Going to parties in college is something that most people do; especially on homecoming weekend. Parties can be a lot of fun, until something goes wrong. Most college kids do not understand the safety precautions they need to take, that can still allow you to have fun. Partying is not always all fun and games. My friends and I went to a party over the weekend, and the one thing I saw scared me and made me think a lot about safety. The number one rule when going to a party, is to never go alone. Always make sure to go in a group of at least four or more people. When with a group, stay together the whole time, and make sure before the party everyone knows where to meet if someone gets lost. When leaving, also make sure everyone in your group leaves with you.
My friends and I were walking around the party just checking it out and found a girl hysterically crying because her friends left her there scared and alone. Obviously, she was crying hysterically because she was very drunk; however, that does not take away from the fact that her friends had left her alone. Luckily we calmed her down, and found someone that was not in her group, but that she did know, and he took her home. However, the questions arise: What if we did not find her? What if she would have walked home by herself? What if she got kidnapped or arrested? This situation could have gone a lot worse than it actually did, and I encourage anyone who is reading this to learn from this.
It is important to surround yourself with a group of people/friends that you can trust while going to events like parties and such. I am so lucky to have found a group of friends at my university that care about me, and make sure that I make it home safe after a night out. Having fun, going out, drinking, partying is all a part of the college experience, but the world we live in today can be dangerous so it is always important to protect yourself and others in your peer group. Always have someone walk you home if it is late at night, buy pepper spray to keep with you at all times if you have to walk home alone at night, and most importantly: keep your head up and pay attention to your surroundings. All in all, I encourage everyone to have fun in their time here at college, but also be safe.