University of Idaho Top Questions

Our stereotype is the "party school." While our students do party, it usually isn't on campus. Most parties happen across the state border, at Washington State University (about 8 miles away). Most students who party are Greek students, because they have open houses and less strict regulations on alcohol (compared to the residence halls who have RAs). Greek students also have closer connections with Greek students from other campuses if they share the same house. Personally, I was not exposed to any parties my first year at U of I (probably because I lived in the residence halls and didn't have any friends who were upperclassmen).

"Nasty and Inebriated" Completely accurate.

Since we are a university in the middle of nowhere, Northern Idaho, we have a stereotype of being predominantly Caucasian farmers. Although we do have a great agricultural science program and a large majority of the campus is Caucasian, I have seen an increase in international and students of different ethnicity throughout my last three years here. I speak Mandarin Chinese, so many of my friends are from China. I can tell you for a fact that our student population from Asia is increasing and it has been really good for our school atmosphere and culture.

My school is known as the "Party School" of Idaho so naturally the stereotype for my school is that everyone is a partier. This is not completely accurate. I mean yes there are some people who are very caught up in parting but there are still others who make the decision to not get involved in all of that.

I think that a common stereotype of everyone at the University of Idaho is that we are all party kids. This is not true! While Vandals know how to have fun and let loose on the weekends, the most of us students do not fit the "party school" stereotype. It's all about balance!

The main bad stereotype that I see is the joke that our athletic department (football primarily) is pretty terrible, which is true. So if this is that you are looking for in a school, I would not recommend coming to the U of I. However, if you want a quality education that I and many other enjoy, and a fantastic engineering program, this is the right place.

The main stereotype for the University of Idaho would be "Frat kids." There are dozens of fraternities on campus and many people refer to others as "frat guys." Many people wish that they were the Frat guys so they could be invited to all the parties but at the same time there are many people that are glad they are not a "frat guy" because of too much partying!

Before I attended the University of Idaho (UI), I heard many negative stereotypes regarding the University. I heard a lot in my high school that the University of Idaho is a big "party school" with a lot of crazy, hard-partying kids. Another commonly-held stereotype at my school was that University of Idaho students were underachievers. During my first year of school, however I found these stereotypes to be partly false. Although there is partying to be found at UI, (as is common at most colleges or Universities) there are a lot of dedicated, motivated, and intelligent student. As a member of the Honors Program here at the University I found the classes challenging and intellectually stimulating. I also found that there are many bright students and National Merit Scholars also on campus.

Strong Greek community, but very diverse, there are multiple people on campus with different personalities and stereotypes.

Strong Greek community, but very diverse, there are multiple people on campus with different personalities and stereotypes.

Many of the kids at the University of Idaho grew up in Idaho, which is home to a diverse group of people. About 40 percent of the student population is in a Greek fraternity or sorority, and the Greeks on campus carry the most weight when it comes to things like student government and decision making on campus. The REC is populated by jocks and sorority girls, whose majors range from engineering to business to communication. Approximately 80 percent of the student population smokes marijuana, and I would say probably 90 percent drink regularly on weekends. U of I has been stereotyped as a party school in the past, and today it is what you make of it.

I don't think there is one stereotype at the University of Idaho. There are the Greek students, and they are usually stereotyped as being the most active students on campus, as they are required to participate in clubs and organizations. They also are very active socially, and often have functions at their houses. The residence hall students are usually seen as being more quiet and independent, and often seen as more studious, though the Greek houses have a higher GPA overall. The off-campus students are definitely seen as the most independent.

Many people say that the U of I is one of the biggest partying schools around, however, in my last few years here I have come to find that that just isnt true. Sure people do like to drink, sometimes there's not much else to do around here, but since I arrived in '09 I have seen the party scene decline significantly.

There are two basic stereotypes at UI: The Dormies and the Greeks. Almost all undergrads fit into one of the two. There definitely Greeks who fit the stereotypical "Frat guy" and "Sorority Girl" molds. However, for every "Frat guy" there are several more guys who are just a "typical" college student, they just happen to be in a fraternity. The dormies seem to be only united by one thing: They aren't greek, and have in recent years started taking pride in that fact.