College: friend or foe?



At my FAVORITE bar in my college town!

I'm one of those people that loved high school. I was involved, got good grades, had a close group of friends and a great relationship with my teachers. College wasn't any different-- I was/did all of the aforementioned things, but also had a great time partying it up with my friends.



As a senior in high school, I remember telling one of my teachers which college I chose to attend. He looked startled and said, "Whoa, that's a party school." That was proven to me the very first weekend when I went to a house party with the girls on my floor. The party was nothing very memorable. We were just scared little 18 year olds with no clue of what college had in store for us.

Many people say that college was the best time of their lives. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED college and I often miss the laid back atmosphere and daily naps just as much as the next person. I miss falling out of bed 5 minutes before class and going to class in sweatpants. (Oddly I also miss group meetings in the library and at various places on campus to work on projects, but don't tell any of my professors that.) [college=friend]

What I don't miss is the crazy lifestyle I lived. Drinking all the time, eating like complete crap and making really terrible decisions. The better part of my sophomore, junior and ok, my senior years are a little hazy. [college=foe] I'm lucky that my irresponibility didn't make any big life decisions for me, but it DID help shape who I am today and the decisions I make today. I guess, in that way, you could say college was life-altering.

I know now that I don't want to be a girl that drinks all the time. I like to drink, but I've grown out of that drinking-to-get-drunk phase. I like a few good beers (not that cheap, watered-down domestic stuff, mind you) or a stiff drink every so often. Occasionally I go a little crazy, but It's not near what it was in college. I HATE shots and you won't see me doing beer bongs or keg stands anymore. That's when the habits from college rear their ugly heads.  

You may be thinking, ok, Laura, that's normal, it's called growing up. Well, I thought so too, until I realized that most single folk my age drink like Germans at Oktoberfest. I was told recently that I should 'relax' and 'just have a good time! You're single.' One person actually said, "What else is there to do?" Listen, friends, I have a GREAT time and I don't have to get hammered to do it. Just because I'm single doesn't give me a ticket to frequent the bars a few times a week. Also, when these single 20-somethings DO settle down, they all say that they won't party as much, yada yada yada. How do you KNOW?! You'll settle down and your lifestyle will be completely disrupted by normalcy, something you're not used to or ready for, and then what?! Isn't the post-college time supposed to be about growing into who you want to be? Obvious answer: yes.

I read an article about a girl that decided to quit drinking because it was influencing poor decisions when her inhibitions were lowered. She is a single girl and the article was about how it completely altered her dating life...and not by her choice. Some guys were freaked out by it, saying they didn't trust a girl that doesn't drink and some would just never call her again. Interesting, since all these guys claim to be looking for someone to marry when clearly they only want a one-night thing.

Before you all start thinking that I'm some prententious ass on my high horse, please know that I don't care if you drink, because I do. Please know that I don't judge your decisons, because I make bad ones all the time. I just recognize that the party lifestyle isn't for me and I'm working towards a life built on other things.

Shawna, me, Jess, Erica and,
on the bottom, Katee and Alexis.

To answer the question asked in my headline: College is a friend! I learned a lot from my time there and I left with amazing memories and experiences. I made some of the best friends of my life while there, Shawna, Erica, Jess and Katee are my sisters from school and they are my go-to girls for so many things in life. I still talk regularly to my college advisor and I've made amazing connections through my former classmates. Now I'm trying to love this chapter of my life!!