A sober student during 'freshers' week' in Britain is a rare thing. The introduction to academic life is for many an alcohol-fuelled haze of parties, pub crawls and parental liberation.
But the extremes to which students go to fit into the life of an undergraduate are proving far from frivolous. Once synonymous with campus life in the United States, 'hazing' rituals are surfacing as part of the student culture.
As the initiation stunts become more gruesome and in some cases have catastrophic consequences, the spotlight has fallen on binge drinking at universities.
Students are consuming alcohol at unprecedented levels, mirroring a national concern over 'Booze Britain' as the drinking culture soars to record highs with often violent consequences.
This month, a group from the University of Gloucestershire were the focus of an embarrassing indictment on student life.
Hazing rituals, which usually involve binge drinking, have become increasingly common among sports clubs and societies: students must take part in bizarre ceremonies to become members.
For the Gloucestershire students, the ceremony involved being paraded through the streets with plastic bags over their heads under the instructions of a student dressed in a Nazi officer's uniform.
