Information Cascades: College Style

Look deeper into the concept of a "information cascade". Can you cite an example of where following the actions of others was a sound idea? Where doing so ended up being a poor choice?

Besides studying and attending classes, college life has another side that can be put under the subject of an information cascade: drinking. Many people in college go out to parties every weekend, expecting to drink a lot and have fun with their friends, while others choose to go out and not drink or to partake in other activites; regardless partying exists at many colleges across the country. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a good time with your friends, but taking it too far can have its consequences. Just as with the Leipzig protests, heavy drinking consumes more and more students, especially freshman. Many kids hear about others going out and getting drunk and having such a good time and think they can do the same. Especially with freshman, college kids go out and drink a lot, trying to keep up with their friends thinking it's a good idea because they see and hear about so many people having such a good time at parties, etc. The problem arises when students drink too much for their body to handle and get themselves into positions they otherwise wouldn't if they were in the right mindset, allow people to take advantage of them, and so on. Some students even go too far to the point of no return; they end up killing themselves because they think they can handle more than they really can.
Obviously peer pressure has a lot to do with binge drinking, especially in young adults, but it's also what many students see and hear for themselves. They hear and see their friends getting away with illegal stuff, such as underage drinking, and having such a good time, and see more and more people doing the same and think that they won't get in trouble and will have as much of a good time, which clearly many times isn't the case. In this example, letting go of your individual thoughts on something and following others can have many personal consequences, and many serious ones. I have personally seen so many people get too drunk and have no idea where they are or what they're doing and it's scary to know that the most likely reason they even got to this point was that they just wanted to have a good time just like everyone else.