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5 Tips for Turning 21 in State College

Sophia D'Ovidio
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

The time has come, you’re finally turning 21.

This is the age many people have looked forward to for a while because it comes with its obvious perks. 

I just turned 21 in State College and it was a great experience. It has been one of my favorite memories from my time at Penn State. 

I was happy to pick up some tips and tricks from my night that I hoped to pass on to the soon-to-be 21-year-olds planning their first legal drinks out on the town.

Check the expiration on your ID

This is especially pertinent for out-of-staters, but many IDs expire on your 21st birthday. 

My ID did; I didn’t have any problems getting into the two bars I went to the first night, but it was definitely something that stressed me out throughout my day. 

If I could redo my birthday, I would have ensured I had a new ID. It didn’t matter on the day, but everyone in my life knew I was anxious I’d be turned away due to my driver’s liscence being expired. 

That being said if you’re anything like me and don’t want to take any chances, be proactive and order a new ID ahead of time so you don’t need anything to worry about on your big day.

Keep your party small

This might be personal preference, but it’s your big day, and it’s not always fun to be organizing and keeping track of a big group of drunk people. 

The pregame was fun. I had my friends who couldn’t make it out to the bars with me, and it was a good way to celebrate with everyone, not just people who were 21 and up. 

But as someone born earlier in the year, I didn’t have a huge group coming to the bars with me, and it took a lot of stress out of my night. 

I didn’t feel like I needed to introduce, check-in and keep track of my friends who came out with me, and it made my night a lot less stressful and more fun.

You can buy alcohol, but you won’t need to right away

This might be the weirdest part of turning 21, but now that you can finally get yourself alcohol legally, you probably won’t need to. 

The most common gift I received was some form of alcohol, I got so much that I didn’t need to take a trip to the liquor store to buy something for myself. 

So let people know what kind of alcohol you want, or tell your friends to avoid getting you any alcohol in general (so you can buy it for yourself).

It’s a great gift and definitely one I was grateful to receive. But there’s something ironic about finally being allowed to buy alcohol and not quite needing to.

Know your limits

This is just good advice for any night you go out. 

But when you turn 21, you’ll probably have every drink you consume paid for, which makes it really easy to take it too far. 

I made sure to go light at my pregame, terrified to be the person who got too drunk on their 21st and did not even make it to the bars. 

I also did everything people should do to set themselves up for success on a night out. I made sure to drink enough water, three big meals and had a Liquid IV before my first drink. 

Yes, it’s your 21st birthday, so go crazy and have a great night. But make sure you can enjoy your whole night; you don’t want to have to end it early because of poor planning.

Find out what bar Is Right for you

I know it’s Penn State tradition to head over to the Phyrst for your first drink of the night, but once you’re there, you may want a plan for the rest of your night. 

With bars in State College closing at 2 a.m., if you’re going out at midnight on your 21st, you likely won’t have much time to make your rounds to multiple bars. So you’re going to want to plan ahead. 

I don’t have enough experience out at the bars, so I trusted my friends to bring me to the bars they knew would best fit my vibe for my first legal night out, and they did an exceptional job. 

Have some plan of attack on the evening before the drinks start to flow because you don’t want to spend your night trying to figure out which bar is right for you.

Turning 21 should be fun so let your birthday be the celebration you want it to be.

But for those trying to make the most of their special day here in State College, these tips should help make your night everything you want it to be.

I am Sophia D'Ovidio, a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism with a minor in media studies. When I'm not writing for Her Campus @ PSU I am watching TV, at the gym, making TikToks or with my friends. During my time at Penn State, I also am the director of the Arts and Entertainment department at Commradio, Penn State's student-run, web-based radio station affiliated with the Bellisario College of Communications. I oversee and contribute to articles, talk shows, podcasts and live coverage events for my department. Additionally, I am a volunteer for THON, the largest student-run philanthropy event where Penn State students raise money to combat childhood cancer. I am from Allentown, New Jersey, and I love spending time at home with my family and down the shore. My other interests include comedy, film, women's soccer, hiking and music.