America projects this magical idea of a “college experience,” but, can anybody really even give a definition to what the “college experience” is? We could go through the simple answers: to get away from home, to get a fake ID, to hook up with the hottest boy at the party, or to join a sorority. Those are just a few qualities of the typical college experience for us ladies. However, there’s so much more substance to the college experience that few tend to realize or take notice to.
College is this time in our lives where we can do just about anything we want to do. When we are given all of this freedom, for some reason, some of us resort to the party life. Let me tell ya, the party life really isn’t that glamorous. Waking up the next morning and not remembering anything that happened the previous night may seem fun for the first few weekends of Freshman year, but once you’re getting into your college career and are still striving to black out on the weekends… well, I hope you grow up and notice how much more there is to life other than shots of tequila and $3 pitchers of beer. This can be an especially hard lifestyle to ignore when it is literally ingrained into just about all of our heads. I’m not saying I turn down every party or don’t have a grand time visiting my friends’ colleges. I’m just here to explain how society needs to change their views of the “college experience.”
Expectation: vs.
Reality:
For some reason, college has turned into this cycle of partying all night and sleeping all day. I think Asher Roth ruined us when he released, “I Love College.” Great song, but now everybody is living the song. Not so good. We are forking out thousands of dollars to get an education, but when somebody talks about college they rave about their most recent hook-ups or the best bar they have been to.
I’m sorry, but I frankly do not care. Maybe I’m the oddball out, but life is about experiences and I want to be able to remember them. I want to spend my time in college discovering who I am, what I believe, what I stand for. I want to make genuine friends; I don’t want to make “drunk” friends. I want to spend weekends discovering cool places around campus, taking a road trip to somewhere I have never been before, or going to see a band that I have never heard. Life is about discovering who you are and what you are were put on this earth to do. Maybe you will find out that college isn’t for you once you’re in it. But, if you’re blacking out every weekend you may never know.
Just because society tells you something doesn’t mean it’s right. I know I’m speaking to a certain niche of people, because most are going to take offense to this post since it’s hitting home to them. My intentions aren’t to make you feel bad, but to get you thinking of why you’re in college. Since college is basically a money pit, we might as well have some good a** experiences we can remember once we graduate.