Even at the risk of attracting unwanted attention. At a private party earlier this year, a friend recalls watching a parade of young, aristocratic blondes asking him to dance. "He just wanted to retreat into a side table and chat to his friends," says this pal. Not that he's William the Wallflower. "Weekends at St. Andrews, I've been told, are not particularly vibrant," he told the Press Association. He intends to escape by driving to Newcastle and Edinburgh for big nights out. Alternatively, he could retreat to his grandmother's Balmoral estate, a two-hour drive northwest, where a cottage on the property is being restored for William and Harry to entertain in.

At St. Andrews, a Top 10 school in Britain that is less intimidating than Harvard but still very much on a par with an Ivy League institution, William's social life starts with his so-called "academic family," a group of older students who help guide their assigned first-year undergraduates. William's "mother" is 21-year-old Alice Drummond-Hay of Norwalk, Conn. (Ten percent of St. Andrews students are from the U.S.) Hay is the granddaughter of the 74-year-old Earl of Crawford and Balcarres (who manages the Queen Mother's household); her mother, Bettina, briefly dated Prince Charles in the 1970s. His "father" is Gus McMyn, 22, who, like William, is an Eton College alumnus. Most students team up with their academic parents on a random basis. The Palace denies any involvement, but it's likely William's were handpicked -- especially in light of the academic family's unofficial role (attention, Prince Charles: You may want to stop reading here). Says Nicky Cahill, 21, a third-year student: "They take it upon themselves to introduce you to the ways of the world -- or the way of life in St. Andrews, which involves partying, partying, partying, drinking, occasionally working, sleeping and drinking and partying a bit more."

The hedonism culminates in November during the annual "raisin weekend," originally named for the tradition of first-years giving their academic parents a half-pound of raisins as a thank-you gift. These days it's an alcohol-fueled bacchanal marked by egg and shaving-cream fights, amorous overtures and general debauchery. Says Cahill: "It is not known as St. Randy's for nothing."

As for less risquÉ extracurricular activities, "I'm going to keep my options open until I'm settled," William said in September. Nevertheless he has been practicing weekly with the university's water polo team, staying sharp at a sport he played at Eton. "He is a fast swimmer, has a good idea of tactics and is a good team player,"says an observer who has seen William slice through the team pool, located at nearby St. Leonards high school.

* For more on Prince William's college life, pick up the Nov. 5 issue of PEOPLE magazine on newstands now.