Our ranking as the #1 party school means we’re never happy with what we have

The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign continues to gain notoriety for our seemingly bottomless love for partying. Business Insider’s recent decision to crown us the most fun college in America is only one in a string of similar titles that perpetuate our image as the number one party school. It’s a brand UIUC works to provoke in the general public, but I fear it sets a dangerous standard.

A dramatic recreation of my reaction to Business Insider’s article

There are certain Friday nights where I find myself alone in my dorm room. Unable or unwilling to find a party that week, I’m forced to pass away the hours accompanied only with my thoughts. No matter how much Netflix or YouTube I watch to quell my anxiety, my brain always goes back to the same question: Do I not belong in the number one party school?

And sometimes, even when I’m at a party, I still can’t fight against this gnawing suspicion that UIUC’s many titles imply something greater. Even when surrounded by good friends and great music, I can’t help but think, “Certainly there’s a better party I could go to. Although I try so hard to be carefree, vibrant and attractive, there must be a better place nearby for me to be more carefree, more vibrant and more attractive.”

At moments like these I often wonder if fun is a finite substance only owned by a select few. You could imagine Bernie screaming, “It is absolutely deplorable that 95 percent of the fun on campus is owned by only one percent of the students.”

I don’t believe I’m alone in this feeling. In a place with so many opportunities for entertainment, many of us must feel the pressure to live up to how the world sees us: a place full of number one party people.

The more the media perpetuates this image of our perfect party culture, the more I feel that I cannot match their standards. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Forty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode of anxiety by age 22.”

It’s possible this incessant desire to portray our university as a party capital exacerbates our already at risk anxiety . It could explain why so many of us find ourselves overrun by a need to drink beyond our means, or a need to take advantage of the dangerous excess our image allots. It’s difficult living up to standard set for us.

But, I don’t think we should feel offended by these rankings. They offer the school some very positive publicity and give us all something to brag about. At the same time however,  we shouldn’t ever internalize this message.

It’s unhealthy to expect a number one party every weekend. For people who feel intimidated by the proposal, it only leads to a sense of inferiority. For those that want to live up to the challenge, it leads to a pretty hefty crash and burn.

So, for all my number one party school classmates, please don’t expect too much from yourself. It’s not worth it.