My university is well-known in my area for being a "party school." The long-winded and overly complicated definition I found on Wikipedia somewhat gets to the point: "refers to a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness at the expense of educational credibility and integrity." In normal words, this means that students tend to care more about drugs, drinking, and partying than getting an education.

Most of the time when I tell people where I go to college, they mention this term even if they have never been to my college or know anyone who goes there. Perhaps they have a point — Niche ranks my college as #48 in its list of Top Party Schools in America. Their rating is based mostly off self-reported surveys, but also considers access to bars and restaurants, Greek life, and athletics. Considering that there are close to 3,000 universities in the US, this means my college is in the top 2%.

The image of college life that is often presented in media perpetuates the party culture image, which really doesn't do any good for anyone. It reflects poorly on the university because it makes it look like most of the students spend more time in the clubs than with their textbooks. It reflects poorly on students too: of course, there are people who love spending their Friday nights intoxicated, but there are also the students — like myself — whose ideal Friday night is Netflix binging in their dorm room with their friends. It makes me sad when people tell me that they would never come to my school, or any "party school," because of the rumors they have heard because they have failed to realize that you can go to a "party school" without participating in it.

To the people who throw the term "party school" in my face, I reply with this: a party school is only a party school if you make it one. If I were to spend my weekends bar-hopping or getting high on drugs, then yes, I would say my school is a party school. But, I spend my weekends watching movies, hanging out with my friends, and catching up on homework, so to me, I don't go to a party school, despite the statistics and rumors.

I think students' biggest fear about party schools is that if they don't participate in the club culture, they will feel excluded and have no friends. This is completely false. I found all of my friends on campus, and none of the party. I have met people that fit the party-goer mold, and I honestly don't befriend them because I know that we're cut from two different cloths. Another fear I often hear is that if you don't participate in the party scene, you'll be missing out on some kind of "rite of passage" or something, which is completely bogus. My homebody self has loved every minute of my college experience without the bar scene.

To the people who use this term, please stop. It's all a matter of perception — you will get out of college what you put into it. To the homebodies who really want to go to a party school, go for it. I promise that there will be others like you that you will befriend.