Unless you grew up near a university, the wonderful world of college parties probably seems vast, foreign, and perhaps even a bit intimidating, particularly if you don't know many people on campus. The best advice I can give you is to get out, meet people, and explore, and I've tried to write this rudimentary guide so you don't make a complete fool out of yourself in the process.
•DO meet as many different people as you can, as quickly as you can. This is crucial; the more people you know, the better chance you have of always having something interesting to do. Act fast, since it's completely normal to introduce yourself to total strangers during the first days of the semester. More or less everyone is in the same nervous, semi-friendless situation you are, so seize this opportunity to reach out.
•DON'T make the mistake of latching on to people from your high school. By no means abandon them, but be sure not to neglect the other forty thousand people on campus.
•DON'T get stuck in your dorm. Your hall mates may be great, but there's plenty time for dorm parties later on. Besides, the whole drinking in the dorms thing wears out rapidly after someone thinks they hear an RA coming by for the fifth time, and the guy from next door knocks over a can of beer on your rug while scrambling to hide everything and the next day the whole room smells dank. Again.
•DO have a plan for when you go out. Wandering around looking for parties is fun for a while, but it's always good to have a destination in mind. Also consider where you want to end up at the end of the night, particularly if you're living on North Campus. One guy I met on a bus headed down from Bursley had already stashed a toothbrush and some clean clothes in a friend's room on Central Campus by the second day of Welcome Week. Brilliant.
•DON'T feel compelled to adhere to your plan like it's a military operation. The block party you were going to will get broken up by police. Probably twice. Have something else in mind for when the inevitable happens.
•DO have a good female to male ratio when going out. Nobody is going to let a group of six guys and one girl into a frat party. But six girls and one guy? The guy might actually have a chance. Let this be further incentive to meet people early on.
•DON'T travel in huge groups-you're out for the night, not on a field trip. Walking down Washtenaw with a dozen other people (at least one of whom is carrying a map) is the surest way to look like a freshman, and the likelihood of that many people getting into a party all at once is slim.
•DON'T worry if you don't like frat parties. They're an easy, non-threatening way to break the ice with a new group of people, but their charm can wear off quickly. With your massive network of new friends, you'll be able to start finding more intimate, relaxed house parties soon anyway.
•Finally, remember that at a school as big as Michigan, you can't afford to be self-conscious and aloof. No one knows who you are, where you're from, or how popular you were in high school. You have complete freedom to reinvent yourself, if necessary, and no one to impress-once you realize this, the social side of college life becomes far less daunting. a
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