We’ve all grown up watching American based films, the sun, the beautiful people and the situations they get themselves into. America just makes everything seem bigger, better and wilder than here in drizzly Ireland.
So if you had your heart set on wild college parties and sororities when you headed off to college on our emerald isle, you had another thing coming to you. Here are a few of the major differences between Irish colleges and American colleges.
You’re never too far away from mammy
In America people move across time zones to get their degree, whereas here in Ireland there’s not that much room to get away from it all. Most students head home every weekend, unlike in America where they basically move away from home except for Christmas. Who does their washing over in America if they can’t bring it home to mammy?
Fraternities and Sororities
Every American college movie has to include a frat or sorority of some kind, whether it be Delta Nu from Legally Blonde or Delta Psi Beta in Bad Neighbours, you can’t escape the American ritual. Here in Ireland we don’t have this phenomenon, imagine living in a house with twenty other girls! The movies make the brotherhood/sisterhood thing look really cool, but it seems like they’re not all that great in real life. So hopefully the idea never washes up on our shores!
Drinking Games
Keg stands, beer pong, anything that involves throwing stuff into cups are basic drinking games that keep American college students entertained during pre-drinks (or pre-gaming as they call it). They seem to require some skills or in the case of the keg stand per stupidity. Here in Ireland, we like to sit at a table, move as little as possible and drink as much as possible. We play Kings, Never Have I Ever, basic games that gets us drunk with as little effort as possible. Although American drinking games look like fun, us Irish don’t need that much sport with our alcohol.
College Football
People in America follow college football. I dare any Irish person to name 5 people on their college football team. College football is televised and watched in America, like a religion. Americans can get a “full ride on a football scholarship” (apparently on a basketball scholarship too like any High School Musical fan will remember). Maybe it’s because I may not be that into sports but I’ve never seen anyone in Ireland get excited because Trinity were playing DCU. Maybe they do, or maybe we don’t care because people having been playing county long before heading to college.
Dorms
American college is all about dorm rooms and decorations and having a good roommate. In Ireland we don’t decorate our digs, except for our bedclothes and a few picture frames. We don’t share a bedroom either in college accommodation or share massive shower rooms with a whole floor. I’ve seen Pitch Perfect, it looks terrifying!
Thumbnail photo by Bai Hamif
Photo by Nathan Shivley