I can't count how many times I've been told I'm "missing out" on the best years of my life because I'm not partying. I can count a million things that I would rather be doing than partying because, honestly, I didn't pay this much for tuition just to throw it away. I find it hard to believe that people spend the "best years of their life" partying and not even remembering half of it.

Just because my priorities are elsewhere does not mean that I am a boring person who does not want to have fun. Believe it or not, but I get high on life by creating memories with people and spending time with the ones I love. I don't want to spend my life partying with people I won't remember or will never talk to again. I want to spend my life surrounded by the people I love and be able to remember all of it.

I don't want to suffer hangovers and feel terrible the next day. I would rather stay up late reading a book and waking up feeling great the next day. I would rather spend every hour with my boyfriend than deal with a guy who only wants to take advantage of me for thirty seconds. Why would you want to waste time on a guy who only sees you as another name on his list? Hanging out with friends for me consists of going to a movie or catching dinner.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with going out with friends for a good time, but it is a problem when you let it go too far. There are a ton of things that can happen to young women who are out with friend because there will be men who want to take advantage of you. There will be people who will try to slip you something in your drink or get you to go home with them. I keep my distance from situations like clubs and parties because I don't want something like that to happen to me and I definitely do not want it to happen to someone else.

In the end, it's a personal decision to not want to go to clubs or go to parties. No one should be looked down upon for having a different definition of "fun".