How to Survive Your First College Party

How to Survive Your First College Party

Irrespective of where you decide to go to college, it would be a lie to say that you’re not thinking of that first college party you’ll soon be attending.  Even if you are not a party person, as an incoming freshman, ideations of what a college party might be like still play in your head ad nauseam; that drinking in college is primarily just mindless college parties; that college parties are where the cool students can be found enjoying with reckless abandon, and the nerds are at the back, miserably isolated. Blame all these preconceptions on the endless supply of college movies and the careless, tasteless and stereotypical manner in which they portray the college party. To be honest, the college party is a mishmash of everything - hilarity, awkwardness, adventures, acquaintances, friendships, romance, celebration of youth, intellectual and emotional growth, and of course, the inevitable various states of drunkenness, but it offers a little more than that.

College is a pivotal phase in your life, and can be likened to a joyous yet challenging initiation to adulthood. College means you’ll surely be swamped with academic work you never could have imagined and you are going to have to study harder than ever. So if you are wondering about the connection of the rigors of academics to that oft-raved about college party, allow us to break it to you: college students party just as hard as they study, and for good reason. A college party is a much needed respite from tons of essays, research papers, presentations, reaction papers, deadlines, and sleepless nights that college life shoves down students’ throats. Keep in mind, all work and no play makes you a dull person.

Remember, you are now in college, far from home, and your parents or guardians are probably time zones away. Not to say that the college party is the chance for you to get uncontrollably wild, but surviving your first college party may very well serve as your first real foray into responsible adulthood, as you will need to take thorough care of yourself before, during, and after your first college party. Furthermore, in attending college parties, your social skills will be developed and honed, your intellectual horizon will expand, and you are likely to forge lasting friendships, or even stumble across a potential romantic relationship.  Bottom line: indelible memories are waiting to be made.

Anyway, it’s time to deliver the goods. Take to heart all these tips on how to survive your first college party:

Eat and drink water

You may ask why? Is there a need? You need to read closely for you to survive your first college party. You may think that you’d get bloated with drinks and finger food anyway, so why eat? Ladies, maybe that you are too conscious to sport a puffed belly even before the party starts, and guys, restrain your excitement, lay off the drinks first. Rule of thumb: drinking on an empty stomach will make you drunk before you know it. Between endless conversations, laughter, and bottomless drinks, you’ll get drunk early if you don’t eat. And eat a carb-heavy meal, preferably. No salads or biscuits, please. A medium-sized hamburger or thick sandwich with fries would be best, because carbs sop up alcohol, slowing down its effects, reducing the likelihood of premature drunkenness.

And of course, you don’t want to wake up the next morning feeling like your head was mortared by an army of miniature minions and your throat as dry as the Sahara, so do not forget water water. Drink before, during, and after the party. To give you an idea, drinking 6 ounces of water after every bottle of beer would counter and significantly lessen, or even ward off hangover the next morning. You might have to go to the restroom more frequently, but at least, you will not end up hating yourself the next day. And it’s healthy.Need help with your term paper or essay?

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Pregaming (for planning)

This is preliminary drinking prior to the real college party drinking. Liken it to warm-ups before the game, or the necessary stretching so you can slide to game mode, if you will. This is somewhat “necessary” for valid reasons. Normally, this is the little drinking session that only includes you and a few of your closest friends or dormmates, rather than the whole campus, so the alcohol was surely bought by your own “circle.”  Pregaming is the opportunity for you and your friends to make your game plan once the time has come to go join the big party later in the night. Which part of the venue you will hang together, the common people you would like to meet, what you plan to do in case you want to meet different people, and of course, how, where, and what time you plan to call it a night. In a way, pregaming is also a way for you and your friends to not get too excited about the alcohol that will be served in the party. Remember, after pregaming, you are now “warmed up.” So once you arrive at the party with that delightful alcohol buzz, it is not so much about getting your alcohol fix as it is about meeting new people and making new friends.

Pregaming (for safety)

A college party is for everyone, yes, but lest you forget, you are a freshman entering unfamiliar territory. Pregaming is vital such that you and your friends can stick together and avoid getting into trouble. What trouble, you might ask. As with any function, there are always bad guys who will pounce on every opportunity to make fun or take advantage of people.  When you and your friends were pregaming, you knew where the drinks came from. Now that you have arrived at the college party, you and your friends cannot afford to be too trusting. Don’t go around drinking everything that is handed to you. That sweet and harmless looking purple juice may be tempting, but you have not the slightest idea about the amount of alcohol that is in there, or worse, the possibility of date rape drugs. This is not to shoo you from having a good time, but it is best to be smart while still having loads of fun. So now that you are enjoying the slight buzz that pregaming induced, it is in your best interest to be cautious of any ambiguous-looking drink that is offered to you. Of course, you will encounter insistent squiffy people, who despite possessing no bad intentions, just want you to feel “at home.” Just hold that cup to avoid any confrontations. The good that pregaming gives is that it enables you to control the drunkenness, or ideal “lit-ness” that you want.

Bring friends

This is a no-brainer. Chances of getting pranked, awkwardness, isolation, boredom, and untimely drunkenness all increase when you go to the party by yourself. Whether it is eating before the pregame or in navigating your way through the party itself, being around friends you can fully trust is essential. If that friend is an upperclassman, even better. They will be able to supply you with knowledge on how to survive your college party, or your next college parties, or simply help you get home safely, or treat your hangover the next morning if you had too much to drink. Your circle should look after one another. Go together, leave together. Dread the thought of you or any of your drunk friends leaving the party with a dubious person. If you have true friends, it is all but guaranteed that you are going to survive your college party without scratching your head the next morning. Having trusted friends at your first college party is not only for fun, it is also for safety. It’s safe to say that there are no disadvantages.

Politely refuse if you don’t want to drink

You know your tendencies best, so don’t be under the impression that you ought to drink against your will. You’ve probably watched college movies wherein there is always person who’s scoffed at by many at the college party for not drinking. For whatever the reason is, medical, personal, or even if you’re just not in the mood, if you don’t feel like drinking, then don’t. Chances are you will still enjoy your first college party and meet new friends nevertheless. Anyhow, your experience at your first college party, whether you drink or not, will bestow you with valuable knowledge as to how to approach all the other future college parties.

Dress accordingly

Surviving a college party is not just about getting home safely and not having a hangover. It is also about dressing for functionality without losing your confidence and without looking underdressed. When you are sober, you might be inclined to believe that a formal designer jacket is just what the college party crowd needs to see, but you must think “long term.”  Think of how jolly you and your friends will be later on in the night, which more or less equates to paying no mind at all to your clothes. Either food or drinks will dirty up your shirt, a surefire way to change your mood, interrupting the momentum of the revelry. You don’t want a ruined look to play party buzzkill. Dress presentably, but wear something comfortable, something wouldn’t mind getting dirty.

Be open to meeting new people

It is your first college party, and to survive your first college party, you have to know how to navigate around people of different backgrounds. Outside of having sound judgment of when to refuse a drink, when you and your friends are talking to new acquaintances and the conversation keeps getting bigger, unshackle yourself from the tendency to form premature judgments. If you are approached by someone who’s apparently bad company, or a disaster waiting to happen, politely excuse yourself.  If you happen to meet someone with whom you have common interestsand whose demeanour you find favourable, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself. True friendships don’t spring up randomly, there is always the first encounter. And of course, college being college, whether it is academics or simply for the sake of good company, it would not hurt to expand your circle during your stint in the college jungle.

Bring cash

Be it for the cab ride home or an emergency, having cash on you is always a good thing at parties. Since this occasion determines if you can survive your next college parties, you would not want to be in a situation you cannot find your way out of. For instance, the drinks run out and the upperclassmen kindly request for “donations” from freshmen, you can chip in a little that will surely go a long way. This way, you’ll be introducing not only yourself but the qualities that you bring to the table, such as knowing how to be a team player.

Additional tip: keep a little cash on your jacket or shirt pocket for insurance, in case you unintentionally become a little too generous.

Participate in drinking games

Maybe you’re overhearing the boisterous laughter from the beer pong table, or that rowdiness in the card table. This is a college party, dear freshman. Drinking is not confined exclusively for conversationalists, but also for those who love to play games. If you are to survive your first college party, you must thoroughly familiarize yourself with drinking games as they are way more fun than they seem. Participating is genuinely fun way to laugh, strike up a conversation, and meet new friends. Your teammate or opponent in these drinking games might be the new friend you are looking for.

Of course, drinking games at your first college party are only fun if you are not dead-drunk. So pace yourself.

Never mix alcohol

If you are not a “veteran” of drinking at college parties, it’s fine. Drink slowly and enjoy the buzz and always gauge yourself after every shot or bottle you consume. If you start with beer, stick to beer until the end of the party. If you start with cocktails, then remember the alcohol base by asking a reliable upperclassman; if the cocktail you like is rum-based, then stick to rum-based cocktails. Don’t be a daredevil. Your proper alcohol buzz will surge to unhealthy and unsafe drunkenness if you mix drinks, and the result is a massive hangover or an upset stomach, or both.

Enjoy yourself

If you follow these first college party survival tips, then there is no reason for you to not look forward to the next college party, this time with a proud feather in your cap. But come to think of it, whether your first college party becomes an unforgettable one or a so-so affair with only glimpses of fun, the knowledge that you will acquire is priceless. The next college party will most certainly be a hundred times more fun.

You should know the purpose of college parties – fun.