Welcome Night has come and gone and now it’s mixer season. You’ve pulled out your dress-up box and are mixing drinks in the cups your Big made for you. You can finally play with the big kids, so make sure you don’t ruin your night or anyone else’s by ending up a hot mess. Use these tips to have a fun, safe night full of wall-twerking, beer-ponging, and DJing (if you’re lucky enough to get the AUX cord).

Wear Waterproof Makeup

Or don’t wear makeup at all, but if you’re like me, you like to look cute, so make sure your mascara doesn’t become your foundation by the end of the night. I’m not talking about some wimpy waterproof crap that you wore to graduation so your tears didn’t destroy your look, I mean some real heavy duty s**t that will keep your face locked down through sweat, rain, beer, and more sweat.

Pace Yourself

If you’re hoping to make it home, or even out at the start of the night, you need to be conscious of how much you’re drinking. It might seem cool to rip five shots and sip a couple of mixed drinks before you head out, but you’ll end up being the first one to bail and miss out on the night because you were overeager. Take your time and pregame lightly. There are plenty of drinks along the way.

Keep A Bomb Playlist On Your Phone

In the rare and magical case that you're allowed to change the music at a mixer, don't be that loser who turns on Spotify Radio or Youtube and ruins the party with commercials. Have a playlist ready (mine in titled The Booty Bounce Playlist) that will hype up the crowd and guarantee you a DJ spot at that frat for the rest of the semester.

Carb It Up

This is crucial. If you don’t have anything in your stomach, your body will hate you from the first moment the alcohol touches your tongue. Eating before drinking is like putting on your seatbelt before driving, life-saving. If you don’t have time to eat, or you know you’ll be hungry again in a couple of hours, bring something with you in a purse. It doesn’t need to be a beach tote or your backpack, just something small where you can store your granola bars or cookies (preferably cookies).

Bring The Essentials

Now that you have your handy dandy satchel, you have space to store more supplies. In addition to your midnight snack, consider bringing some makeup remover wipes, tissues (for those houses without TP), an extra hair tie, a couple of bandaids (sweat and old sneakers make for the worst blisters), and a condom (even if you’re not thinking about getting lucky). It may seem a bit presumptuous, but you’ll thank yourself if you stash one in your pack, and your horny friend will forever be in your debt if you can lend her one too.

Choose Your Path Wisely

If you’re hoping to make it to multiple parties and then make it home, it makes sense to start at the farthest party from your crib and make your way back to it. If your mixer is close to your dorm anyway, make your next stop the farthest and work your way back. It’s also a killer idea to notify your friends in different dorms that you may need to crash there if you can’t make it the long trek home. You don’t want to end up in a stranger’s bed because it was your only option nor do you want to wake up to realize your pillow was a shrub and your blanket, the moonlight.

Bring A Prop

Nothing makes a party more interesting than some random unexpected blow up ice cream cones. One of my favorite things to do before a night out it raid the Dollar Tree for the most unusual things that I can throw in the air (like mini $100 bills) or add to my outfit (gold money sign sunglasses). Add some pizazz to a humdrum mixer by being that girl or guy with a crazy shirt and a bucket of lollipops. Your fellow partiers will thank you.

Drink Water Like It’s Your Job (sweating/dancing)

Mixers are like mini Welcome Nights, which means they can get very wet very fast. You may even have to wring out your dress at the end of the night and leave your shoes in the hall to dry. It should be obvious, then, how much water your body is losing throughout the night. It is even more crucial to be constantly drinking water than it may be to eat throughout the night. You can even bring a bottle with you and refill it at every house. I promise you won’t look like a thirsty loser, you’ll be the envy of every dehydrated person around you.

Always Have A Buddy

There should never be a point in the night when you are alone. Even if you are just running to the bathroom or need some fresh air outside, bring a friend. Most of the people you’re going to encounter will be on some level of drunkenness, so you want to make sure that you are safe and that they are too. The best way to avoid any incidents is to stick together.

Be A Hero

I can almost guarantee that you will see at least one girl or guy struggling during the night. Be that person who brings them water, finds their friends, or makes the call no one else wants to make. If you see someone alone on the stairs or a couch or even on the quad, don’t assume that they are okay or that someone else will handle it. If you were the one sitting there disoriented, wouldn’t you want someone to help you? Be a hero, because it could save someone’s life.