Am I Too Old to Party?

Graphic by Andrea Hernandez

Last month, I turned twenty-one and finally unlocked the freedoms that come from being an adult. So, of course, the first thing I did was go out drinking. Now, you have to keep in mind that I never had a fake ID, so other than my brief stint in Europe while studying abroad, this was my first experience in a bar. As soon as I walked in, I was overwhelmed. The bar was crowded, it was so loud that you could barely hear the music, and I was already overheating. After two drinks, I was ready to go home. Before that night, I had never felt that way, and I had to ask myself: Am I too old to party?

In Syracuse, there are only a couple of options if you want to party, especially in the winter months. You could go to the bars, which, put lightly, can be overwhelming. There’s also the frats, but why in the world as a twenty-one-year-old would I ever want to set foot in those places? They’re sticky, hot, and filled to the brim with freshmen girls and frat brothers who look at you like you’re their next meal. Yuck. The only other real option for students is house parties, and we all know that those have been on the decline since the end of last year. Plus, a lot of house parties are outside, so they don’t throw as often during the winter months, further fueling their decline. 

So where does that leave people like me? People who may or may not be suffering from seasonal depression are “too old” for the frats, and have no desire to be surrounded by every person they’ve ever met at the bars. Not to mention, there’s every excuse not to go out. One day it’s too cold out, the next it’s too expensive, and suddenly you find yourself going weeks without seeing your friends because the main way that you used to hang out was through partying. 

Eventually you get to a point where you feel that your partying days are behind you. But it’s so important to remember that this is the closest you will ever physically be with your friends. After college, you’ll be working full-time jobs in different cities without the luxury of being able to spend quality time together. So, don’t fall victim to the idea of performative maturity. Make time to go out and be young and stupid with your friends, because isn’t that the real point of college?