We all know that feeling. It's a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or maybe even a Monday night and the ever-impending question of "Do I go out tonight?" swirls around your brain from the moment you wake up. It's cold, you're tired and curling up in your bed watching Netflix is all too tempting. I can relate. However, I am here to tell you why fighting your natural instinct and braving the elements to head out to parties is well worth it.
1. These four years are the only times in our lives that it will be socially acceptable to go out at the beginning, middle and end of the week.
The moment you leave these hallowed halls, drinking on a Tuesday for absolutely no reason other than the fact that you can will no longer be socially acceptable.
2. Spontaneity.
Soon our lives will consist of waking up at an ungodly hour that, really, no human being should ever have to wake up at and sitting at a desk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will have one hour for lunch, and then its back to your cubicle, where all the life will be drained out of you for the rest of the four hours. Then, guess what? You get to wake up and do it all over again. The average American lives a monotonous life. These are the times when we can get away with being spontaneous, and it is an aspect of life that is short-lived. College is a time where we get to enjoy the best parts of being adults without all the responsibility that comes with real adulthood. Don't let it pass you by because soon being spontaneous will only result in you throwing up during a work presentation and being fired.
3. You never know what will happen or who you might meet.
This could be the night you meet your husband, or to be less dramatic, at least a new boy to join the rotation. Both are beneficial. It could be the night that you make one of your all-time favorite memories, a memory that you will look back on when you're reminiscing about your glory days as a degenerate college student. A night out is a night of possibilities, and if it ends up going horribly at least you can enjoy some drunk pizza to console you. These are the nights you'll remember. You won't remember that sixth Tuesday you stayed in and watched re-runs of "Friends."
4. It forces you to step out of your comfort zone.
The easy thing to do is curl up in your bed and watch Netflix solo. Socializing, especially with people you don't know, forces you to ignore your introverted tendencies and try something new. Stepping out of your comfort zone is how you grow as a person, and the more you do it, the more likely you will do it. This may seem small, but the moment you step out of your comfort zone, you are more apt to the next time and in a much bigger way. You may as well start now, especially with your friends surrounding you to buffer all of the awkwardness.
5. It's not what you know, but who you know.
Although sometimes it seems like parties are just filled with a bunch of drunk frat boys, they will eventually be huge players in the professional world. It can be hard to believe, I know. But it's true. We are the next generation of workers. Connections are everything. Think about it, you're applying for a job and it just so happens someone you know, and partied with frequently in college, is the one interviewing you. You are competing with someone who has equal qualifications as you. But, you are remembered, in the employer's mind, as that really cool girl he knew in college. Guess who gets the job?
6. De-stress.
The reason you probably "don't feel like it" is because you're tired and you have remaining stress from whatever you had to do today and from what you have to in the next week or so. Socializing and forgetting your responsibilities for one night will be 100 times more therapeutic. I promise you will thank me, maybe not for the hangover, but for the blissfully relaxing hours filled with laughter, where the only question you have to answer is whether staying out just a little bit later would be a good idea. The answer to that is always yes.
We are only young for so long, and we can only act irresponsibly and with no life-threatening consequences for so long. College isn't just about getting good grades and landing that full-time job at the end of four years. It is about stepping outside of your boundaries and exploring the horrifying, yet hilarious, place that is your college.
