I can’t be the only one who wanted to skip Mardi Gras

Laissez les bons temps rouler. You see it everywhere you go around this time of the year. Let the good times roll.

As my friends and I stepped up into the streetcar, I looked at one of these signs and said in a louder-than-I-intended voice, “I wish I could just skip Mardi Gras this year.”

I was immediately met with stares from my friends that maybe would have been appropriate if I had suddenly sprouted another arm, or told them I had killed a puppy. I mean, the looks of disapproval could have rivaled that of Chloe, the three-year-old turned internet sensation with this shade she threw at her mom.

I swallowed my words and sat down, making a mental note to not share this opinion about Mardi Gras again, but one of my friends secretly met my eyes afterwards and mouthed, “Same.”

If you go to, went to, or are planning on going to Tulane, you know Mardi Gras is the pride and joy of this vibrant, beautiful city where our school resides. It’s one of the first things they tell us at orientation: “Just wait until Carnival Season. You’ll never want to leave New Orleans.”

Mardi Gras here is not just a season: it’s an ideal, a way of life, and it’s everywhere you go. The green, purple and gold sequins shimmer in the windows of stores, you suddenly start to see beads everywhere, and your pants begin to fit just a little bit tighter (and you suddenly acquire a deeper understanding of why it’s called “fat Tuesday”). It’s a truly special time of the year, and many Tulane students look forward to this unique cultural experience that you can find no where else.

But you won’t find many people at Tulane who will tell you another truth about Mardi Gras: that it’s simply not for everyone. And that you can still have a great time while not doing all of it.

First of all, let me just say that I’m in my fourth and last year at Tulane, and it’s taken me three carnival seasons, each with their own set of joys and disasters, to understand and accept I dislike this holiday. But I’m not writing this to get you to agree with me, or to form a union of Boring People Against Mardi Gras or whatever. I’m just writing this for the people who might be excited and nervous about it.

Do you get stressed out at the thought of people binge drinking? General disorganization? Crowds? Not being able to find a place to pee? Getting hit in the head with beads? Freshman year someone flung them at my mouth and I chipped a tooth and will never look at them the same again.

If these thoughts and questions cross your mind then don’t worry, you are not alone.

We go to Tulane and the social norm at our school is to turn up 100% of the time. Social anxiety here is, on the forefront, not a thing.

You know how we’re rated the #1 party school in the country by, like, seven different internet sources? Well, we have rightfully earned that leading rank. As I said before, Tulane likes to turn up, and we all know it. Take a walk down Broadway on any Friday or Saturday night (or Thursday, Wednesday…some Tuesdays) and you’ll see it all: the pulsing frat houses, the bodies swarming around the Palms Bar & Grill (I know, I also didn’t know that they served food until very recently) and, of course, the esteemed and critically acclaimed Boot, which has walked hand in hand with Tulane by earning the ranking of the #1 college bar in America.

So Mardi Gras is seemingly perfect, right? There are basically no rules. We get school off. Tulane is basically telling us, “Go get drunk.”

But in all honestly, you DO NOT have to stay up all night on Lundi Gras and take a tequila shot with your friends when the sun rises. I know it’s a tradition…hear it from a senior: it’s not worth it. Please go to bed that night. I can promise you will be miserable if you don’t.

Mardi Gras is a time of celebration, but it’s also a time of chaos and crowds. People get robbed and you need to be sober enough to keep track of your possessions and more importantly, your friends.

It is literally so imperative that you listen to yourself first. I know that FOMO is a real thing, believe me, but at the same time your personal needs are so much more important. Remember you go to Tulane and you literally have every other weekend to go out if you want to, and it’ll be a lot less pressure than this past weekend was.

If Mardi Gras isn’t your thing, don’t freak out or feel like you’re a loser – you aren’t being a bad Tulane student by missing a couple of parades. As I said before, the most important thing is to take care of yourself. I promise you’ll thank yourself for it when it comes to Ash Wednesday.