College is a time of many things, including figuring out what path you want to take in life, discovering new things about yourself, meeting people from different backgrounds, and trying things that you would never have done before. For quite a few people, trying new things includes going to parties and letting loose.

While Carnegie Mellon isn’t one of the United States' top party schools, a fair amount of partying occurs. When the weekend comes by, a lot of students want to relax by going to a frat party or club, meeting new people, and perhaps drinking a bit. Since I arrived at Carnegie Mellon last August, I’ve never took it upon myself to head out to one of these events and see what it’s like.

Because I tend to not go out to these parties, some people have taken it upon themselves to tell me how much I’m missing and how I need to get out, relax, and not study all the time. While I do appreciate the sentiment, it’s quite condescending for people to think that just because I don’t enjoy the same things they do, it means that I’m living a sad life where I’m holed up in my room all of the time.

At the end of the day, all that anyone wants, regardless of whether they’re in college or not, is to be happy. For me, I’m happy when I stay in, order Thai food, and watch a Disney movie with some friends. For others, being happy means going out and partying. You know what? Both are perfectly fine.

I know that there’s another side to this debate. There are a lot of kids who refuse to party and who think that they’re better than the kids who go out every weekend and have fun. It works the same way here, too. Just because someone gets happiness from doing different things, it doesn’t mean that you’re better than they are. You're just different.

This attitude of not judging others for what makes them happy also applies outside of the dichotomy of partying and not partying. Just because someone doesn’t enjoy the same things that you do, it doesn’t mean that they’re not enjoying something. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to fill ourselves with happiness. Regardless of how people achieve that goal, if they aren’t harming others, then you should let them.