As an incoming freshman, you’re going to hear a bunch of different things about the college party scene, some may be true and some may not. As a freshman, you should definitely go to at least one party to decide if you like going out or not. Partying is not for everyone, but you owe it to your social self to try it at least once. When I was a freshman, my roommate and I were wondering how you even hear about parties. She came back one day and said that someone told her to just wonder on the hill and walk into any party you hear/see. To me, that was super intimidating because I didn’t know anything about college parties. Here are the things you should do and not do at your first CU party:

1. Do NOT travel in a big group of people. This is a total giveaway that you are a freshman and you will get called out/made fun of by cars driving by and older students walking past. To avoid getting called out, don’t travel in a group bigger than about 4 people.
2. Don’t venture to the Hill until after 10pm. Sometimes that can even be a bit early but chances are things will be starting around that time.
3. Be confident when walking into the house. Act as if you know exactly where you’re going and what you’re doing even if you don’t.
4. Be careful of the jungle juice it is very VERY strong. There is only a splash of cool aid in it so pace yourself.
5. The names of all the different frats can get confusing at first and might take some time before you have them all down. Keep track of the names and addresses in the notes of your phone for future reference.
6. Don’t accept a drink from anyone unless you see where they got it from, or watch them make it.
7. Frats love to pass bottles around for everyone to take a swig from which is totally gross because you’ll end up with everyone’s germs. If you see a cup, grab it, wash it out and make your own drink to avoid that germ infested bottle.
8. Don’t be afraid to dance. You’ll soon find out that a lot of frat parties consist of standing and talking to each other in the hallways. When the frat has a DJ take advantage of the dance floor, it doesn’t happen at every party.
9. Girls: do not wear heels!! You might think heels look cute with your outfit but you’ll end up doing a lot of walking around trying to figure out where to go. Once you do, almost every frat house has stairs which mixed with alcohol (and heels) can be a dangerous combination. Also don’t feel like you need to be really dressed up, wear what you feel comfortable in.
10. Finally, please please do not walk home from a party alone. Our campus is generally pretty safe but you never know what could happen. Watch out for each other and party safely!

(photo credit: Zev Yaroslavsky)

Lily Lemire Lead CU Buff Stuff blogger

Lily is a senior at the University of Colorado at Boulder and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies along with a certificate in Business. She is originally from Scarborough, Maine, but decided to venture to Colorado for it's beauty and to get back in touch with her birth place which is Boulder. She is a Film Studies major because she is very interested in the behind the scenes of what goes into making a film. Not only that, but her favourite hobby in the world is to watch movies. She recently went abroad to Sydney, Australia to get a taste of a different culture. While being there, she learned to not take life too seriously, and to slow things down. The Australian lifestyle can really teach a person how to be chill. You can find Lily at the movies, hanging on Pearl Street having a beer with friends, or at the breathtaking lookout of Flagstaff enjoying the view.