Her Cocktail, Her Beer

Her Beer – Danica Ceballos

I’ll have a Blue Moon, please. If your freshman year wasn’t filled with Dominos, tons of embarrassing stories, some regrets and a million memories, clearly you were doing something wrong.

While being a freshman can have some difficult moments, it is definitely the year where you learn most of your lessons. Unfortunately, those lessons generally come from making mistakes. While some of my friends (refer to Hillary’s Cocktail) spent most nights freshman year learning from textbooks, I was learning a lot about life outside of academics.

One of the most common freshman moves we tend to make is going out too early. With no plans and few connections, we think that a party will just appear. Nine out of 10 times it won’t, and you will end up walking around the Townhouses in heels until you simply give up and go home. The first thing I learned freshman year? Lesson One: Have a plan and know who to call.

And I’m not talking about Domino’s Pizza for delivery … Though they might have been on my speed dial. That whole freshman 15 thing isn’t just a myth. Freshmen seem to love chugging Burnett’s and Dubra. I would stay as far away from that stuff as possible. Now that it’s senior year, margaritas have quickly jumped to the top of my list. Most of the time, quality over quantity will get the same job done with better consequences.  No one wants to get transported. Lesson Two: Take care of yourself. Know your body and don’t give into peer pressure.

When we come to college, most of us leave behind small communities of people who knew our family and cared about our general well-being. I hate to be a negative Nancy here, but one of my biggest mistakes freshman year was trusting people too easily. Ever heard the saying, “Only a few people actually care. The rest are just curious”? Well, it’s true. Unfortunately, usually only time will tell who your real friends are. Lesson Three: Be careful who you trust.

There were many times freshman year when Barone was a terrifying place to walk into. Turning that corner and not knowing who you would have to pass at the long tables made my stomach turn. I hate to say that I regret my decisions, but there are definitely some I’m not proud of. As a senior, it is so much easier to do what I want and not be ashamed of it. Lesson Four: Think through your actions and make the best decisions possible.

As a vulnerable 18-year-old at a new school in a new state far away from family, most freshmen just want to feel like they belong. Most of us will do anything to  be part of something that we think will redefine our new college self. I guess you could say that the best way to really find yourself is to lose yourself. This is probably the most difficult reality to face. Lesson Five: Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone tell you who you can or cannot be.

I can confidentially say that the girl who stepped on this campus in August of 2010 was not the same one who left in May of 2011, and that is mainly because of my experiences with Fairfield nightlife. When seniors told me that every year would get better, I didn’t really get it. But it does. The fun and excitement of freshman year turns into nights with your best friends dancing the night away at The ‘Grape. Enjoy every minute of the Fairfield experience because, looking back on it, it couldn’t have been more worth it. Party on, Stags!

 dfs

Her Cocktail – Hillary Maxson

One Cosmopolitan, please. Senior nightlife at Fairfield is on a completely different level than underclassman nightlife. There’s something about being a senior that makes everything great. As seniors, we are trying to make the most of our last months here, and what better way to do so than to party it up?

For those who don’t know me, I hated, in fact loathed, going out when I was an underclassman. The hit-or-miss Townhouse parties, the obnoxiously drunk boys and the dramatics of catty girls were way too much to handle.

But, as I transitioned into senior year, I realized that something was much different. I was switching from hating Stag nightlife to fully embracing it.

First off, as a senior, festivities rarely begin before 11:30 p.m. … this makes going out much easier. I can go out to eat with my girls, finish up my genetics homework, start a graduate school application and still have time to look nice and not miss a beat of the party. As a senior you don’t waste time wandering around the Townhouses at 9 p.m. wondering who will let you in. Seniors prioritize their tasks and know exactly when parties will be raging, because let’s be honest: We don’t have time to waste. Seniors have so much on their plates from job applications, to GRE prep, to resume building, that those going-out nights need to be penciled into our schedules.

Once seniors plan to go out, it is time for drinks, and no, freshmen, I’m not talking about Gatorade bottles filled with Burnett’s, but, tall glasses of heart-healthy red wine and authentic margaritas with the girls. The way underclassmen drink I never understood and never will. Who wants to take shots at 7 p.m. to walk out of the dorm and realize, “Oh wait it’s only 8:30…”  When you’re a senior, drinking becomes more than getting trashed. It is an experience to share with mature, 21-year-old friends and a way to unwind from a long week of capstone research, endless job hunting and career-planning.

So, if the drinks get classier than the parties do too, right? Well, if you consider The ‘Grape “classy” then by all means, yes. But let’s be honest, that shack of a bar isn’t all that sophisticated. That being said, it’s not the physical appearance that matters, but the experience. My friends and I rarely pass up an opportunity to hit up The ‘Grape because number one, it will always be there and number two, we always make it the greatest time.

So after The ‘Grape, what is there to do but to refuel? Watching my friends order Domino’s Pizza and devour pizzas, chicken kickers and Cinnasticks within 10 minutes was disturbing, being a health freak. As a senior, you care more about your health and understand that maybe Domino’s isn’t the best thing for your body. Now whenever I come home late, I have bananas strategically placed by my bed alongside water bottles. A tip for underclassmen: Be smart and be prepared.

Above all, the best part of senior year is that there are no regrets or judgments allowed. Seniors don’t have time to be critical of classmates or regret stupid things they said or did at the bar. There is this mentality that whatever happened happened, and that’s it. Why waste your time worrying over stupid stuff that happened last night when you only have six months before graduation? As seniors, we are realizing that our time at Fairfield is ending and we just want to have fun. Fights with friends are forgotten, questionable hook-ups are embraced and everyone, for the first time in three years, is put on the same exact level.

From here on out the senior party scene will only improve, and I can’t wait for the stories and memories that are yet to come. I love the Fairfield nightlife and I wouldn’t party with anyone else than my fellow classmates of the class of 2014.