Not all badgers booze
For the past few weeks, headlines all over the internet have gleamed with the new ranking given to The University of Wisconsin-Madison as the number one party school in America
“What’s it like going to the #1 party school in America?” “Do you guys drink like 5 times a week?” “You must black out often” “Are your parties like Project X parties?” “You must love going to the biggest party school in america.” These are all things Badgers usually hear from students attending other colleges, but is all this hype really what it’s made out to be when you actually live the life?
I want to preface this article by saying I do for a fact drink, but sometimes- I’m astonished by the way people consume alcohol.
It’s important to note college isn’t all about the drinking and the partying. There are some people who don’t drink for varying reasons, maybe their health doesn’t permit it or they have personal reasons why they choose to refrain. At a university like ours, people who refrain from alcohol may be looked down on or made fun of, because they don’t join in on all the “fun.”Do you call blacking out and ending up in the hospital with no recollection of your night fun? Some people use these nights as something to boast about to friends, but the real question is why?
Sometimes it’s hard to see the alternatives to drinking on Friday nights. People shouldn’t have to feel this overwhelming pressure to drink to fit in at a place like The University of Wisconsin-Madison. Just because we’ve been given the title of the number one party school doesn’t mean you have to prove you go there by drinking excessively. There’s more to UW-Madison than it’s drinking culture.
For those of you who don’t drink, for what ever reason it is, it’s okay. Don’t fall into peer pressure to drink, because everyone else is doing it. Just so you know- not all badgers booze. Approximately 56 percent of people drink very lightly or do not drink at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That may seem like a small amount but, it is more than half of the entire campus.
Some people tend to think since people act very crazy when drinking they must get to that point to have fun or be noticed by others. But that’s not true. Having fun is defined by you.. You don’t have to be loud and obnoxious to have fun while out. We tend to overestimate how much people drink, because we think it’s a norm, when it really isn’t. Most people really don’t drink as our number one party school ranking would lead you to believe.
I get the hype about drinking- trust me, I really do. I just don’t think people should be made uncomfortable, because they don’t feel the need to drink. I know plenty of people who choose not to drink and they have the most fun.
It’s all about having an open mind and not judging others on their decisions. Some people only drink because they think they have to in order to fit in, but that’s not how it should be.