The Art of the Crazy Weekend

So, you’ve made it to college and you’re ready to get started with “the best years of your life.” But how to go about that? What does that mean to you? Even as you hop from class to class, subject to subject, those questions might very well follow you throughout your years of university life. What, precisely, is the winning combination to make these four years memorable?

If you’ve ever seen a movie about college (The Graduate, Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds, the list goes on), you’ve probably noticed that college life doesn’t quite measure up to the raucous action you see on the big screen. For one thing, parties tend to be smaller and smaller in scale, especially if your university is in a bigger city.

If you go out looking for a wild night only to end up finding yourself standing in the corner of a place you’ve never been before, not talking to people that you don’t know, then you probably know what I’m talking about. This is where the nostalgia kicks in and where those old movies can really start to teach you something about the college experience.

College films like the ones mentioned above tend to use a technique called “hyper-reality.” Basically, you take something people know about and you ramp up all the recognizable features to try to recreate the “experience” of what it was like for someone who wasn’t there. So, when the screenwriters sit down to write a college party and end up inserting a whole lot of keg stands, crazy sex, and awkward dialogue, they’re writing what they remember.

This is the secret to having one of those insane rager weekends that you’ll reminisce about for years: it has very little to do with actually being there and everything to do with how you prepare yourself to remember. The first mistake you might make is trying to force your way into the party abyss. You might start to act aggressive or belligerent, with the feeling that you’re missing out on “something.” A more organic approach will usually yield better results.

Go with the flow. If you see that an event is happening on or near campus, go to it. If you spot someone you know in passing, hit them up and see where they’re heading. Nine times out of 10, these won’t lead to anything particularly memorable happening, but you only need that tenth time to really get the ball rolling. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb or take a risk on something you’re not sure you’ll like: college is all about mulligans.

Once you’ve opened yourself up to possibility, follow your course as long as you are comfortable. The rush you can get when you’re moving around and doing something new is pretty one of a kind, so hold onto that. Once you’ve got yourself in that state of mind, everything around you gets heightened and events that might have once seemed mundane or even boring are suddenly the best (or worst) thing that could possibly happen to you.

It’s all about perspective: do something that would sound impressive in a 10-word story pitch. “Remember that guy who tried to steal my shoes?” or maybe, “we don’t go to that Denny’s anymore and here’s why.”

Making waves and making memories

To prove my point: the above picture. I was presented with the opportunity to use an indoor pool. However, I did not have a swimsuit. I might very well have just let it be, returning to my room without knowing the joys of the hot tub. Instead, jeans and all, I went in. Now, I’m the guy that went Jacuzzi diving in denim, plunging head first into infamy, and that’s a moniker I’m pretty sure I’ll be remembering for years.

My advice isn’t ironclad by any stretch and it isn’t exactly comprehensive either. But, it’s worked for me and if you’re willing to embrace a little “hyper realism,” it’ll help you too!