What happened to the days when cleaning up after a party meant throwing away cups and plates, taking down streamers and putting away the leftover cake? After hosting a party along with my roommates at the end of last semester, I’ve come to learn that although we might all be in college and have moved past the days of pin the tail on the donkey, twister and interjecting a good “Scooby-doo” in between the words of happy birthday, we are all really still kids at heart. Here is my list of why although what’s in the cups has transitioned from kool-aid to slightly more potent kool-aid, when it comes to parties, not much else has changed.

*We have to get what we want*

Before this end of the semester party, my roommate and I were up way too late not studying for our tests the next morning preparing the ultimate party playlist. With a perfect mix of junior high dance songs, oldies you might hear at a wedding, and the latest party songs you might hear on the radio, we were set for a night of solid music. Little did I realize, everyone sees the plugged in iPod as their own invitation to start spinning their favorite music. Not even an hour into the party, I began to hear an interesting mix of songs that were definitely not found on my iPod.

Sure enough, somebody had plugged their phone into the speakers. College students, like kids, have to get what they want, especially when it comes to their music.

*We still forget to say please and thank you*

It’s not that I was expecting people to come up and give me a hug at the end of the night, but more that I was not expecting people to take things without saying “please.” At one point during the party, toward the end of the night, I actually witnessed somebody open up the fridge and take out the ingredients for an omelet. I was too shocked to say anything, but instead watching him use my eggs, ham and cheese to build himself a delicious, fluffy, 3-egg omelet. The worst part was that he didn’t even offer to make me one. And then he didn’t say thanks.

*Pranks are still funny*

In our pre-party preparation, my roommates and I thought it wise to lock up our computers in our room and lock those doors to ensure there would be no theft. Little did we know, our computers were the least of our worries. Walking around the apartment the next morning, I thought it seemed like something was missing. Sure enough, our picture frames were missing. At first I was upset because I thought it was really strange for somebody to steal pictures of my roommates and I, but then I began finding them all around the apartment, from the microwave to the oven.

Next were the apples. Somebody had taken bites out of all of our apples and hidden those around the apartment, in the corners of the rooms, to the bathroom, to our shower caddy. When I went to shower later in the day, I was greeted by a blue tub. A party guest decided to take my roommate’s blue shampoo and squirt it all over the tub. It was probably the only time we cleaned it all semester.

Finally, later in the day, my roommate looked over the edge of the balcony to find our pumpkin had been thrown over the ledge and was smashed on the ground below. My roommate was very upset, naturally, but it was because she had been planning on doing the same thing.

*We are even messier than kids*

After cleaning up the next morning, one thing I learned was that college students spill more than anyone I have ever met. Seriously though, probably even more than a little kid in a high chair. In addition to throwing away a lot of Solo cups, (way easier than doing the dishes) I had to wipe down every surface in the apartment that was covered in an unidentifiable sticky mess. Thank goodness for wipes.

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As I have now organized all of this research, I am fully prepped to host another party sometime this semester. But this time, I’ll prepare by locking up the apples, hiding the picture frames, and making sure there is nothing worth eating in the fridge.

_Kelly is a junior in LAS._