In 2014, University of Arizona was ranked as the number four party school by "Playboy Magazine." In 2015, University Primetime ranked the U of A as the 11th on the list of "Real Party Schools." YouTube channels such as "I'm Shmacked" create yearly videos of University of Arizona students drinking and partying at pool parties, garnering over 170,000 views. So what's it like, being a student at such a self-established and nationally recognized party school? While we may not realize it now, getting caught up in the party environment at U of A actually may hurt us in the future.
In reality, going to a party school is not all fun and games. So many students come here every year and find themselves unable to balance their work and play, causing them to fail classes or, even worse, finding themselves in trouble with the law. Each year, countless freshman don't make it past their first year, because they can't maintain their grades in the face of parties, or their parents pull them out after they are cited with an MIP (Minor In Possession). Don't be that freshman. The U of A has so much more to offer than just parties, and if you have to leave before experiencing it all because you couldn't find the right balance, you'll regret that for the rest of your life.
Every night of the week at U of A there is an excuse to go out and party, whether it's a drink deal at a bar, a themed party at a fraternity, or just the desire to post a picture with the caption "Club goin' up on a Tuesday." So how do you make the decision to choose school, grades, and your own personal success over partying? As a senior, so many of my friends have voiced how much they wish they could redo their freshman year and actually take school seriously, because the concept that your freshman year GPA doesn't count is a total and complete myth. If you want any chance of getting accepted into your dream grad school or any form of secondary school post-graduation, you can't afford to let your freshman GPA go to waste. It seems practically impossible to even think about this as freshman entering your first year of college, but I'm here to tell you that you should. You never know where life may take you, and just because you think you don't want to attend grad school, law school, or med school when coming into college, doesn't mean you won't want to have the opportunity to try those things later in life.
With the party school ideal comes the extreme emphasis on hook up culture. Not only does buying into this culture supply our student body with the dangers of sexual harassment and rape, but it's going to have a negative effect on our futures, much more than we currently realize. According to a model explaining the stages of our psychological development by Erik Erikson (which has been around longer than our parents have been alive), if we don't have a successful romantic and intimate relationship at some point in our young adult lives (ages 20-24), we won't be able to successfully move on into the next stage of our lives and psychological development. Hook up culture is actually halting our generation's ability to move on with our lives and into the next stage, which is the ability to care for others and raise a family. Let me just repeat that one more time: hook up culture is actually stopping our ability to move forward with our lives.
Our generation has been told hundreds of times to be careful about what we post on social media, so I don't think I need to express that again, but don't be the person who doesn't get hired for a job because you posted 50 pictures of yourself with red cups and passed out at a party with your bra showing. Just don't do it. It will come back to haunt you and you'll hate yourself for it.
Don't get me wrong, I love my school and I love to go out, have fun, and party. However, I think we all need to realize that there are more important things out there than going to a party or dollar drinks on Tuesdays. We all have that friend who is guaranteed to text in the group message asking "Who's going out tonight?" and encourage everyone to drop what they're doing and go to the themed party on Wednesday. That's all well and good, and we all love that friend for being who she or he is, but don't be afraid to say no. You will survive the FOMO (fear of missing out) and there will always be another party down the road. Prioritize yourself and your ideals first, and put partying second. Don't let the party get the best of you, and don't let it be the reason you don't have a successful future.
