As a student body, we are not only recognized for our outstanding academics, but for extreme partying habits as well.It's not uncommon to be taking 18 credit hours of science labs, high-level math classes, etc. and drinking Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night in addition to the usual weekend adventures. Unofficial is by far one of the most well-known and highly participated in college drinking events and the reason students here at the University of Illinois are labeled as some of the smartest party animals, according to various online lists of top party schools. 
While we like to abide by the 'work hard, play hard' guideline, I wonder if it's really feasible to have it all. Can we make grades, drink nightly, maintain personal relationships, sleep, hold healthy lifestyles, etc., all at the same time? Or are we just fooling ourselves? If having it all is a possibility, then there must be a method to the madness.

When broken down, there are three widely accepted and plausible ways to drink and stay on top of schoolwork: give up sleep and/or other aspects of your life you value less; create a schedule and stick to it; or avoid excess.
The first method has its faults, the biggest being you won't exactly achieve greatness in every aspect of your life because you'll have to give something to get the rest. We can't all have our cake and eat it too. It is, however, one of the most widely accepted methods to go about juggling a social life and school, probably because it requires zero effort. Sleep, health or love are usually the first things we take off the priority list (sometimes all of the above). Why? Because, as college students, we don't find these to be important aspects of our life. We're addicts to all-nighters, fast food (especially pizza) and hooking up. What's quick, easy and has no strings attached makes it easier to put all of our energy into other things. Creating a schedule seems tedious and an utter waste of time, but it can actually be a huge life safer and relieve tons of unwanted stress – when you stick to it. Put aside a certain amount of time each day for the gym, homework and studying and you'll start sleeping more. It's pretty straight forward, but it does take time and effort to work effectively.

It sounds almost too simple, but it will allow you to manage everything in life: avoid excess. If you go out one or two weekdays, do homework when necessary, but avoid those excruciating all-nighters, you'll find yourself more capable of doing your best at everything and a lot less stressed. This can be applied to all aspects of your life. Balance time with whoever you're dating, seeing or talking to, so you have time to yourself and  with your friends. Never focus a relationship on sex and physical chemistry, but it won’t work, romantically, if it's purely platonic. It's good to call your parents once a week and check in on home, but sometimes daily phone calls can get overbearing. Have some dessert after a long day, but every day can lead to health problems. It's all about finding the middle ground.

We tend to focus on the here and now, what we want and what we need to do, instead of broadening our scope to the bigger picture. Not worrying about anything past drink deals at the bars on Tuesday night or prepping for an early morning midterm may seem practical now, but the never-ending cycle of going out every night, and then pulling three all night library visits in a row to catch up, causes lots of wear and tear on our bodies. It also weaken other aspects of our life that aren't front row, center.

By all means, celebrate Unofficial because those all day, once a year, crazy events are what help make the college experience so unique and memorable. When all is said and done, balance your decisions and avoid the extremes the rest of the year.
Thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepehrehsani/ for the photo!