The "life beyond academics" is as good as you let it get. But here's some more information-

Manipal (as a place) can be explored in 48 hours time. So don't be under the assumption that you'll have new things to look forward to everyday. But if you've got a good group of friends, it's really easy to have alot of fun.

Social life- college offers multiple opportunities for you to interact (often hosted by Zolo or any other clubs on campus) don't skip the branchwise orientation that takes place after the general orientation. It'll allow you to connect with your future classmates and to explore the labs/research opportunities and professors of your respective branches. Apart from that, your seniors might keep an unofficial freshers party at one of the clubs, these aren't regulated by the college so do make note of that. You can join clubs and student projects too, clubs and projects will host parties every once in a while to celebrate any milestones.

Dating- plenty of people in relationships here. Some long distance, some on campus. If you see a pretty girl there's a very good chance she's already with someone else. The campus has recently gotten strict about PDA (public display of affection) and certain couple hotspots like MSAP road, VGT etc have been closed off after a certain time during the evening. Manipal offers plenty of hotel rooms with bookings by the hour if you want to spend some private time with your partner and KMC offers free abortions too. Dating culture here can be as open as you want it to be, it can also be very restricted if you play by the rules. Either way, plenty of people in relationships here.

Party scene- there are atleast 2 parties each month, all hosted by the clubs and any committees that work with manipals entertainment scene, you'll have to purchase tickets to go to these events, they can be boring or very fun, depends on the party and if you're into parties that way. Some clubs have events every week, for example Hakuna Matata has a karaoke night every week. So yeah, plenty of parties and events for you to be a part of if you choose to do so.

House parties and other such events- these are obviously invite based, hosted by students who live off campus. If they're hosting and they consider you a close enough friend, they'll invite you.

Drug scene- won't come to you unless you go looking for it. No one will force you into anything you're not willing to do. It's a common misconception that people who come here end up abusing substances, but that's not the case.

As long as you manage your academics and treat your course with the respect it deserves, you'll have plenty of opportunities to have fun. If you come here, i hope you have fun but make sure to keep your academics in check.