A Day in the life of an American College Student (2)

Anyone who has had pretty strict parents can agree that the freedom that we had in high school was no where close to the amount of independence we have once we go to college. While in high school I was never part of that crazy party scene. I have a twin sister and I couldn’t have different curfew times or the independence I would have had, had I been an only child. So if my sister wasn’t allowed to go out and party all the time, it wasn't fair for me to do the same. While I understand that my parents wanted to protect and watch over their only girl, I was still annoyed that I couldn't go out all the time and do the things my friends were doing. So when I came to Drexel I couldn't wait to experience the infamous partying that my older brother, Tim, a senior at Drexel, would brag about.

So Friday night the guys of Towers 13 all assembled with our respective lady partners to get ready for our first college night out. I had started texting my brother around nine o' clock to see what he was up to that night. I didn't receive a text back for two more hours. That's the first difference, I realized, between high school and college. The parties don’t start pumping until eleven or twelve. One doesn't realize how hard it is to get ready for a night out. Your body needs to be filled with the right combination and quantity of foods that will keep itself running for the next intense few hours.

As our group walked to seven eleven to fill our desire of red bull and fried food, I thought to myself, “This is great.” The independence, the "I don't need to tell any adult where I'm going or what I’m doing" feeling is one of the most incredible new emotions I have experienced. The night was filled with excitement as we all sat there texting friends about where the cool parties were, where not to go, and who to bring and who to cut from the group. Maybe it’s just a freshman thing but I realized what made college seem different from high school was the lack of the “clicks” and groups. It could be that no one has found their whole group yet, but it is inspiring to see kids travel in multi-cultural groups.

As we approached the steps of the first house, an apartment inhabited by upperclassmen, I was instantly reminded of the international representation at Drexel and in Philadelphia. I approached one of the guys at the front door, who happened to be from Kenya, and tried to avoid paying the five dollar charge by bringing up the fact that I was with six girls. Unnerved by the fact that he was singing “soulja boy” into a huge mega phone, I paid the five dollars and entered the house. Boom! A wall of heat, piercing music and the smell of cheap beer hit me in the face the second I opened the door. I was so surprised at the amount of people that could possibly fit into one tiny apartment. People were everywhere, yelling, singing, dancing, drinking and all the other activities that college students normally do on the weekends. I found a corner with a couple of my friends and settled in. People’s true feelings and emotions come over them while they are intoxicated, whether it be from alcohol or the rush of a college party, because you don’t control what you do or say, you act out of true nature. Ironically, despite the university’s attempts to introduce the freshman class, the best way to get to know a bunch of friends is cram yourself into a tiny apartment, get sweaty, be loud and live life.