UCLA has never been considered a true party school. But I fondly remember the moments when it felt like it was.

I appreciated how at a highly competitive school, students were as eager to let loose as they were to do well on their assignments. As soon as my laptop closed, I would begin another process: getting ready for the night out.

I had never taken the phrase “work hard, play hard” to heart as much as I did during my first year on campus.

Year by year, the atmosphere changed. Hosts that once had to beg people to leave when the party was over now faced empty crowds. People would show up for an hour or so and head home, often with unsatisfied looks or complaints following them out the door.

The waning of party culture is obvious. It’s no longer isolated to a few instances of bad functions.

These parties are an important part of youth culture that should not be lost. Our generation must prioritize building community and strengthening our interpersonal bonds through social events.

“Parties have just changed,” said Michelle Bloom, a third-year political science student. “The attitude, like people are definitely leaving earlier. They’re ending early in general, or people are just not as present or in the moment.”

I recently found myself leaving a party that died out early in the night. I had an exchange with some first-years who were disappointed by the music ending early. I felt insane as I gestured dramatically and told them, “It wasn’t always like this!”

This decline in party culture is linked to a greater pattern occurring across the United States. A 2023 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that only 4.1% of Americans attended or hosted a social event on an average weekend or holiday.

Most of the blame this on the COVID-19 pandemic – a Pew Research Center poll showed that 35% of American adults believed that partying and going out was not as much of a priority following the outbreak.

Yet it’s difficult to pin this shift on one specific cause.

Some people convince themselves that going out may not be worth the effort and decide to stay in rather than waste a night. Others may be totally swamped with work and feel they could not go out even if they wanted to. Excuses vary, but they all point to the common pattern of low party morale.

“There’s a lot of individual-level differences,” said Hyewon Hong, a doctoral student in psychology. “To what extent are you extroverted? To what extent are you introverted? To what extent do you already have a good group of friends? Do you want more friends? But in general, I think it’s almost always a good thing to expand your possibilities.”

The American loneliness problem can be solved by hanging out with people regardless of the context, Hong added.

Working hard and playing hard, however one decides to balance the two, are important aspects of the college experience. The rush and social interaction that come with partying are inherently destressing – a balance students require to maintain their overall wellbeing.

“You don’t have to go in a group to socialize anymore. You can literally shoot someone a text,” said Aydon Stefanopoulos, a first-year economics student. “I feel like that’s kind of making people cliquier. And not everybody’s as socially adept as they maybe were at one point. Socialization skills have kind of gone downhill in the past however many years.”

Many times, people raise valid reasons for not wishing to go out, whether those are concerns about substances or feeling overwhelmed with other commitments. It is important to remember autonomy when partying and reject pressure.

Nonetheless, whether you consider yourself to be a “party person” or not, everyone deserves to treat themselves to some fun every now and then.

Party culture doesn’t have to die out just yet. Our generation should be putting itself out there more and going out.

“You’re only in college for four years,” said Stefanopoulos. “Put yourself in uncomfortable positions, meet people. I think that stands for everybody.”