It’s 5 p.m. on a Friday night. You’ve spent the entire day at work, in class, or sitting around the house doing absolutely nothing. Should you make plans with your friends or stay home? While going out may seem intriguing and fun, here are some reasons why staying in is a good idea!

1. Catch up on television shows on Netflix.

During the week, an average college student has no time to watch their favorite TV shows whether it’s due to studying, homework and activities. Friday night is the best time to try and binge watch and entire season of "One Tree Hill" without crying!

2. Hang out with your family!

If you went home for the weekend, spend time with your family! Whether it’s playing a board game, going out to dinner, or even watching a TV show together, you’re allowing your parents to see you and bond with you more, which is good for both parties.

3. Write your Odyssey article!

Forget to write your article for Odyssey this week? No worries! You can spend an hour or two of your Friday night figuring out the perfect way to start your in-depth article on why Mahler's "Ninth Symphony" is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, then another hour and a half listening to the piece and reflecting on life.

4. Get a head start on homework!

If you are like me, your professors give you tons of homework over the weekend, clearly not understanding the point of a two-day break from classes. Getting some of it done on a Friday nights makes you less stressed once Sunday night rolls around. This and you realize you’ve done all of your homework wrong and there were two more assignments you didn’t know about!

5. Read a book!

During the week, I never have time to read actual novels, let alone for fun. But since you aren’t doing anything else on this Friday night, you have time to make a small but significant dent in Chernow's "Alexander Hamilton" and cry over how wonderful Hamilton was.

6. Pamper yourself!

Whether it's painting your nails, doing a face mask you found on Pinterest, or taking a bath, give yourself a break! You need to relax after a long stressful week of school, and Friday night can be used for that.

7. Eventually go out and socialize.

But at the end of the night, you know you will eventually go out. Whether it’s going out for late night McDonalds or just sitting on your friend’s kitchen floor and eating too much pasta, you’ll get out of the fort you made with all of your blankets and go socialize. You can spend all weekend doing your homework and studying. Friday and fun start with the same letter for a reason.