You see it all the time in your favorite movies. College-age students congregating at some random house after a week of classes and other responsibilities, partying until the early hours of the morning, drink after drink being poured into the classic red solo cup.

It is something that almost anyone can envision in the stereotypical "college experience." Some people may even hope and wait for the day they can say they have been to their first college party. To me, partying is not a necessity in my ultimate college experience.

I have never been the kind of person to let myself go wild and party. Even in high school, when the so-called popular kids would get together and throw a party at someone’s house when their parents weren’t home, I would be with my family, taking the time to enjoy their company and relax before another week of tests and quizzes was upon me. I never understood the desire to completely let one’s guard down in order to have a good time.

Call me an introvert or a “goody-two-shoes,” but partying and getting drunk is not my ideal Saturday night. I would much rather spend some time with my friends over dinner, calling my sister on the phone, or even just binge-watching my current TV show obsession. Partying was never part of the image of my college experience, and it’s not because I’m boring. It’s because I have better things to do.

When people go off to college for the first time, they often find a newfound sense of freedom, a liberty to do whatever they want, whenever they want, with who they want. Being away from your parents' keen eyes can be liberating, as most students have been under their authority for their entire lives. Yes, college presents you the opportunity to do whatever you want, but I think that it also means that those keen eyes that have been watching out for your safety and well-being become your own.

It is your responsibility now to make sure you are out of the line of danger. Parties can present these dangers, with possibilities of under-age drinking, drugs, and potential sexual harassment and assault. Your friends can only look out for you for so long, and in the end, your decisions result in your consequences. This is not to say that parties are only dangerous. Not every party is going to have the threat of harmful substances and possible physical harm. They can provide a certain release of energy and stress that college comes with. But with the potential risks involved in drinking, sexual assault, and drugs, I would much rather stay in my dorm room and have a relaxing night to myself.

When I began to think about how I wanted to spend my four years in college, partying was not part of the equation. To me, the ultimate college experience is educating yourself and bettering yourself for a life working in your field of study. It’s about diversifying your world, meeting people that you would have never thought would be your friends, taking classes that challenge you, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Partying is part of college, I get that. But when I look back on the days I spent in college, I won’t remember that one night I went to some frat house and drank until the early hours of the morning. I don’t want that to be something that represented my ultimate college experience.

I want to remember the professors that inspired me to push myself.

I want to remember the information in my challenging classes that really made me think.

I want to remember the people that helped me along the way and provided comfort during difficult times.

Remembering a night of booze and other dangers at college parties won’t benefit me in ten or twenty years.

There is nothing wrong with letting loose and having a little fun. However, what I do for fun may differ from how you unwind. And that’s OK. Don’t feel as though you are not getting the whole experience of college if you don’t party. To define the ultimate college experience as partying every weekend undermines the purpose of college itself.

College is a blessing that many people are not granted, and we shouldn’t take advantage of it by potentially wrecking our future, and possibly our lives.