Ohio University students in town for school will want to party – it’s practically a rite of passage for students who are living it up in off-campus housing to throw insane ragers. If you don’t get loaded at a party and do something kind of embarrassing, did you even go to college?
With many students back in town, most of them living in their prearranged Athens Ohio rental housing, parties will be popping up left and right on the weekends. But what if you want to party it up, but you don’t want to risk getting sick from drinking off of someone? After all, it would sort of blow if you came down with something right before midterms and finals and tanked your grade because you couldn’t muster the energy to study properly.
College students are college students, however. After all, Ohio University is one of the top party schools. Attending parties at one of the many student rentals close to campus is going to happen—exams be damned.
So how do you make throwing and attending parties safer without the risk of catching the colds that commonly pop up around exam time? Here are a few tips that apply whether you’re a Bobcat or a Buckeye (or any other collegiate specimen).
Keep the Party Outside Your Student Rental
For starters, keep the party outside. Hopefully, your student rental has a yard or a porch. It should be an area where people can spread out. Being outside allows germs to dissipate easier and minimizes the risk of contracting anything around exam time.
Avoid Communal Drinking Supplies. Serve Cans or Bottles of Beer.
Mixed drinks are an easy way to spread germs. So are communal bottles of wine or growlers of beer. Instead, serve cans or bottles of beer. The same applies to snacks. Avoid having a communal bowl of chips or pretzels, for example. When everyone has their own drink in hand, the risk of spreading anything significantly decreases.
Limit Your Numbers
Don’t throw a big party, no matter how tempting it is. The larger the gathering, the more of a risk that you’ll wake up sick right before those grade-defining exams. The number of people you should invite depends on how big of a hang-out space you have. If you’ve got a student rental with a spacious backyard, go ahead and invite 20 people or slightly more. If you’re in a studio rental apartment, you might want to play it safe and invite only close friends.
Avoid Shared Dishes
Dishes like pretzel bowls, chips and salsa, and other assorted dips are recipes for disaster when you’re trying to maintain a clean bill of health before exam time. Instead, encourage people to bring their own food and eat what they bring. If you’re just attending a party, it might be best to avoid the communal snacks this time and instead smash some food when you get back in your Athens Ohio rental house or apartment.