Summer is here and for students that means parties. It also means exams, moving house and preparations for your next year of studies but when you’re at university these things have a way of receding into the background on a sunny day.
A long summer night is perfect for a party – you can spill out into the outdoors till ten o’clock or longer, and relax and enjoy it, rather than cramming into an overfull student house to escape the cold. Today we’re giving you the guide to the perfect student house party.
Neighbours
When you’re planning a party you need to take your neighbours into account. If you’re in private rented accommodation you might be surrounded by civilians – non-students on a normal 9-5 working week, or a more esoteric shift pattern. You could have young children and parents on either side of you, or a doctor working nights. It behoves you to spare a thought for these people.
Even if you’re in student accommodation in Huddersfield for example and surrounded by other students on every side, there may be people studying for important exams, and encroaching on their rest and revision time will not be appreciated.
Let the people around you know you’re planning a party – inviting them is a politic move, many won’t take up your invitation but it’s a far more graceful and effective tactic to be welcoming. If anyone gets back to you with special needs do your best to accommodate them: making an effort to keep the noise down after midnight is better than having the police called and making an enemy for the rest of the year!
Guests
When you invite people, try to stick to a small, manageable number. Somewhere between 20 and 30 means everyone will have the chance to talk to each other and it will be a party with its own distinct identity, one that will be remembered rather than blurring into the many. Smaller numbers also reduces the risk of things getting out of hand and uninvited guests making their way in.
A party with hundreds of people might seem like the stuff of legend, but ask yourself if you really want your deposit back at the end of this rental. Can you afford to lose it?
Food and Drink
Make sure everyone contributes to the provisions on offer – student budgets are tight and towards the end of the term, keeping everyone fed and drunk could stretch you too far! Don’t just issue an open invitation to bring anything – as long as people are willing, assign them specific bottles and foods to different people so you know there’ll be a variety. If you don’t you’ll end up swamped with cheap beer and burgers, with no buns. Alternatively, you could make a list and let people pick their contributions off it.
With all these conditions in place you’re ready for a perfect party.