Tuesday, August 6, 2013

We're #2!! We're #2

And if it wasn't for those meddling Mormons, we'd be #1! 

By we, I mean my alma mater, Wheaton College.  The one in Illinois.

What list did we get to #2 on? 

The most sober colleges list.

This calls for... calls for... um... quiet contemplation in a reserved atmosphere? 

Back when I was there in the mid 90s, they didn't allow dancing either. 

It made for a different kind of college experience for certain, but one I'm grateful for.  A true liberal arts education in its best and most classic sense. Real education, real learning.  Keeping down the distractions is part of that.  Maybe that's why the military academies also rank high on that list. 

What's college for, after all? 

As a sidenote, it's interesting to see what being high on the sobriety list can bring.  Look at Wikipedia's list of notable alumi:

Wheaton alumni include evangelist Billy Graham (1943), former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (1964), presidential speechwriter Michael Gerson (1986), Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch (1968), film director Wes Craven (1963) and September 11 hero of United Flight 93 Todd Beamer (1991)

Good, mediocre, bad, ugly, and heroic. 

14 comments:

Paddy O said...

By the by, most of the others on the sober list make sense.

What's going on at those three City Universities of New York?

ndspinelli said...

PaddyO, I didn't know you went to Wheaton. I did a lot of work out there when I lived in Chicago. Beautiful campus, but looked like not much fun was happening. I heard it is almost as strict as Brigham Young

ndspinelli said...

In April I drove through Brigham Young on my way back to Wi. from San Diego. A couple days later I was driving through the UW campus. A bipolar journey.

Basta! said...

I thought you meant Wheaton College in Massachusetts; I hadn't realized there was another one.

Are the City Universities of NY commuter schools? That cuts down on partying. Also, Wiki says they have lots of international students, and that 28% are over 25. Those 2 factors might contribute to a more serious student body.

Shouting Thomas said...

Wheaton College, my ass!

The greatest of all Illini, Red Grange, graduated from Wheaton HIgh School in 1922.

Shouting Thomas said...

Red Grange, a/k/a, The Galloping Ghost!

Birches said...

Is Wheaton the college that has its own institute on CS Lewis?

And I'm #1. Had a lot of fun in college, just not the drunkard variety. No debt when I graduated either. It's a super cheap school. If I were a parent, I'd push my kids to BYU just for the tuition savings. It's cheaper than our in state school and I'm fairly certain the educational quality is better. However, you wouldn't be able to study Sexual Diversity Studies, so . . .

bagoh20 said...

Yea, but if you get stranded on a desert island and all there is to drink is a keg of beer. Will you know how survive like that, cause that's what what I learned gooder in college.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Anybody watching Obama on Leno?

JAL said...

Another illustrious alumni -- my son-in-law#1 I think he graduated in the mid 90s. Maybe a little ahead of you?

An expert on wine (I consult him) and I hear he likes likes scotch. So life goes on ;- )

Obama on Leno? No. :- P Is this one of those beer summits so BHO can take control of the narrative.

Go Jay!

(I was watching one of the earlier Doctor Who's. Trying to catch up.)

edutcher said...

Most sober?

Well, everybody has to be good at something.

Paddy O said...

Wheaton is full of illustriousness! The college granting favor to the whole education of the town maybe?

And congrats, Birches! I didn't know BYU was that cheap. Even better. And yes, there's different kind of fun to be had. Though, I suspect that drinking makes it much more easily accessible.

Spinelli, it is a beautiful campus, and can get festive at times, but yeah, it's pretty tame. Part of the appeal for me, really, especially as I really found the quiet and hidden places. Bad for the partying, good for the soul. Though, there was and still is an underground party scene. The difference is they had to keep it fairly hidden.

JAL, I was class of '97, so probably some overlap maybe. Life goes on indeed. After a dry college experience, I realized my genetics predisposed me to really liking alcohol. I still hate the feeling of having too much, but I love the taste of almost anything other than tequila.

deborah said...

Good one, ed.

'Grats,Paddy :)

Wheaton sounds idyllic.

Phil 314 said...

Based on what I've seen with some of my kids friends I believe the Millenial evangelicals drink more.

And just so its been said:

Jesus's first miracle was making more wine at a wedding reception. And at a time when most of the guests wouldn't have noticed the difference. What does that tell you


(Yes, I'm looking at you Baptists over there!)