It’s a Thursday at approximately 9:45pm in Ann Arbor, and although a large contingent of the student body has class tomorrow, one thing in on their collective minds. Beyond the deserted libraries, through the nearly empty Diag, and past the dormant classrooms, you will find them. The hungry, the anxious, the fashionably clad women and men of the University of Michigan getting ready for the night.
Yes, it may be below freezing but looking good isn’t always comfortable and God invented Uber for a reason. This is the world we live in. Or at least, the world I live in. Let me preface this by saying it is most certainly not everyone. To those responsible students, I salute you. But here are the 5 Parties You Will Experience at Michigan:
The Frat Party
Enter a dimly lit basement. You attempt to walk in through the front door and your shoes immediately stick to the floor. Dried beer and mixers? A self-appointed frat DJ is on the elevated platform getting the people going with a remix of Drake’s “Jumpman,” both nauseating and impossible to dance to. The positives: there are women here, and it is a party.
The Tailgate
Wake up, it’s Gameday! Is Saturday morning really the best night of the week, as they say? Well it’s up to you to decide, but it definitely has the potential to be. You will never see school spirit quite like this again. If you’re in maize and blue, you’re welcome to the party. Even parents. If you’re not a morning person, you will be. I didn’t realize how many people actually went to this school until tailgates when the campus becomes electric.
The Alternate Universe
This is the rarest of them all. Everyone in college has experienced one of these. You stumble into a house party that makes you say, “Where am I right now and what universe is this?” As soon as you walk in, it hits you. What kind of music is this? What is that bizarre smell? And, why is everyone wearing some type of furry outfit (or some similar costume)? Your brain will tell you to get out of there, but you stay because you think you recognize that girl from class, and as you slowly gain your bearings you realize that there are a decent number of attractive women and they’re all looking at you!? Either everything is going right or everything is going horribly wrong.
The Date Party
You have to find the right date. If it’s your organization hosting, choose wisely who you invite. If you are the receiver of an invitation you must pick your battles prudently. When executed correctly, these are too good to pass up. Everyone is dressed in their best, and the beverages are usually top-notch. Even better, these are usually held at fancy locations off-campus that make you feel like college royalty. If you really hit it off with your date, this could be what you tell your kids about.
The Manging Darnberg
One of the most common events you will find in college, but a party nonetheless. Urban dictionary defines Manging as “lounging around not having a care, or waiting for something to happen.” And Darnberg – well at Michigan there was a student named Josh Darnberg who was infamous for having gatherings at his house where nothing much happened. These are often not planned, and occur when people wait for a party that never occurs. But sometimes that’s the best way to spend the evening. You and your closest friends sitting on the couch, just talking about life, the future, and apps you want to invent. In the end, you come to think of college as just one big Manging Darnberg, and that’s not a bad thing.
Evan Rosen is a sophomore in the Ross School of Business studying Corporate Finance and minoring in Interpretive Dance
