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Santa Clara University - Nightlife - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Nightlife

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Nightlife rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Nightlife Grades:

Quick Stats

Primary Areas with Nightlife
  • Downtown San Jose
  • Palo Alto
  • San Francisco
  • Santana Row
Student Favorites The Hut
Other Places to Check Out Miyake Restaurant (popular for sake bombs on Friday or Saturday nights)
Favorite Drinking Games
  • Beer pong
  • Flip cup
  • King's cup
  • Power hour
Useful Resources for Nightlife
  • The Santa Clara student newspaper
  • Wave magazine
  • www.clubzone.com/h1/San_Francisco/Nightlife.html
  • www.sanjose.com/nightlife

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Given its small size and residential location, Santa Clara offers few nightlife options for students. "Going out" usually consists of attending small house parties or bar hopping around campus, and while there are occasionally frat parties, they don't happen as consistently as at larger schools. Santa Clara nightlife comes most alive during spring quarter when the weather gets nicer and students tend to have lighter courseloads. To take advantage of the beautiful weather, most "nightlife" activities are bumped up to afternoon "day parties" hosted by fraternities or off-campus houses. 

Because it's hard to get in to small parties if you don't know many people, partying regularly as a freshman often requires befriending older students or joining Greek life. For students ages 21-and-up, there are a few bars close to campus, but clubbing requires a cab ride to San Jose or a Caltrain trip to Palo Alto or San Francisco. The bars near campus are only one to three blocks away and are pretty inexpensive; some even offer weekly events such as drink specials or live music featuring SCU student bands.

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Santa Clara Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Nightlife at Santa Clara University

mcdonell52

'15

Political Science and Government

2.3
C

Too Much Drinking

At Santa Clara people party during the night on Wednesday (tradition) and Friday and all day Saturday. All parties are off-campus. If you love a good party, it's great. As a non-drinker, though, Santa Clara kind of sucks on Friday night. Everyone goes off-campus, so the dorms are pretty empty. I would recommend developing a comfort level with being around lots of alcohol because the best way to get by is to go around with everyone and not drink.

Jan 05, 2012

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Nightlife at Santa Clara University

SCsweetheart

'14

Business

3.8
B+

House Parties

Most of the student body goes to small house parties, with some of the junior and senior classes going to the local run-down bars. If you aren't into the obnoxious frat boys, there are plenty of smaller and often more fun parties to attend where you will be surprised to find hotter guys (athletes and GDIs).

Dec 14, 2011

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Nightlife at Santa Clara University

bronco413

'13

Mechanical Engineering

5.0
A+

Parties Are Great! and Bars Are Fun Too

Off campus parties are a blast, almost any day of the week you can go out. Normal party schedule: Monday night: C&J's bar; Tuesday night: The Hut (Bar); Wednesday Night: lots of house parties (Wednesday's are a huge party day for santa clara based off of tradition), Thursday: Blinky's (Bar), Friday night: House parties. Saturday Day: Day party (during Fall and Spring Quarters there will be day parties pretty much every saturday, and if you don't go to the day parties, you can always find casual drinking throughout the day with almost anyone), Saturday Night: House parties. Sunday, day of rest/studying. The parties are a lot of fun and you can always find some to go to! and unlike other schools, no night parties charges for admissions, all of them are free. (some of the annual major day parties do, but it will only be like $2-5).

Dec 13, 2011

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Page 1 of 7

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus bar and club scene on the following topics

What is the party scene like on campus?

What’s the best way to get to the popular nightlife spots?

Facts

Club Crawler

While clubbing is not very popular among SCU students, it is not due to a lack of places to go. The newly renovated Santana Row, about one mile from campus, has several nightclubs to choose from, but the hottest spots, like Toons and Zoe, are located in downtown San Jose.

Bar Prowler

The Hut, located directly across the street from campus, is the most popular bar in the area, frequently offering student specials (like Senior Night). Blinky’s Can’t Say Lounge offers a more low-key atmosphere. C&J’s has live entertainment semi-regularly, but is less popular because it is farther off campus and is a little more expensive.

Closing Time

2 a.m.

Cheapest Place to Get a Drink

Frat parties

Organization Parties

Several on-campus organizations throw parties during the year, usually during the fall and spring. The campus literary magazine, the Santa Clara Review, hosts a twice-annual publication party featuring student bands and catered appetizers, and many of the multicultural clubs on campus host annual fundraising events with live music, dancing, and food.

Club ListingsWhat's This?

Wet Nightclub

Wet is a large nightclub known for hosting exclusive events featuring international DJs and performers.

396 S. First St.

SoFA (South First Area) entertainment district

(408) 282-8938

www.wetsj.com

Rudy's Pub

Located just a few blocks from the Caltrain station, Rudy's features DJs and dancing every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

117 University Ave.

Palo Alto

(650) 329-0922

Avalon

Located a few miles off campus, Avalon offers 21-and-older students a range of nightlife activities from a typical club scene to occasional concerts featuring artists such as Sir Mix-a-Lot and Rick Springfield.

777 Lawrence Expressway

Santa Clara

(408) 241-0777

www.avalonsantaclara.com

Bar ListingsWhat's This?

C&J’s Sports Bar

C&J’s is a casual sports bar a few blocks off campus with pool and foosball tables, televised sporting events, and occasional live music.

1550 Lafayette St.

Santa Clara

(408) 423-9013

candjsportsbar.com

Da Silva's Broncos ("the Claran")

"The Claran" features karaoke and occasional live music performed by SCU student bands.

1251 Franklin Mall

Santa Clara

(408) 248-4682

Blinky’s Can’t Say

Blinky's features several events throughout the week, such as Karaoke Fridays, Live Music Saturdays, and the "Blink Show" on Thursdays hosted by an SCU student DJ.

1031 Monroe St.

Santa Clara

(408) 985-7201

www.blinkyscantsay.com

The Bronco Hut

Considered the "classic" Santa Clara bar, the Hut is known for its two-for-one Tuesday drink specials and student events like senior class fundraisers and "Dads and Grads."

3200 The Alameda

Santa Clara

(408) 296-8934

What to Do if You're Not 21What's This?

Take the Caltrain to San Francisco

Many students choose to take the train up to San Francisco for dinner, concerts, or special events like Chinese New Year.

1001 Railroad Ave.

Santa Clara

(800) 660-4287

www.caltrain.com/stations/santaclarastation.html

Santana Row

With more than 20 restaurants, a movie theater, and numerous retail stores, Santana Row is a popular place for students to go have dinner and hang out on weekend nights.

3055 Olin Ave.

San Jose

(408) 551-4611

www.santanarow.com

Locatelli Student Activity Center

The brand-new Student Activity Center hosts tons of activities such as live music, DJ events, movie showings, open mic nights, karaoke, pingpong, and foosball for students of all ages.

On campus

Santa Clara

www.facebook.com/thebronco

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at SCU

Name: Lauren Silk

Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA

Major: English and French

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