Recently this past weekend, I stayed over one night at College Park and experienced my first Frat and college party. As a Maryland student, I have access to some great parties, and I decided it was time to do something different than my usual Friday ritual of staying home - curled up with my dog and binging watching "the Office" or "Parks and Rec". I decided to attend my first college party at UMD.

The party I had attended was at a Frat, and from what I heard about their parties it is decent enough for a college party beginner. As a rule of thumb, I attended this party with a few close friends that also never experienced a frat party, so it was a new experience for all of us.

Leading up to the party, my close friends and I got dinner at the North campus diner and went to Broad and Brew, playing board games and drinking hot chocolate. I had a good time, and I would want to go back to Broad and Brew.

I was excited and anxious as time as time drew near, it was nearly midnight when we left my friend’s dorm. When we reached a long line outside the Frat house, my stomach felt queasy, and I immediately felt out of place. My heart was beating fast and was jumping up and down. I was in disbelief that I was there at that moment, possibly believing it was a dream.

After about a half an hour of waiting in line, I got my first look inside the Frat. In a moment, it looked like any other party from movies and tv shows with empty red cups and people talking in corners of the different rooms. Eventually, I went downstairs to the actual party and was flabbergasted by the number of people. I felt a wave of sweat, humidness, and the smell of day old beer.

I, for one, am against drinking and I have never drunk alcohol in my life nor will I in the future. I believe that alcohol is wrong to drink underage and when people drink too much, it will cause future health problems.

The party was crowded, and people were dressed up in Coachella theme clothes with sparkles on their face, hair in braids and long, loose, patterned pants and Hawaiian shirts. I didn’t mind the crowd, but it felt easy to get lost if I didn’t hold on to my friend’s hands. Throughout the party, we shifted around and danced until 2 am. It wasn’t a bad experience, and I felt good to dance with my small group of friends. Eventually, we ended the night with some pizza and a couple of laughs on the way home.

Overall, my first college party wasn’t bad, and I had an enjoyable time with my friends. I am excited to experience new adventures that await and to enjoy my time while in college.