By Mea Donnelly
Unofficial. It’s almost here. It seems as if every person on campus is quietly awaiting the day that put UIUC on the party school map. It is iconic. It is loud. It is wild. Your first Unofficial is a day you will never forget, from the hundreds of drunk calls to a crush to avoiding the massive amount of police officers that infiltrate Champaign-Urbana on this day. People plan on missing class weeks in advance, while the professors plan special treats for the students who actually arrive. One’s Unofficial either goes one of two ways: my way, or my friend’s, who I’ll call Sarah, way.
Now, my first Unofficial didn’t start off nearly as I thought it would. I had an alarm set for 6 a.m. to start the day. But non-surprisingly, when the alarm went off, I snoozed it. “You can be drunk later, nothing is better than sleep,” I told myself as I quickly fell back asleep. Now, because I slept through not only my friends’ pre-pre-pregame, but also through the pre-pregame, it was much harder to find my friends to meet up. Luckily, with some persistence, and perhaps some sobering up on their parts, I found them around 10 a.m.—I know, it was a long day—and my drunk debauchery could begin. The rest of the day went as planned – well, except convincing some guys to turn on SpongeBob – and it was definitely a success. However, that isn’t the only way to have a successful Unofficial.
My friend Sarah had two classes every Friday, and the Friday of Unofficial was no different. But unlike me, she chose to go to class first. Sarah not only got extra credit, but one of her professors gave her candy and provided a question on the final exam that only those who showed up would know.
So what does this mean for you? Do Unofficial my way, and attempt to power through the longest day of your life? Or do it Sarah’s way, earn extra credit, and start Unofficial activities after? Personally, it is a decision only you can make, but there are upsides for going to class. For me, I’ll probably just get up with my 6 a.m. alarm and forget my classes’ hours before they begin.
_________
*Image Sources:
The Spread 