For Morgan and I, these past few weeks of drinking legally (for once…just kidding), signing up for the GRE exams, and hitting up literally every contact we know in any D.C. office we can think of, have been, to say the least, a stone cold bummer. It doesn’t help that my boyfriend’s little sister goes here now and seems to be having the time of her life just as we had done no more than three years back. Add these things together with a strong splash of real world anxiety, and you’ve got us, two somewhat clueless seniors dreading the end of the year already. So what to do with this flourishing fear we have on our hands? Do we put our productivity in turbo-drive, fill out applications, and buckle down for the bumpy ride to reality? No. We party.
First on our stress-reducing, college-experience-amplifying, past-reliving list of things to do is to take full advantage of the fact that seniors, you can now legally drink at such exotic, up-and-coming hotspots as The Hospitality House, Paul’s Deli, and The Green Leafe without the bouncer laughing at your sorry excuse for a legitimate ID and kicking you out. Take full advantage of the Corona, Karaoke, and Dollar Beer nights and do so without shame. In the words of Pat Benatar: we are young, mix drink to mix drink we stand…ok so maybe it didn’t go exactly like that, but it really should have.
Secondly, crash freshman frat unit ragers. I only “ok” this one if you know the boys well enough that they won’t totally hate you for showing up while they shamefully try to mack on freshman girls and you’re just trying to get your groove on to some 80s track (I prefer anything a la Journey on this one, as so many of us do), dancing on one of their sticky, vodka-covered coffee tables. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t let loose and table dance. And for those of you rolling your eyes right now, I’m not referring to enacting some “slutty” plea for attention I’m just trying to dance (though if I were trying to get some sexual attention, what’s it to you? I suggest you quit judging and go out and do the same. Newsflash, It feels nice).
Which brings me to my third thing to cross off your list: make out unabashedly and publicly. I don’t care if you’re dating someone, go ahead and grab him and give him a smooch at a dance party; this is a “do” that won’t discriminate based on relationship status. Remember the days when you dressed up for dance parties or any excuse for a wacky costume, got tipsy, and just felt like kissing someone? Let those innocent, young, hormonal urges come back to you. It’s fun and carefree! I’m not suggesting you try to eat your dance partner’s face off in the middle of Nikki Minaj’s “Superbase”, I’m just saying if they’re into it, and you’re into it, DO IT. You’ll feel young again (sniffle).
Fourth, don’t sweat the small stuff, for overwhelmingly obvious reasons. Got sorority sister drama? Who the hell cares at this point! Get over it, order them a pizza, pop in a chick flick, and knock back some Barefoot wine, because if there’s one thing I’ll allow to come into my life with age, it’s perspective. You might not get to see the people around you after senior year, and even if you’re undoubtedly convinced you despise someone, the issue you fought over is probably not as big as it seemed once. Put it past you, take the high road, and do something worthwhile. The same goes for boyfriends. If your boyfriend starts pestering you about staying out too late and not coming home to drink beers with his friends instead of yours (why do they insist on doing these things?), let him know you feel crowded and that he’s totally harshing your mellow (thanks for that one, mom). If he won’t budge on this one (and, depending on the nature of your relationship, if you know things probably won’t last past college) let him go. Now, it’s you-time. I know that sounds like some corny line from a Gilmore Girls rerun, but for real, it is you-time. This time is your last ounce of freedom before nine-to-fives and early bedtimes. For the sake of all that is holy in this world, HAVE FUN.
Speaking of which, I’m in Swem writing this. Talk about not practicing what you preach, huh? I’m going to put down the study material for Friday’s test (which, by the way, does anyone know what the hell I do about learning Phonetics?), and I’m going to find something exciting to do in this sleepy town. I urge all you seniors out there to do the same.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WM chapter.