Mia Lasic-Ellis

So often, we criticize Bowdoin’s social scene at its highest energy—the parties. But how can we ensure a successful nightlife if we don’t warm up the right way? Enjoy this week’s conversation:

MG: How do you think the pregame can function as a proper warm-up for a good night?

BA: The beauty of the pregame is that it allows everyone who’s going out to vibrate at the same wavelength. When I look at the most fun I’ve had going out, my friends and I are united in our goals for the night, whether that’s getting freaky on the dancefloor, running a naked lap or chilling on the couch and watching a movie. Building a vibe together at a pregame is essential for making it through the rest of the night in one piece.

MG: That’s a great point. I think on their own, pregames can serve as a great way to lock in a part of your night that you know will be a great time with your friends. In that way, then, maybe we can start to think of pregames as their own limited mini-events rather than just a process which leads up to a party. Part of what makes Bowdoin nights disappointing often is that you do all the prep work to have a good time—getting psyched up to dance, getting in the right headspace, imbibing—in such a condensed amount of time that if you go to a party and it bombs, you get disappointed with the outcome of the night. If you have a fun pregame beforehand where you can hang out and have a fun time with your friends, you’ll probably be in a good mood regardless.

BA: That’s important, particularly because, as we discussed previously, most Bowdoin parties are just dance floors. During parents weekend, I was hosting a party in Park Row Basement. I was out to dinner with a friend’s parents and wasn’t able to start getting ready until 9:30. Since the party started at 10:30 (which I think is on the later side for Bowdoin), and I had to set up, I ended up not really pregaming and just drinking a lot really fast in the basement. It did not feel good. I realized I frequently find myself in that position since there’s no time for pregaming at Bowdoin.

MG: If you do anything else at a time that makes sense for normal society, you give yourself very little time to have a chill start to the night. This weekend, I went to see the comedy show in Kresge, which ended around ten. Some friends and I were planning to hang out at Pine after. So we hauled butt to get there and then realized we had to be at another party 40 minutes later. So we had like 20 minutes to hang out, sandwiched by long commutes on both sides. I think this gets truer as you advance in class year too, as people start to live further and further away from the core of campus and from each other. The quest can be a fun part of the night, but it shouldn’t be more time than you spend pregaming.

BA: On top of that, it’s so easy to sh-t on the College Houses for not being a great space—that’s literally what I said last week—or that every Bowdoin party is the same. But another part of it is that you don’t have the space to warm up the night. You have to hit the ground running really hard. As a result, I end up actually acting in more unhealthy ways so I can get to Supers on time. If I know every party will wind down around 12:30, and I want to get out around 9:30 or 10, I end up with very little time on the front end to get it done. And that’s how people end up consuming more than five standard beverages in ten minutes.

MG: To cap this conversation off, I’d like to end with a quote I found on the internet from teachhoops.com/basketball-quotes/:

“Yes, it’s true: We can’t control the wind or the rain or the other vagaries of weather. But we can tack our sails such that we can steer the course we desire.” – Unknown.