Ranking Five College Parties From Best to Worst Part 1 : Woods Parties

3 facts about me before we begin this article : 

1. I’m an introverted girl at Mount Holyoke College 
2. Parties scare the hell out of me
3. But I do want to party at least once 

This article is for you if you’re just like me:a student at one of the five colleges, would idealistically spend the weekends curled up in bed reading a YA fantasy novel, but is also just a teeny-tiny bit curious to experience the quintessential college party scene at least once before graduating. 

Because let’s face it. Things could get rough during college (whether that be getting an essay graded B returned, having a fight with your best friend, experiencing a breakup, or life in general). During those times, a temporary solution could potentially be screaming the lyrics to “Time of Our Lives” at the top of your lungs with a hundred other college students all jam-packed in the same room at midnight on the weekends. 

Feeling intimidated by going to a party? Totally normal. Parties were also a foreign concept to me during high school. 

This is why I decided to start this article series: “The Ultimate Guide to Parties at the Five Colleges,” where I share my honest review of each of the five colleges’ parties. Hopefully, you can use it as a guide to decide which college party to attend first. 

Part One : Hampshire College 

Starting off strong with a party at Hampshire College, infamously known as a “woods parties” since it’s well…held in the woods.

When I mentioned thinking of attending the party to my French teacher on Friday after classes, she scrunched her face with worry, mentioning how (a), I need to study for my un test, and that (b), in the past, one of her students encountered a bear during the party. 

The first one is absolutely true, the second one…we’ll see. 

However, this ironically proves why Hampshire’s parties are a favorite among many students. The party location adds an extra level of suspense to its already hippie, cool vibe. 

In order to reach the party scene, students will need to hop on the PVTA bus for around 20 minutes. Once they reach Hampshire College, they will need to walk an additional 10 minutes to reach the actual party. Some students complain about the walk, especially since it gets muddy at times. However, I personally thought it wasn’t that inconvenient and worth it for the cool party location.

Once I arrived at the party scene, the first thing I noticed was that many students were not following the party theme, “Back to School Beach Rave.” Instead, many students were clad in casual wear such as t-shirts or tank tops. Frankly, disappointing, but then again, when do people really follow dress codes anyway (cough, cough, Met Gala)? 

On a more positive note, I also noted how chill the atmosphere was. I had initially felt nervous that I would be pressured to dance crazily, drink, or I might feel uncomfortable among other students at the party. Yes, it was quite packed, and many people bumped into each other throughout the party. Yes, the music was definitely not a crazy club party soundtrack that could be classified as a “bop.” However, overall, everyone seemed to respect each other’s boundaries, and mostly huddled up with people they already knew. 

And if you get tired of being in that kind of dance floor environment? Feel free to move to a section that has a bonfire lit, where many students congregate and casually chat with each other. Some people had even brought their guitars with them, strumming some tunes and creating a camp-like environment. 

Overall, I would rate my experience at this Hampshire party a 3.5/5. 

If you’re looking for a hippie party vibe where you could just chill during the weekends, why not attend a Hampshire College party? I mean, it’s not often that you get to have a party throughout the night in the woods, right? 

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