Live it up.

I am about to start my last semester of college, hold on I am actually going to throw up just saying that out loud. OK I’m back. Anyway I am ending the best three and a half years of my life and I am devastated. When asked what advice I would give the freshman year me, the only thing that pops into my head is; to stop studying and go to that party.

I know, I know. Weird advice, but hear me out. You are probably scared shitless going into your freshman year of college, and rightfully so. Going away to college, leaving behind your family, friends, and everything you've ever known is a very scary thing; it's OK to be scared. But, take a deep breathe, say your 'goodbyes' and 'see ya laters' and buckle up because you're about to begin the best four years of your life.

I have always taken school very seriously. Growing up I have put a ton of pressure on myself to get good grades, and refused to settle for anything less than a B+. My mom is a teacher in my school district therefore getting good grades was expected of me, and I wanted to live up to those expectations. I worked really hard to get good grades in highschool, I joined every club imaginable, was vice president of my junior and senior class, was on the winter and spring track team; I even managed the field hockey team one year, I did this all to get into a good college, because I thought that’s what you needed to do. Long story short, I ended up at Stockton, somewhere I did not wanna be what so ever. So my game plan was to study even harder, get amazing grades, and get the hell out of there.

I skipped out on the parties everyone else was going to so I could write endless amounts of papers, study for numerous exams, and go to the library instead of the frat party. I thought by doing all of this I would get the grades I needed and in the end be happy, but I wasn’t. When the first semester came to a close I realized I didn’t accomplish anything besides getting a 4.0 GPA. I closed myself off in order to open up my mind to studying, that I missed out on all the fun. I needed to change my attitude and change my life at school.

And that is exactly what I did. I put the damn books away, took out my finest crop tops and headed to that disgusting frat party that everyone on my floor was going to. AND guess what? I had a blast! They really don’t lie when they say these are the nights you will remember for the rest of your life. You won’t remember that exam about Shakespeare’s writing or on the human anatomy; but you will remember the night you danced your ass off and drank shitty beer with your best friends. You will remember the drunk WaWa runs at 2am, the time you and three of your friends got into the Tropicana with your fake id, and the time your best friend threw a house party in a freakin snow storm.

There is no doubt that grades are important, but they also aren’t everything. Grades do not determine how smart you are, they don’t tell how great of a friend you are, and they definitely do not say what kind of person you are. I’m telling you it’s okay to stop studying for that exam you already spent four hours making flash cards for, and go to the bar, it’s OK to wait last minute to write your paper on a book you didn’t read, in order to have a wine night with your best friends. It’s okay to put grades second and having fun first. Because before you know it these four years are going to come to an end (and you are going to have panic attack) and looking back on it all you will always cherish those stupid nights with your friends but you will never remember what was on your writing final. So, put the book away and put your dancing shoes on, because I’ll be damned if you miss a good time.