Comment discusses the potential benefits of UEA becoming a "dry campus."
An alcohol ban on one of the most sociable campus universities in the United Kingdom; what an interesting idea, and one which I imagine would not be met with open arms by the vast majority of UEA students.
However – how many students, both past and present, can honestly say that an essay, exam, or early morning seminar suffered due to them having “one or two” in the Bar the night before? It’s so easily done, and whether it’s one for the road, one to join in with the rowdy Blue Bar social (probably Rugby), one to drown your sorrows, or one to celebrate that 80% mark you just got back on a particularly tough piece of coursework, one drink is never just this at UEA.
Mid-way through my second year I had a Financial and Accounting exam the next day. As I left the library at around 10:30pm (such a dedicated student), I passed the Blue Bar, to witness a good friend, who had the same exam the following day, slightly worse for wear. I didn’t want to risk going into the Bar, as I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to leave without saying “no” to at least one beverage – will power around exam time takes a bit of a nose-dive – so I called said friend and asked him what he was doing, and why he wasn’t panic revising like everyone else.
Although the answer was slightly slurred, I did manage to make out that he had gone into the pub after a “full day’s revision” (3 hours maximum) to play a bit of Itbox and have a pint to help him “calm down” (English Tax Laws can get a bit exciting). Four hours later, here he was, drunk, surrounded by lots of new “friends”, having almost completely forgotten that he even had an exam the following day.
Would this have happened if the Blue Bar only served orange juice? Perhaps then my friend would have had his one (soft) drink, lost £2 playing monopoly and then gone back to the library and got a first in his exam, instead of a Richard.
You go to university to grow up, learn to stand on your own two feet and discover how good cheesy chips are at the end of a night out, but the main reason for applying for university is (or should be), to get a good degree. Does it not make sense therefore, that your working environment should help you achieve this? Let’s face it, the pubs in town seem a long way away when the 25 or 35 is rumoured to be running late. You may just be convinced to walk away from the bus stop and back into the Library.