Pros

You will meet a lot of fun, interesting people at college parties. Whether it is a house party or a Greek event, parties are easy ways to introduce yourself to many students in a short amount of time.

Parties are fun! They are excellent ways to blow off steam and stress from classes during the week. It is important to take a break from homework to hang out with friends and go a little wild!

Cons

Partying can often mean underage drinking. This is definitely an aspect of college culture you will have to be careful navigating. Underage drinking not only could hurt your reputation, it could cost you a lot of money if you get ticketed for it by the police.

Going out every night of the week can lead to a bad habit of sleeping through early morning classes. In addition, replacing homework with parties may be fun in the moment, but won’t be fun when your grades slip and you have to play catch up.

Find a Balance

First and foremost, know yourself and your limits. Even if everyone else on campus is partying seven nights of the week, pick your own days to go out and your own days to stay in.

If big parties aren’t your cup of tea, or you get sick of attending the same fiestas all the time, there are certainly other ways to branch out and meet people. Use your extracurricular activities as socializing tools – after all, these are people you know share your interests! If you play intramural soccer, suggest a gathering with teammates that doesn’t involve a soccer field.

Scope out the week ahead every Sunday night. Are there events coming up you don’t want to miss? Get your work done beforehand so you are rearing to go come those nights.

Remember: you are paying for your classes, so don’t flush that money down the drain! Socializing is important, but so is graduating.

Be in the know! Here is Cappex’s list of the top 20 biggest party colleges in the nation.

For better or worse, college has most definitely become an invitation to a four-year fiesta. From bars to house parties and Greek shindigs to crazy dorms, there are always things to do on campus–not that that’s an excuse to overdo it–but you’d be surprised by how many students have the ability to rationalize going out 7 nights a week. Let us state here, spending your entire college career in a haze between parties isn’t the best way to spend your tuition. So if you’re less of a party animal, and more of study creature, you might want to avoid the list of colleges below, because according to the Princeton Review, these are 2012′s top twenty party colleges:

1. Ohio University Athens
Location: Athens, Ohio

2. University of Georgia
Location: Athens, Georgia

3. University of Mississippi
Location: University, Mississippi

4 . University of Iowa
Location: Iowa City, Iowa

5. University of California – Santa Barbara
Location: Santa Barbara, California

6. West Virginia University
Location: Morgantown, West Virginia

7. Pennsylvania State University
Location: University Park, Pennsylvania

8. Florida State University
Location: Tallahassee, Florida

9. University of Florida
Location: Gainesville, Florida

10. University of Texas – Austin
Location: Austin, Texas

11. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Location: Champaign, Illinois

12. Syracuse University
Location: Syracuse, New York

13. Louisiana State University
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

14. University of Wisconsin
Location: Madison, Wisconsin

15. DePauw University
Location: Greencastle, Indiana

16. Indiana University
Location: Bloomington, Indiana

17. Arizona State University
Location: Tempe, Arizona

18. University of Maryland 
Location: College Park, Maryland

19. University of Vermont
Location: Burlington, Vermont

20. University of South Carolina
Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Want to search for scholarships or find your perfect college fit? Make your profile today on Cappex!