In today’s world, it seems as if teenagers portray college the wrong way. It is no longer a place to further pursue careers or to continue education. Throughout high school, teenagers are excited about college for one thing: partying. The thought of being away from home with no parental supervision causes nearly every high school kid to foam at the mouth. College has no longer become a place for kids to focus on learning and their future; it is simply a four-year vacation from home. Kids are shipped off every year to the college they have been accepted to, and the freedom that is given to them is unfathomable.

I am currently a student at one of the largest Universities in the country, with nearly 40,000 students. In no way am I claiming that every single kid at every single college in America is a crazy partier. However, I do want to speak of the dangers of the typical college kid in today’s society. There are thousands of students who stay away from the party scene and receive great grades, and this is what college should be about. However, there is also an incredible amount of college dropouts and underachievers, who do not understand the importance of receiving an education.

Drugs and alcohol have become a necessity at nearly every college party in America. It is not uncommon to hear that a college student is skipping homework because they want to go to nearby party at the Fraternity house. It is also not uncommon for a student to miss class the next morning because they are sleeping in after a long night of partying (often involving drugs and/or alcohol). It is a shame that students do not appreciate the thousands of dollars that their parents are spending on them to go to school and receive a quality education. College students across the nation do not appreciate the situation they have been blessed with. There are people who do not have the money to attend college who would kill for a chance to receive an education. I find it very offensive that some people throw away their chance at receiving a quality education because they are more interested in partying.

I believe the most dangerous situations occur when there is someone who is new to the whole college party scene. Someone who has grown up in a very strict household is often the same person who is passed out on the floor after their first college party. When someone is sent off to college and it is their first time away from home, things can get very dangerous. College freshmen are not used to so much freedom. They are not used to having no curfew, and not having to call their mom and give her details of the party they are about to attend. It is so sad to see young adults throw away their chance at an education because they too busy getting high or drinking alcohol. It may seem fun at the moment, but in nearly every case people regret what did, and think about what they could have done.

College should be used as a place to pursue your future career goals. Students should focus on school first and their social life second. I have seen too many kids throw away their dreams because they got sucked up into the college party life. Drugs and alcohol play a huge role in this, because the addiction is so strong that priorities become severely impaired. These addictions not only take a toll on the body, but they also lead to other problems. A very large percentage of crimes committed by college students are drug and alcohol related. There are tons of DUIs (Driving Under the Influence) and MIPs (Minor in Possession) received every weekend at college campuses all over the place. A MIP is given to a minor who is seen in possession of an alcoholic beverage. The penalty for this offense in California is a fine, community service, and worst of all, a year-long license suspension. Basically, if you are a minor, and you are caught holding a single beer, you can lose your license for an entire year.

Drugs and Alcohol impair judgment, and this causes young adults to make poor decisions that can lead to very serious consequences. And things can be even worse than losing out on education; kids often lose out on life. From alcohol poisoning to drug overdoses, there are several deaths each year at all of the colleges throughout the country. College students who are new to these substances do not know how to control their intake. It is devastating to see a young adult lose their life to a freak accident involving drugs and alcohol.

Hopefully things can change. Hopefully colleges throughout the country can establish rules and regulations to help control the party scene. College is no longer associated with education; it is a place to party. From movies to music, society nowadays portrays college in a negative manner. Popular movies and songs talk about drinking and drugs in college, and young high school kids hear this and assume that it is all about partying. It is a problem at many colleges state to state, and it seems to be getting worse. Whether it takes more police activity or other types of supervision, something needs to be done. Here’s to hoping that change occurs.