I get told a lot that I am an overachiever. But I don’t feel like one. People call me this because I go up and out of my way to get assignments done early and get started on others. I don’t know why I get crap for getting things done early. I just learned from my experiences of college that it’s just better to do what you can now, and try not to push it to the next day.

I rarely skip class, I rarely got out and get wasted anymore, and I rarely over sleep. But I am nowhere near a “goody-two-shoes” I just feel like I have gotten over the need to spend my money at bars and avoid responsibilities.

I’ve never been “that girl”. “That girl” who could get guys to buy her drinks, “that girl” who can dress flawlessly, “that girl” who never had to worry about being single.

After my first semester of Eastern and not remembering a thing about it, due to some alcohol influences, I decided to actually enjoy my experiences here and have a “boring” college life.
And by doing that, I had to remember it.

So instead of getting wasted every weekend, like my young 21-year-old friends, I spent most of my weekends hanging out with friends who didn’t pressure me into drinking.

So since I did not spend my money and time getting trashed, I ended up (still not having money because of being a broke college student) getting assignments done because I was not nursing a hangover.

I actually got to know the people who I partied with and realized that I do not actually get a long with (most of) them, sober. In all honesty there is only one friend who I still hangout with on the weekends close to a regular basis that I met the fist day I was here.

I think the fact that we both are close in age and both already had our “wild days” mostly were put behind us.

I literally just had this conversation with my man, we were both talking about what we do regular basis. I said that I work (at The News and Student publications), school, and hang out with my one friend also talk to him and otherwise I sleep.

He said the pretty much the same thing except for he works about three jobs and does not have to go to school, because, lucky for him, he graduated.

We then both agreed at the same time that we had boring lives and were okay with it.
And he is two years younger than I am.

So my point being is, just because of someone’s age, gender, or school status, doesn’t mean you are “obligated” to do the things that college students are expected to do, such as get wasted or slack off in class or skip assignments.

So if you are surrounded by people who think that you should get trashed or not spend so much time working or studying, and you are against that, it’s time to drop them.

It took me a little bit to realize that there were toxic people in my life, but now that they are gone, I am happy, healthy and in a good place.

Liz Dowell is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or ehdowell@eiu.edu.