Juggling School and Partying

What do you think when think of college students going out and partying? Do you think its destructive and could lead them to a lower GPA? Or maybe you think its normal because they are just enjoying the college life and wants to have a fun time. So is partying good for college students or not?

These are questions college students ask themselves constantly. Being a college student myself at UMass Amherst, I too ask myself this. We often wonder if its worth being around drunk people and spending the money we don’t have. On average college students could spend up to $50-$60 a weekend on alcohol and other necessities they need. Throughout the whole school year, a student could of bought 170 movie tickets. For some, it may seem like a waste of money and time. Some students figure that staying in and doing work is the best way to spend their time wisely. Be that as it may, it could really go either way. It could be that you had a hard week full of work and the weekend is the only real time you can relax and release some stress. You stay out all night and have fun until Sunday morning when you wake up, hungover. Thinking back in your bed wondering what you even did the night before. Then instantly, life puts you right back into reality where you have an exam Monday morning and have to post a blog page that night… It makes you think “was this really worth it?” Some students here at UMass will say no, but most will agree it was. Although it doesn’t seem it, there are both pros and cons for college students going out and partying.

Cons

A con that follows with partying is the most obvious one which is, that students would have a lower GPA. This is known to happen because the students tend to do less work because they are either drinking or smoking something. Another con that students tend to look over is the long term problems. UMass is known for having a sometime rowdy party scene and is well known for binge drinking with 62% of the students participating in it. Binge drinking doesn’t seem so bad in the present but it could cause damage to your liver, brain, and your heart. Other cons of partying could be a change in sleep patterns, a tougher time sleeping, and waking up with hangovers. Although some of these cons could sound scary, there are still some beneficial pros.

Pros

Some people will say there are no pros of going out but there are more then you could think of. A pro of going out is that it could help release stress from the word load of the week. If there’s no time to unwind during the week so the weekend would be the best time to let loose and forget about the week and just enjoy yourself. Also going out can help you be more social. Since most of the time you will be elbow to elbow next to someone, it brings up a great opportunity to meet more people. Another pro is just to have great memories of your college years. We are only here for four years, so we have to make the best of it since we will never experience this ever again.

I had to chance to ask some UMass students if they found going out and partying is beneficial or not and this is what they had to say:

“Yeah, I totally see it as being beneficial, well at least for me it is. College is super stressful and going out almost like keep me sane. Like I know partying too much could be bad, but I do feel like it is beneficial to some students.”

“It could be beneficial, like if they had a rough week or something they could let loose for a day, but it could also be seen as neglectful as well because if they just use it as a means of an escape and they don’t really do what they are supposed to do, then they’re neglecting their responsibilities.”

“I find it to be beneficial. I like going out and having fun and I get to meet a lot of people and make new friends. So, I see it as a good thing.”

Its hard to determine if it really is beneficial or harmful to go out and party. It really determines on the person. There’s no real answer you can give to one person. Everyone is different. Me personally, I find it very beneficial. It helps me socialize with people and it helps me be able to meet new people and learn how to add more to the conversation.

People will say never go out because it will ruin your life. Other will urge you to go out so you can start living your life to the fullest. Which one should you follow? That’s a question only you can answer.