“You’re lame,” a co-worker told me once after I told him about my plans.
I had stayed that summer in Gainesville for two reasons: to relax and move out of my apartment. The weekend was looming, and I had no plans of going out. Partying was not near my plans; it didn’t even make the list.
Unashamedly, the grandma era had taken me. And for that, I was “boring.”
However, the truth is people like seeing things in extremes: it’s either you are going out or not.
But depending on your situation, college summarizes into three scenarios.
Some go to college for their degrees. On the other hand, some might find too much fun in the experience: the drunken nights or the memories attached to them. Others might do a mix of both, which was rare but true.
When you are a freshman, the temptation of going out may lurk within the shadows. Your friends want to have fun and so do you. The weekends turn into weekdays and yet, you still are on the same routine.
And it might be the fear of missing out or the need to fit into the not-so-defined social atmosphere of college. Regardless, the utter expectancy of partying in college is always there.
But some of us do not enjoy going out, or at least not any more.
We have replaced the nights at the UF Plaza with a night in, maybe a movie marathon or chilling with friends. Some cannot even afford to do so. Things such as work, club involvement or even financial resources can get in the way of filling this expectancy of partying the night off. And for them, this is something important to consider.
Regardless of what people are doing, we have to stop generalizing what a college experience should look like. You are not wasting your youth if you are staying home or doing what higher-education institutions are here for.
And if you are partying, do not let this take away your full potential. Because the memories might be fun to tell, but they will not get you through the night in the future.