Your time spent in college consists of some of the best years of your life: you’re finally out on your own, your parents aren't right behind you watching your every move and holding your hand, and you get to try your hand at making "big kid" decisions. One of the biggest decisions that college students have been facing for decades is whether they should join their peers and go out drinking, or not. For some students, this is an easy choice that only involves a yes or no answer, but for others, it’s a little more difficult for them to reach a decision; you will be either shamed or praised for making certain decisions regarding drinking. But whether or not you agree with the decisions made, parties and drinking are a part of college.

I’m not saying that in order for a student to have fun in college, they have to drink and go to parties every weekend, but drinking is a huge social aspect of the college lifestyle. If someone tells you that they never drank in college, they may be lying to you. In college, we all want to fit into the dominant group and feel accepted; most of the time, that group is the one that has the party that everyone talks about for weeks, and when we as humans miss out on something like that, we feel left out, and a little less accepted among our peers. The internet has even come up with a new phrase for this exact situation: "Fear Of Missing Out," or "FOMO."

Most of the time, students sit through classes that last about an hour, and the entire time the professor is just lecturing. You don't have a chance to socialize with others in the class. Due to this, a lot of social experimenting takes place outside of the classroom, and, most of the time, it’s in a party setting where alcohol is provided. Alcohol does help many students who are typically shy step out of their comfort zones and open up.

I think social drinking in college simply comes with the territory. You can potentially meet cool people at bars, and drinking wine when you're studying is a great way to form a study group. When drinking is done in moderation, you can create some fun memories. It’s a decision every student will face at some point. Besides sports and clubs, it’s one of the most common ways that students make friends. Many could argue that drinking in college is dangerous because it can lead to someone driving drunk, but luckily schools like mine provide us with options like Mav-Rides, which helps prevent drinking and driving. As long as students are drinking responsibly, and aren’t causing havoc, I see a lot of positive outcomes from partying in college.