A fellow Odyssey writer recently published a very popular article titled “From the Girl Who Skipped the Party Stage.” You really should read it for yourself, but basically this young woman is relaying her pride in avoiding the party phase in college (frat parties, “too tight” dresses, and hangovers).
Now in one way, I applaud her for her decisions and her confidence in the life she’s living, I sincerely do. But in another way, there is so much she fails to realize.
Let me explain (and by the way, this is not meant as an attack on this writer). I get that there is a definite college student stereotype, just as there is for any demographic. What’s wrong is assuming that college students who “party” immediately fall into this stereotype.
If someone wants to go party, it doesn’t automatically equal them doing a keg stand and “hooking up with a stranger.” It could very well be that they need to let off some steam after a long week with friends, music, and dancing.
Another Odyssey writer published an awesome article, “Misconceptions About College Students Who Drink”, that perfectly addressed the college student stereotype that this girl is talking about (you should definitely read it, lots of gifs and truth). There are so many students that party without getting “belligerently drunk.” They also recognize that drinking or partying isn’t their only source of fun (as this writer seemed to assume). Hey, we like “Grey’s Anatomy”, cuddling, and pizza just as much as you do.
The last thing I think this writer failed to realize is that for many people, the decision to just “skip the party stage” isn’t that easy. Life is not a simple, straight path. Sometimes it takes faltering and bad decisions to lead you to where you really need to be. Sometimes it takes completely not caring to show you what you really care about.
Some people, like the young lady that wrote the article I’m critiquing, may already be very confident in who they are and how they live, and that is wonderful—we all deserve that. However, if you’re one of those people, don’t shame those who are still figuring it out. We go through stages of life to grow and become stronger. So if one of your stages is “the party stage”, that’s okay. You can still have good grades, quality relationships, and plenty of memories.
