I go to a university that’s infamous for parties and people getting drunk, I’m a Junior, and I have never partied.

That must sound absurd and insane. It must sound even more absurd considering the bad press the university has recently gotten from some students partying and setting a couch on fire in celebration of the Eagles winning the Superbowl. We are sadly known more for the bad than we are for the good.

Keeping my specific university aside, college in general is very well known for being a place filled with peer pressure. I mean, peer pressure exists everywhere, but it’s supposed by many to happen more while in college. I don’t know about everyone else, but I know that I got the peer pressure talk before going off to college. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m not someone to cave to peer pressure, but I still got the talk nonetheless.

I bet you’re now asking, “How have you gone so long in college without feeling peer pressure?”

It’s simple: I surround myself with good people.

I’ve never been in a situation with my friends where I felt pressured to drink. I’m 21 and legally can, but I choose not to. My decision is entirely my own as well, it doesn’t even take into account my medical reasons for not doing so. My friends understand my choice and they respect it, and it has never prevented me from having a good time with them. We play video games and card games, we just hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

The people you surround yourself with in college really defines the track of your college career. My friend group is filled with ambitious people who want to do great things and have fantastic goals in life. Then, I know of some people who have failed classes simply because they were too lazy to go to a class they pay for. Of those people, a lot will spend their entire weekends partying instead of prepping for classes. Obviously, you should have fun when you’re in college, but not so much that your grades falter.

Peer pressure can lead people to do things that they otherwise would never do. However, the way to avoid it is just surround yourself with people who wouldn’t try and make you do something you don’t want to do. You, alone, choose the people that you surround yourself with. Because of this, you, alone, need to be the person to cut out toxic people from your life.

Sometimes you may not always see who is toxic and pressuring you at first, but once you do, act. That person could be an old friend, it could be your roommate, it could be the first person you met when you got to school, it could even be a family member. You could have a million reasons for wanting to stay friends with them but ultimately you need to decide if the pressure they put on you is worth it.

No matter what, you will find your good people. The people who don’t pressure you. The people that let you just be you. Once you find them, never let them go