Every person who has graduated college, whether they have been out for 2 or 20 years, says the same thing: college is the best four years of life. They say to live it up and have fun, go crazy even, because once you enter the real world, all that fun is over.                    

So what is it that makes college so fun? THE NIGHTS OUT. Yes, classes, clubs and daytime activities are fun, but the best stories come from the nights spent out. Adults love telling stories about their wild college nights, the parties, the drinking, the games, and all the other craziness that occurs.  

When you’re old and working all day, you’re going to want to have crazy college memories to look back on. When you’re a senior applying for schools, you look at academics, location, size, sports, clubs, social life, and nightlife. Nightlife comes with two options: the bar or the frat house. Different colleges and universities have different options for entertaining their students between the hours of 10pm and 4am. Some schools don’t have Greek Life, but they have awesome bars on campus or downtown.  Other schools have an awesome Greek Life and therefore frat parties all across campus. But which is better?               

College bars and frats are more similar than you think. Bars are loud, dark, hot, crowded, and reek of alcohol – as do frat parties. They both play great music and create a fun atmosphere.  In theory they're very similar, so why are they so different?   

Bars tend to be more sophisticated and less rowdy than the typical frat party. You order vodka cranberries and receive beer in the bottle. Girls are wearing heels and cute skirts and boys are wearing button-downs. Bars close between the hours of 2 and 4 on most campuses. It creates the feel of an urban environment in a young, college setting.  

On the other hand, frat parties are wild and way less formal. Themes are usually assigned, some of which include yoga hoes and work out bros, candy land, togas, and under the sea themes. Girls and boys wear sneakers (or any shoes they don’t mind ruining) and things get pretty crazy. Unless the police shut them down, frats never close.  

Having a school with both frats and bars is the most ideal situation. College students go out at least four nights a week. Tuesday and Thursday are bar nights and Friday and Saturday are themed frat parties. Unfortunately, when you enter the real world, frat parties no longer exist, but bars do. You will be going to bars for the rest of your life, but frat parties are unique to your four years spent within Greek Life. Enjoy them while they last.               

So are you a frat kid or a bar crawler?  Do you prefer raging at a frat house or dancing at the bars?  Either way, take full advantage of every option you have over your four college years.  Use the frats and bars as a balance in your life between academics and a social life.