Excuses after excuse. Losing a few friends because the "night to remember" is every weekend. Drinking every now and then to celebrate is great, but every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday? That is a little over done if you ask me.

I have come up with a million reasons not to go out and not many for it. It seems like a colossal waste of time even though it is what people my age do. I'd rather read a book, or play video games until two in the morning instead of drinking because I have nothing better to do. I agree that it can be hilarious to wake up to a few texts that were sent from the night before but when it becomes an everyday thing to receive messages from random strangers on regards of the weekend and the theatrical performance you put on is entertaining for a month and then it loses its satisfaction. Drowning myself in alcohol is one of my least favorite things to do alongside stepping on a lego, waking up, running out of battery, and not getting my morning dose of coffee. I can enjoy an occasional night out with some good friends but the amount of time friends expect me to go out seems insurmountable.

I did not come to college based on the criteria of Bridgewater party scene or the amount of times it has been in the news because of busted house that was too crazy. I apologize to future employers but my resume will not contain something along of the lines of "expert party-goer." I will not have the outlandish stories some of my friends have about the time they woke up without pants. I would rather wake up with pants.

Sometimes it is hard to explain to people why I do not go out as much. As if some preconceived idea that every student in college must go out. Social media, Hollywood, and other external factors have molded this undergraduate notion into something I cannot partake in. The misconception I had for awhile was the social aspect of school and the thought that if i do not go out I will not make any friends. I soon found out that it was not the case and in fact if I just went to events and such on campus the people would come along with it. If you find yourself in a situation where peer pressure comes into play just find a way to remove yourself from the conversation or change the topic of discussion. Being anxious is okay as long as you find a way to work through it and do not let it turn into fear or else the pressure may be too much to handle.

Priorities will change throughout your years in school and depending on the situation you may feel the need to sway your previous thoughts on parties and that is okay! The main concern is to be yourself. Through the stress of balancing classes, family, friends, finances and what to eat for the upcoming weeks, college is a place where you truly find out how far you are willing to go for everything. When you want something, you need to take it rather than wait for someone to give it up. Partying has never really been apart of my life and if you feel the same way, that is okay. Just be yourself and you will climb through every obstacle in front of you.