Uni was years ago for me, but it doesn't sound that different from what's being described. I went to the state Uni in my home town, so I had a lot of long-time friends still around, and we had our own social circle. Hence, we didn't party in the Uni circles very much. The fraternity/sorority scene was dominated by out-of-towners, and they tended to do a lot of stupid shyte, so we rarely went into that space. We were also smart enough to take our studies fairly seriously, so we'd study/work diligently during the week, and party up on Friday and Saturday nights, usually. We definitely did party it up though. My buddy worked at the dorms on campus and was renting a room from head administrator of the dorms, so we had a lot of freedom and influence there. We had a key to the roof and would take our lawn chairs, food and drink, and partyables up there at night with our girlfriends and have quiet fun. Despite all the debauchery I managed to keep up a 3.6 GPA, majoring in Business/MIS, which led to a solid but unremarkable career in civil service.

I've never been a big drinker, but have been a fan of herb since reading The Hobbit at age 10 and getting my First Aid merit badge at age 11 (we went out to play Ditch 'Em after the Scout meeting and the Senior Patrol Leader busted out a four-finger; you gotta love the Scouts). I'd rocked 'n rolled for five years on the western US club circuit before returning to finish college, so the party culture was somewhat old for me by then--got plenty of it on the road. Music, live concerts, and outdoor activities (overnight trips to the California coast and Sierra Nevada mountains/Lake Tahoe) were central interests for our group.

After that period, friends got married, moved away and started their family lives, got seriously into their careers, and things changed drastically, as usual. But we had some very good times, and most of us are still good friends despite the time and distances.