Student Initiated Study of Parties

For my first student initiated study, I chose to explore the norms of the party life, via my eldest brothers Halloween party. Partying is always portrayed as a huge part of college (great way to spend Mom's money), and as a result, there has been a long history of the culture of parties. I will be comparing and contrasting my eldest brothers party with the parties I encounter at the University Of Redlands. There are a couple variables that must be put out on the table before we proceed. First, my brother is in Graduate School and as a result, everyone of the people at his party besides me, were also graduate students. Second, it is legal for everyone at his party to be drunk, or to drink while there.
The first thing difference I noticed between the two party scenes would be the entrance of a guest. For most parties in Redlands, no one is alerted when someone enters a party, they simply walk in and blend in with the crowds of people mulling about. When someone would enter my brothers' party, the rest of the people were alerted, and that guest usually brought some sort of food or beverage with them as a gift. I think this is important because it shows the relationship of the guests with the host as well as the rest of the guests. My brothers' party was much more personal, while parties at Redlands are more open to the public and strangers to the host.
One thing I found to be similar between the two parties was the position of crowds of people. In both scenes, the largest population of people were circled around the bar, or whatever alcoholic beverages were being served. The second largest crowd of people resides outside, on the balcony or in the backyard. Both of these crowds are similar in both situations, for what I feel to be the same reason. Both of these locations serve functions, both social and physical. The bar serves as the place to acquire alcohol, but it is also the place to meet new people, to introduce yourself or to help someone you don't know with their drink. Likewise the balcony, or backyard is used as a smoking depot. Smoking, is also a social action, which helps strangers meet each other and have a conversation for as long as their cigarette burns.
The biggest shock to me, was the similarities between the two scenes. I thought going into this study that the two places would be completely different , primarily due to the maturity levels of both groups. However, this wasn't so, despite the more personal atmosphere of my brothers' party, it was nearly identical to a party I'd visit at the University of Redlands.