Kaylin Creedmore April 25, 2012 English 1102 Creative Nonfiction Essay Revised

Living Young and Wild and Free It all began my first semester of freshman year. It was a Saturday in October, just a normal afternoon with everyone exchanging text messages and phone calls to try and find out where the best party was going to be. We were calling all of our friends to try to get alcohol for the night which was the first thing on the agenda before we even thought about getting ready. After the alcohol was bought all the girls got ready, the guys got dressed and the night began. Its college, no one wants to go to a party sober, so why not pregame? We were playing beer pong; flip cup, power-hour and those were just a few games to get the night started and amped up. We were waiting for the phone call that the party was getting hype and deep. When we got the call, everyone was ready to go. Getting a sober ride for fifteen drunken college students is a hard thing to do at eleven thirty, especially because no one ever really wants to be the designated driver. Eventually, we found a ride from one friend Nathan who had to take two trips to get us all there. Then person after person flowed in, everyones favorite songs were being played, there was dancing everywhere, weed and cigarette smoke filled the room, and the only other thing that was missing was our minds. Drink after drink, shot after shot, hit after hit, our minds were going down the drain as quick as the beer was going into our systems. Everyone was enjoying the

night, creating memories, and not having a care in the world of what would happen tomorrow. Nothing could ruin this nightIt was perfect. Partying is a traditional college lifestyle, it is expected and we were living it without any hesitation. There was not one person worrying about the consequences of our actions or the hangover that is sure to occur the next day. Partying the night away, living for the night and having the I dont give a crap attitude, Im just having fun was the attitude we all possessed. As the night grew later, the music grew louder and so did the voices. We were all getting drunker and drunker, louder and louder, stupider and stupider, and it was only time that this all came to an end. After a while, many people knew what was best to do, get a ride and leave. For this party was getting too wild, too big, and too risky to be at. Everyone else and myself were freshmans, we didnt know any better and kept on partying hard, with no regard to the consequences. People were running to the bathroom, falling on the floor, dancing on couches, taking shots, playing beer pong, and smoking blunts, letting out drunken laughs, making out: a typical college party. A silence filled the room Then with a blink of an eye, the world stopped turning when there were three knocks on the door, and that is all it took. We all knew without looking at the door or through the peep hole. A feeling overwhelmed the room, I was sick to my stomach; there was fear in our eyes, almost like your mind is racing around and around but with nowhere to go. Three knocks on the door, by God it felt like a lifetime when in reality was only a mere two seconds. We were looking for anywhere to run or hide; all the doors to other rooms were locked. What was there to do on the second story of an apartment building? People werent going to jump off the balcony,

we were trapped. All that followed those three knocks were the words that none of us wanted to hear because we were underage, ALE and Police! When those words were said there was a silence that filled the room. We were once all drunk and happy college students who were just looking for a good time, but it seemed as if we all sobered up in a split second. Our hearts paused, stomachs dropped, fear grew in peoples eyes, and beer cans were being thrown away anywhere and everywhere just so we wouldnt get caught, but it was too late. Me and my friend were quickly thinking of hiding somewhere but it all happened too fast as the door swung wide open and the officials flooded through the apartment. We ended up standing against the wall, there was nowhere to go, nothing to do so I followed my stomach, and dropped, I slid down the wall and tears filled my eyes as I grabbed my best friends hand. I was freaking out, I just thought, my parents are going to kill me, for this was going to be my second drinking ticket. What was happening, all that anyone wanted was to have a good time, and now the law was involved and citations were being given out. When the ALE officers asked who all had their IDs and who didnt, they then split the room in half and from there they broke us down into groups. Thankfully I was with my two best friends and the officer escorted us downstairs, when we got on the bottom floor the exit was going left or right. For a second, I thought we could go right and run, but I was drunk and it probably wouldnt have worked out and get in more trouble. From there we were all given our drinking tickets and all hell began from there. Parties are like sparks Being in college and attending the parties can have both good and bad consequences. I picked a college to attend that has an interesting nightlife and well known reputation so that I could enjoy every moment while I could. There is nothing wrong with this at

all, its only when partying becomes an individuals lifestyle instead of just a recreational college tradition. Parties are like sparks for future friendships, stories, and are also social events and stories in the making. The aspects of networking and stress relief are critical in college. Students, like myself, are always stressed out with school and settling into a new environment and need stress relievers. For some people it can be simple as going to the gym, reading a book, or hanging with friend, but for others it can consist of going to a club or to a party. Partying sets up a network to meet other individuals that share the same interests and is a vast way to create new friendships, opportunities and experiences. However, I didnt generally realize the effects that partying had on me, my friends, family, and even academics. I see parties as a place to raise hell and live my life and not worry about the consequences or having to listen to what my parents say. I wanted to rebel, break the rules, live on the edge and create forever memories. College traditions have unfortunately become involved with drugs, alcohol, sex, and the law within the last few decades. These are traditions that have been developed over time and are not going to change. (Sandy.)Traditions continue to grow and parties occur everywhere and at anytime. College life: big parties, new friends, living it up, and dealing with the consequences. Almost every college student wants this life, to live up to the college traditions. The traditions that consist of frat parties, sororities, raves, and parties. The reason many college students look up to these crazy wild, unforgettable parties and what helped create the image of these college traditions is because of movies like, National Lampoons Animal House. (Sandy.)This movie was one of the first movies to depict college life and parties involving fraternities and set up the image for what a real college party should be like. (Alison.)The

media impacted society by releasing this movie and in turn, all of society was influenced to believe that this is how college should be. From then on, I and other college students believed this was how parties should be and we all abided by the rules which set the tradition. However, this expectation does not have to be upheld and people do not have to live up to these standards either. Not all parties are like the ones portrayed in this movie, actually most of the parties in college are nothing like those seen in, Animal House nor do they exemplify the real consequences of partying in the movie like ones in real life. Just because there is a tradition or expectation doesnt mean everyone has to live up to it either, because in reality, hardly any of the parties depicted in movies are like those in real life. Parties in real life arent as a big deal as the ones seen in movies, some parties arent even planned. Parties arent picky like in movies, there arent as many stereotypes because its college and everyones welcome as long as they arent causing any trouble. Yes, there is still alcohol, sex, drugs, and frats and sometimes the law becomes involved, but not all the time. What Goes Around Comes Around There is nothing wrong with partying, as long as it is done responsibly. Time management is key in order to succeed in college, I, being the typical party girl didnt see anything wrong with partying for the longest time. I felt as if there were so many positive aspects about it: meeting new people, having crazy stories, taking lots of pictures, and the list goes on. But while we are busy partying, we were losing our minds and bodies. College students will then in turn learn one thing, what goes around comes around. The truth is that partying as much as we do can exhaust our body and leave us not wanting to go to class which can reflect on our grades. Once the grades are affected, it causes stress which can affect everyone we surround ourselves by. Another aspect of partying is that consuming alcohol, weed, and possibly other drugs can

weaken the immune system which can cause health issues and fatigue. Partying all the time leaves a mark, a reputation, and not a good one. Teachers, friends, and even family will learn to know this reputation then not want to affiliate or even associate with you. This is when people start putting a connotation on those who party. If you party or are seen in pictures at a party some people automatically assume youre a bad influence because you party. The traditions have caused some of these negative connotations towards people but not every person who parties is a bad person. Just because some people party doesnt make them bad people. Truth of the matter is, people are going to judge you either way and if some party too much and people put negative connotations towards them as a person, then they probably have a reason. I had to learn the hard way I was the same as all the other college students. At least I thought I was, it was my first semester at college, I didnt want to sit around and do nothing, I wanted to get out and break the rules. I would go out and party or club about three to four times a week. Meeting people and having a good time was my mission, partying was the target, and you only live once (YOLO) was my motto. I would just rage and party, trying to find my place in college and where I fit in. I lived for the lights and all the people I met along the way. There is nothing wrong with partying or where the parties were held, the problem was mainly how often the parties were, and how it and the drugs and the alcohol affected me and my life. I had to learn the hard way. I partied all the time, got caught up with the wrong people, and then it all went downhill. I lost my friends, my grades went down, my teachers started to not seem to care, and not shortly after, I was losing my family. This proves to show that partying isnt worth it. Partying is not worth losing your grades,

family, friends, and reputation over. I have a different perspective than most on partying, I lived the life, I learned what it does to people, and Im not proud to admit that I am one of those people who has had to suffer from the consequences, but Im proud to say that I learned from my mistakes and they are lessons learned. Not only did I have to learn the hard way, but my roommate Angelina had to also. She partied just as much, maybe even more. Wed sleep all day and skip class, and wake up at night to go out and party. Except she had it worse, she failed out. Now she has to work to pay her rent and soon enough to pay for her school if she wants to reenroll and receive an education. Students should be thankful they have the privilege to go to college and not waste their chance by partying. Because we could both tell you, its not worth it. As of right now, Angelina and I are both balancing our lives out by staying straight. We are each others support system because all we have left is each other and it took losing everything to realize that partying wasnt healthy and we couldnt live our lives that way anymore. Enough Is Enough For some people it takes one time to learn a lesson, well for me being a stubborn college student, it takes multiple times. A random Tuesday night, there was a knock at the doorOnce again, silence filled the room. My mom busted in my apartment at midnight to find us smoking weed and drinking. Ive never been so embarrassed in my life; I let my mother down, the single most important person in my life. I disappointed her, and for me, thats the worst feeling in the world. The next night, the crew was at the apartment again, my other roommate Kaylan was sitting at the table and started shaking uncontrollably, and had a seizure which resulted in us having to call 911 to bring an ambulance, it seemed as if things couldnt get worse

The very next night we decided to just have the crew over and met a few other people to just come chill and play some pong. Turns out when you surround yourself with people who arent normal, crazy things happens. A huge fight broke out and with one roommate in the hospital there were only three girls to break up a fight between our so-called friends and new neighbors. Which were being beaten with metal chairs, throwing my table into my glass door, throwing metal tins at their heads, beating three guys on one in my apartment, then throwing beer cans at each others heads, breaking my back door having a full on brawl in the parking lot. Screaming at the top of our lungs calling for the police or help, no one came. The longest, craziest, most frantic ten minutes of my life were over. This fight resulted in a loss of friends, broken furniture, and glass all over the floor, panic attacks, broken noses, broken hands, and a major lesson learned. People like this should not be associated with us. That night, we sat on the couch and said the life we are living is not for us. From that night on, we cleaned the apartment, we set the rules, and we wiped our hands clean of partying. Enough was enough. Lesson Learned Partying has affected everyones life in different ways. Partying needs to be taken seriously, its really not a game. Its all fun until it goes too far and get caught up with the wrong people. Its almost like an addiction, you get all your homework done, get bored and people just come over with beer and its a party. The reason I think college has turned into this is because of todays society, our generation has to always be occupied with something. Our generation is Facebook, Twitter, technology, and staying busy. People arent comfortable just sitting at home doing nothing and Im not saying partying is bad; its only bad if not done responsibly. I wasnt the most responsible and I only hope that someone can see what Im going through and not have to go through all of this. This is one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do in my life, and now

I am left with very few friends, Ive lost all trust that my parents possessed in me, Im constantly sick due to a horrible immune system , and there is no excuse for it. Except to say I made a mistake and the cause of it was partying, and I have to learn from it the hard way. Parties are not always depicted like those in movies, but every student doesnt need to go out looking for a party or look to get crazy and wild. Parties should be casual, done in moderation, done when convenient. School is first, partying is second. If its in any other order, it wont work and its not worth it. Partying is something that everyone does in their life, I was one who got too caught up in the life and now I am working on getting back on my feet, my grades back to normal, my friends back in my life, working everyday to earn my parents and friends trust. Its an everyday battle, Im dealing with the consequences of living young and wild and free. Works Cited Alison. "How College Is NOT like Animal House." Web log post. The Campus Commons. University Language, 24 June 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Allen, Maggie. "Negative Consequences of Partying in College." EHow. Demand Media, 12 May 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

Sandy. "Parties: The Important College Tradition." StateUniversity.com. State University. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

Reflection I believe this essay should be categorized as creative nonfiction because it has many of the characteristics of being so, weve worked on the creative nonfiction beginnings and Ive used several of those techniques within my essay. Ive included sources which I have drawn information from throughout the essay, they have included about the negative consequences of partying in college, how college and college parties are not like animal house and also talking about how partying is an important college tradition. One source is an educational blog and the other two are both educational sources and I found they both stated information that was important and relevant to my topic. I decided not to consult many of the other sources because I included a lot of primary research which I figured was way more valid than anything else. I engaged research within my essay by using my primary research and comparing how they are the same or different. Mentioning about the consequences of partying in college were drawn from an essay, information about Animal House not being like other college parties. The focus of my essay shifted or changed when my opinion of my topic changed as well. Realizing that partying had many affects on me and throughout writing this paper, I realized that it wasnt for me so I became a little bit more neutral and against partying than I was for it. Peer review clarified a lot

of things that I did not know if I should include or not so it definitely helped to set me on the right track and make sure I was doing everything right. Ive come to understand that partying is something that is done when its convenient. It takes time management and responsibility to party and it shouldnt be abused. I honestly dont know what Id like to revise over when I do the portfolio, perhaps organizing my paper and taking out some information and putting more facts and articles. During this writing Ive had thoughts but I dont believe Ive had anymore mystery boxes emerge about my topic while writing it. No more questions about writing and research.