The hype of the party scene at colleges seems to have brought upon ranked lists of the “best party schools.” To what criteria the schools must meet to earn their ranking is beyond me. The thing is, people don’t talk about how sober they were that year at college, they come home and talk about how crazy all the parties were! The party stories are spread by word throughout the hometowns of the college-goers. The livelihood, craziness, remembrance— or not so much remembrance— is portrayed in movies, and is also mostly portrayed on social media. This is naturally when the anxiety takes over the minds of the students who are planning on attending college and simply just don’t like to party. It’s hard to get it all straight when you hold the misconception that everyone parties in college. I am here to tell you that you’re going to be just fine.
Back to that misconception. Not everyone is that crazy party animal who goes to their 12 p.m. class in last night’s outfit smelling like a bottle of Captain’s. You are bound to find people with your same interests. The coolest thing about college is that you not only get the opportunity to get involved in classes, but there are TONS of extracurricular activities that you can join. You will keep plenty busy, which will give you less time to worry about partying, and you will meet so many cool people who enjoy the same things as you. You’ll find your community of friends with no trouble.
There are plenty of things to do other than attend parties on the weekend. I know my school will be showing weekend movies and also has a bowling alley. You can go out to eat with friends or join sporting events. You’ll get into the swing of things and find plenty to do on the weekends. And maybe it’s drinking that you’re just not into, but you enjoy the social scene. If that’s the case, there is no shame in going to a party and not drinking. You might not think everything is as funny as the person sitting next to you, but you can still have fun mingling with your friends and meeting new people. And, you’ll be able to get up on Sunday morning and get stuff done without a massive hangover.
You may have already endured some of the worst of it in high school but still have not have mastered handling peer pressure. All I can say is; be yourself. If you know that you’re not comfortable with something someone is trying to get you to do, listen to yourself. Remove yourself from the situation. If the anxiety comes from you wanting that person to like you, then start to rethink the people are are trying to fit in with. You’ll find that when people get into college, they become less judgmental because they have gone from a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond. If someone isn’t showing signs of maturing in that way, recognize you might not want to associate yourself with them, let alone go against your morals for them.
I can almost guarantee no one is going to care whether you’re into partying or not. You’ll find that people enjoy learning about the way others choose to live. It may not be the case for everyone you meet, but that’s a really cool thing about college. Everyone just finds their place. The majority of people grow up in college and your disinterest in partying is not going to affect them, so they shouldn’t have any business being in your business. Stay true to who you are and feel good about that. If someone is hazing you because you’re simply doing you, that’s a reflection on them, not you.
Going to your first party is just one of the many milestones that you will hit when you get into college. And just because you said you didn’t party before, doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong by trying it out. College is all about trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone. So, if you feel like you do want to be that person with the crazy story from Friday night, then go ahead. Take the shot, go out dancing, and have a blast with your friends. Just make sure you do it safely, and understand your limits. You never know if you really don’t like something until you actually try it out.
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