Five Things to Experience While at College in America: Part V

The last part to this five part article is probably the one thing that a lot of you want to know about most. It is something that perhaps your parents will not enjoy knowing about as much as you. It is the social side to college. It is attending a fraternity party.

Lets face it, we have all seen movies that have college fraternity parties in them with the red cups, the music and the dancing. It is something that we all get excited about before heading to America. I definitely was excited about fraternity parties before my adventure to America. Although the movies do a pretty good job of showing you what a fraternity party is like, you will find that once you experience one in real life that it is not at all like what you see in the movies, even if they do use the red cups!

Even if you are not the partying type, you have to experience it at least once in your college career. It is actually one of the best ways to make friends, especially when you first arrive at college. The first time I went to a fraternity party in my college career, I hardly knew anyone because I had just arrived in America. The party gave me the opportunity to meet lots of new people that perhaps I wouldn't have become friends with any other way. Everyone is especially nice to you if you are a new student and foreign, plus they might have had a few beers in them which may make them extra friendly!

The good thing about fraternity parties is that they aren't always the same, week after week. Rather, they usually have themes that you are meant to dress up to. Dressing up definitely makes things more interesting and fun. There are so many different themes imaginable. The tricky, but exciting part is to find something to wear in order to match the theme of the night. Getting your outfit, and getting ready for the party is sometimes just as fun as the party itself.

Another benefit of going to a fraternity party is that you can just relax, enjoy yourself and stay out as late as you want. Take the night to forget about the stress of study or practice, and just have fun with your friends. It is so good to just let loose and have an unforgettable night. Just remember that the drinking age in America is actually 21, so if you are under age you have to be careful of your actions because you don't want to lose any privileges that may have been given to you.

The social side of college is one of the most important parts of being at college. The reason is because college is where you make your life long friends. You will always remember that one time when your friend did something crazy at a college party. One of my friends once told me “college is not where you find your husband, rather it is where you find your bridesmaids”. This quotation is a little cheesy, but it can definitely apply to all students at college. I believe that I truly found my best friends at college in America, and they will be my friends for life. Some of them would have never become my friends if I had never attended a fraternity party.

So there you have it. The five “American” things that I recommend you to do during your college career in America. Bottom line is that you are in America to study and play the sport that you love, but why not make the most of the experience by getting the full “American College Experience”?

By Mika Deane