It's no secret that college is a time to party and being a senior at one of the top party schools in the country, I've absolutely done my fair share of partying. While my last four years have been exciting and filled with plenty of alcohol, my days spent singing 90's songs at dirty bars purchasing cheap drinks are coming to an end, and I am totally alright with that.
1. It's expensive.
Partying is expensive and makes me even more poor than I already am. Going downtown doesn't simply include walking there; partying means buying alcohol to pregame, paying cover wherever you choose to go (which is usually more than one place) and buying too many drinks at each place you end up. Oh, and those people you met two minutes ago who you are now calling your friends? Shots for them! Shots for you! Shots for everyone! It's like Oprah's Christmas Special, except you're Oprah and you're giving everyone what they want, but there's a plot twist - you actually can't afford it. You can't forget the drunk food you will inevitably eat upon leaving your place-of-choice while stumbling home on a Friday or Saturday night. Going out is expensive and that fact cannot be denied.
2. I have better things to spend my money on.
In relation to my first point, I have much better things to spend my money on than partying, and because I'm over the party scene, I have much more money to spend. Instead of spending money on bar cover and cheap drinks, I have money to put toward vacation, clothing, food and my savings account (which is what gets me excited at this point in my life so don't judge me). Try staying in for a couple of weeks and pay attention to how much your bank account DOESN'T plummet.
3. It's exhausting.
Want to start the pregame at a reasonable time? No, you have to start it at a ridiculously late time because nobody wants to go downtown until after 11 o'clock and even though you set a time to walk downtown, you still don't end up leaving until about two hours after you actually wanted to go. Once you finally make it downtown, you have to spend at least two hours out so your friends don't think you're lame (and it's not worth walking back up that hill I know you had to walk down to go out in the first place). Once the night is done, the hours of dancing and drinking cheap drinks is debilitating. You wake up the next morning with a pounding headache, sore feet from heels you probably shouldn't have worn in the first place, random bruises and a hurting conscience only to have to repeat everything that night. Partying takes a toll on the body, which is a toll my body can no longer handle.
4. It's fattening.
Drinking isn't good for you and it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The older you get, the more your metabolism slows down. You may be able to drink as much as you want now, but I promise those drinks and drunk munchies you will inevitably get will catch up with you. I am definitely not as skinny as I once was as a young, child-like freshman, but because I spend less time out, I have more time to focus on myself and I am much, much happier.
5. I have better things to do with my time.
When I choose to stay in for the night or skip a day drink, I get so much done. That paper that I need to write? Done. Need to clean the bathroom? Finished. Instead of running around town drinking calories and wasting precious time, I am using the time I am given to get things done that actually matter, focusing on what I should be. The next time you have a load of work to get done, skip a night out and see what happens. You're welcome in advance.
6. Partying with people you don't know gets very old, very quickly.
I've been here for four years. I've partied with more people I don't know than people I do know. I've hit a point in my life where partying with drunk, sweaty people at bars and clubs gets very old, very quickly. Stop bumping into me. Stop yelling obscenities. Get out of my way. That might sound a bit harsh, but I've got a great boyfriend and a great group of friends, all of whom I can and will have a great time with when out.
7. The comfort of my own home is much more appealing.
My bed, a bottle of wine, endless hours of Netflix binging and a pizza all to myself? That sounds much more appealing than parading around Morgantown when I'd much rather be back at home. I'm also fortunate enough to have a boyfriend who is always willing to stay in with me, so if I have the option to stay in and binge-watch endless episodes of my favorite show with my favorite person, I will always pick that option. Trust me, once you hit my age during your senior year, you'll start to feel the same way and your bed will provide you more comfort and happiness than High Street ever could.
8. In all honesty, it's ridiculous.
Drinking to the point of blacking out and parading around town with people you don't know gets old. I've had the chance to head downtown more sober than I would have liked a few times and watching drunk people parade around town having no real clue of what they're doing is eye opening. Have I really acted like that before? Do my friends really get that annoyed with me when I've had too much to drink? Hearing stories from the night before and having nothing to show for it except an empty bank account and aching conscience gets old and you start to realize how ridiculous all of it actually is.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't party and this article isn't trying to sway you to stay in. When you're young and in your first couple years of college, I think it's important to experience what college has to offer. Get up, go out, meet people, make mistakes and have a good time. College is a time to learn, grow and change, but by the time you get to your second semester of senior year, you're very likely going to be over the party scene, just like I am.
