had never met. Anna hooked up with the guy...but has said that she wouldn't have if she had been sober. Scary.

Related: What It's Really Like to have Sex at Penn
Iowa City officials aren't exactly proud of our number-one party school status. They know that the drinking at UI is pretty out-of-control and are diligently working to create a safer environment for the residents and students. The campus is intent on changing, with plans to diversify the downtown landscape with alcohol-free entertainment and shopping.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit smug about attending the school that officially parties hardest. (Oh, you go to West Virginia University? LOL. #4 #Dethroned) But then again, as an outgoing Cosmo summer intern and UI senior getting ready to graduate in the spring, I'd personally prefer to rock a rep that doesn't involve slamming shots of crappy Hawkeye vodka. I'd like to note that we are number one in other things, too...like creative writing and killer campus views for example.

I'm proud to be a Hawkeye-because yes, it's an awesomely fun place to go to college, but also for reasons that don't involve just alcohol. Cheers, party animals!

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