In high school, it was fun to go out with your friends every once in a while. The only care you had in the world was getting home by curfew and if you were drinking, sneaking in the side door as quiet as you could. Keep in mind that this all happened mostly on the weekends. In college, it blows my mind to hear about how often my friends go out. Weekdays or weekends, it doesn't matter what the occasion or if there even is one. There is always a reason to party.

It is important to remember that it is YOUR decision if you want to go out. It's a balancing act to know when stay in to study and when it is okay to have a night off. You don't always wanna be that girl who never goes out because her head is always in a book. You also don't wanna be the girl that always goes out for a good time and have never opened that book that costed more than how much gas it takes for you to get home. I've learned a lot my first year of college and I'm still learning but I've come up with a few things that I always keep in mind.

Decide who is the DD, not the DDD

I've been in college for a little less than a year and I learned this very quickly. It is amazing how many people go out and don't decide who will be the designated driver for the night. No one wants to be the DD when all there friends get to take shots and scream Justin Timberlake from the back seat but you have to have someone who will take that L for the night. It is NEVER a good idea to have a DDD (Designated Drunk Driver). If that person thinks they are good at driving drunk, it is never okay to get behind a wheel after drinking. There will always be someone who is sober and will come get you.

Carry only what you need

The amount of times I've seen a girl walk in to a house party with their huge Kate Spade purse full with her wallet, makeup, phone, keys, perfume, lotion, makeup, snacks, water, and sometimes an extra pair of clothes... When are you going to NEED all of these things, let a alone where are you gonna set that bag when you wanna go get a drink or talk to the cute guy across the room. I sure know that if I was a guy, I would not want a girl walking up to me with her life in a purse. If she takes one swing with that thing, it's not gonna be a good night.

It's okay not to go out

Some of the best memories I've made so far are the ones where I haven't gone out. No, I'm not saying don't go out at all. I'm saying that its nice to have a night where you can just throw on a pair of nice warm pjs and watch a movie with your significant other or best friends.

Either way, when going out or just laying low, look out for your friends because you would want them to look out for you.

You don't have to drink

Some of my favorite nights are the ones I remember 100% of what happened. Yes, other people in my group were 'drinking the night away' but I was having fun AND I didn't have to deal with the hangover the next day. You may loose some since of respect from somebody, you may get called a prude or a party crashers because you won't take a shot but you will always be someones hero when you hold there hair or pull them out of a situation they shouldn't be in with the guy in her bio class.