It has happened to almost all of us before. You’re drowning in a pile of homework, you have an 8 a.m. the next morning or somehow you got left out of your friends group chat. Whatever the case, you are now stuck in your dorm room and all of your friends are out having fun. So what do you do with your party of one?
1. Reassure yourself that you made the right choice.
After talking to several upperclassmen about their best advice for college, I found that one statement was repeated over and over again. I never regretted a night that I stayed in and studied. Parties are fun, but not failing (or even making A’s) in a class is a much more rewarding. You have definitely made the right decision by staying in to study. So maybe tomorrow night, when you have no homework, go out to treat yo’ self as reward for all of your hard work.
2. Ignore social media.
If you’re already feeling bummed about not being out with your friends, constantly checking social media won’t help. More importantly, it should be understood that one picture does not tell the story of the whole night. On Instagram it may look like everyone was having fun, but in fact after the picture was taken someone got sick or someone got in a fight. There have been so many times where I haven’t gone out with friends and was told that I probably had a better night than my friends because of drama that unfolded outside of what I could see on social media.
3. Organize your life.
Maybe you haven’t filled out your semester at a glance yet, you haven’t done laundry in two weeks, or you have a hundred unread emails. Normally when you’re rushing just to finish your homework and go on to the next social event, many of these seemingly small things go unnoticed. Help yourself out and organize now. Read those emails, check your professor’s syllabi and write down any important upcoming dates. Look at your schedule for the week and find a time to go visit your professor’s office. When you organize your schedule, most likely you will find time you didn’t know you had, so next time you want to go out you won’t find yourself drowning in homework.
4. Have a date night with yourself.
Sure everyone, including that cute boy in your english class, is out tonight. So take yourself on a date instead! Maybe you’ve been craving Pokey O’s and no one has had time to go with you or you’ve wanted to visit the Meadows Museum. Now is the time! Going out by yourself without the security of your friends seems scary at first. But you might find that you enjoy the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want! Being able to enjoy things by yourself is a huge indicator of maturity and that you’re adapting to college well.