Most of us had a lot of hobbies before we came to college. I know I used to cook and bake quite a bit before I moved here. However, some old hobbies just aren’t sustainable on campus, especially when you’re living in dorms. 

Now, with the media portraying very vivid pictures of college being all about exams and partying, I thought that I was going to get peer pressured to drink at every turn. I’ve come to realize that people don’t care whether I drink or not. 

After almost a full year of living on campus, however, I have found quite a few fun hobbies that are transferable to dorm living, sustainable for your budget and don’t involve alcohol.

1) Caring for houseplants

I know it sounds insane, but I have taken quite a liking to gardening while living in the dorms. Let’s be honest, our dorms can get kind of drab and sad after the excitement of move-in wears off. You get homesick and busy and your dorm may lose the cozy feeling that it had in the beginning. This is especially a problem for people like me who vowed to never do homework in our dorms but quickly threw that out the window because of how easy it is to open a laptop in bed. 

Gardening is an excellent way to make your dorm feel homey and a bit more lively. You don’t need to have a full herb garden in your dorm — because who’s got the space for that!  All you really need is a bouquet of flowers, a vase and a spray bottle. For Valentine’s Day, I was given a bouquet of flowers by a friend of mine. It came with this packet of “flower food” attached to the stems. I split that packet, putting half in the vase and half in the spray bottle. 

I didn’t have a vase, but I had a water bottle. I snipped the stems down so that they fit inside and then filled the bottle with cold water. Gardening is one of my preferred hobbies because it requires a lot of attention. I have to find somewhere for the plants to sit and get sun, I have to make sure I am watering them enough and I have to keep an eye on them to make sure they are healthy.

This can be a great alternative to drinking because of the amount of attention you need to give to it. It can be a fun and mindful alternative to going out and drinking that doesn’t interfere with your school work!

2) Photography

I’ve always loved photography and I took photography classes for three years in high school. You don’t need a fancy camera to take beautiful pictures. It can be as simple as getting a disposable camera or just using your phone. 

Just taking the time to walk around campus and admire the beauty while capturing it through photography can be a great break from studying and homework. It can also be a good way to get out of the dorms and into the fresh air. 

Photography can be an excellent alternative hobby to drinking because it gets you out of your dorm, but instead of going out drinking, you can go out and embrace the beauty around us, both on campus and in Des Moines.

Sure, you could just go to a party and take photos with your friends, but it can be more fun getting out of your comfort zone to get a beautiful photo. One of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken was on this campus. My friends were all at a party, and I felt left out because I didn’t feel like going out. So instead, I went out to take some photos and I caught a beautiful photo of the moon over campus. 

It made me feel better about being on campus while all of my friends were out partying and drinking.

3) Baking

It’s a redeveloped old one, but a goody just the same. I love to cook and bake; it’s a hobby I cultivated over quarantine back in 2020. Since every Drake residence hall has a kitchen and some culinary supplies, you don’t have to settle for Hubbell baked goods.

My favorite way to do this is by going to the store and buying premade cookie dough or baking mixes and making it in the dorms with friends. They have baking supplies, and going to the store with my friends and making sweet treats together helped ease the stress of college. Even if it’s just making a packet of ramen, it can be a fun break from going to the dining hall. Instead of partying and going out, you and your friends can stay in and use the dorm kitchens to cook a meal together and make memories instead of going out and drinking and potentially feeling horrible the next day.

Overall, there are tons of different ways to pass your free time and have fun that don’t involve alcohol. Whether it’s drawing, journaling, going on walks or making a trip to the gym, you can find all sorts of ways to occupy your time instead of drinking. 

Having a good mix of hobbies can help to blow off steam and relax after a long day or week. If drinking and partying isn’t your thing, finding a hobby that interests you can be a wonderful way to spend your time.