Incoming Freshman to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - The Real Carolina Way

When I came to UNC in August I was ready. I had done my time and worked my hardest in high school so that I could be accepted into one of the best colleges in North Carolina. In high school I took as many advanced placement courses as my school offered so that I would be prepared for a competitive and challenging academic environment. I participated and led as many extracurricular activities as was physically possible so that my resume would be nice and plump and show those admission officers what a "well-rounded" student I was. I applied to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (early decision of course) and was accepted. After almost a month on campus, I'm here to tell you what really happens, things that the brochures and admissions packets miss.Part 1: Party Time

Yes, everyone knows that college kids party, but most of them don't know to what extent. After merely a week on campus, when the only buildings I could identify were the cafeteria and those that housed my classes, freshmen could not't stop talking about Frat Court. My roommate and I decided we were above parties, we had no interest whatsoever in getting trashed, grinding on strangers and hopefully making it back to our dorms in the wee hours of the morning. But it wasn't that simple. Fellow graduates of our high school that also came to UNC would not stop bombarding us with questions. They interrogated us as to why we didn't want "the real college experience" and one proposed I go simply to see what the fuss was all about-I didn't have to drink. Parents, this is the moment where 18 years of drilling your kids with the dangers of alcohol and the risks of partying come in. All I could hear was my mom's voice telling me this day would come, the day when everyone wanted to do the wrong thing, the day when I would have a "gut feeling" and would have to trust my instincts and my upbringing. The countless articles about college girls that had been raped at fraternity parties and drunk driving stories on the nightly news flashed before my eyes - and I very politely told them, "No, I'm not interested." But that wasn't the end of it. Next came a little cliched thing called "peer pressure." Oh yes, it exists. For hours these classmates presented arguments, bribes and expressed concern for my well-being (they were "worried" I would get burned out from all the academics if I did not't balance it with fun time). An attorney could not't have presented a better argument than these girls did. Finally I got fed up. I told them I didn't come to college to change completely, to do things that were out of character simply because I had the freedom to do them. I told them to call me if anything went wrong (big mistake) and that I would see them the next day and they could tell me all about their experiences. So, I went to my dorm with my roommate and we had our own movie night. 12:30 AM, my phone rings. It's one of the girls who wanted me to go to the party and she says that our other fellow graduate is wasted, and she doesn't want to be there anymore because everyone is drunk and apparently they're the only ones having a good time. Hate to say I told you so? No. I DID TELL YOU SO! So the designated sober friend freaks out and leaves the intoxicated friend with many other intoxicated strangers...what are friends for right? The sober friend leaves and I'm left worrying for the drunk friend, contemplating if I should leave my dorm at 1:00 in the morning to go somewhere I've never been to and look for a house with Greek symbols I don't even understand. My roommate - a very level headed individual - told me I was going nowhere (she listens to her mom as well) at this time of night and if these girls took themselves to the party they could certainly get themselves home. 3:30 AM, my phone rings. It's the drunken girl with awful music blaring in the background. Her speech is slurred but basically she says if anything happens to her it's my own fault for not going to the party to take care of her. Peer pressure? Hell yes, exhibit A. Now I'm fully awake, pacing back and forth calling and texting everyone I know who might be/live near Frat Court to see if they can check on this idiot and make sure nothing happens to her. I finally get through to one boy who also graduated with me who says he is nearby and that he saw her walking...well, stumbling, with another girl and boy back towards her dorm. That's it, by this time it's almost 4 AM and I'm completely over it. I turn off my phone and get into bed.

Aftermath: The drunken girl was fine - well she was incredibly hung over the next day but intact. I was the one with dark circles under my eyes after a night of worry and hardly any sleep. Why did the sober girl freak out? She was trying to make the drunken girl leave with her by taking her phone but instead her wallet fell on the floor and little white pills fell out - and what did the stupid, tipsy girl do? She stooped down, picked up the pills and downed them with a little bit of orange juice...and vodka. Sober girl had no idea what kind of pills they were - they were Oxycontin, extra pain medication she had saved from getting her wisdom teeth pulled - so she freaked out and left. Can you see the parts where things could have gone drastically wrong? The worst part was both the sober girl and the drunk girl had devised a plan earlier to call me and scare me into believing they seriously needed help, luckily one of them got intoxicated and the plan went downhill from there. I told both of them to never call me again or to even let me know if/when they were going to a party. My parents have always taught me loyalty and how to help those in need. Through high school I learned about being a designated driver so that innocent people wouldn't have to pay for others' mistakes. But the fact of the matter is you should never risk your own well-being simply to help others who have chosen to do wrong. Before you sign up to be a sober escort or a body guard for your friend who wants to have a good time, make sure it's worth it and reflect seriously on the consequences that may follow as a result of your actions. Sober girl has not gone to any more parties, once was enough for her. Drunken girl on the other hand, she rushed and pledged for a sorority - but that's a whole other story.