If you ask a senior college student what the nightlife of the Big Easy is like, what do you expect me to say? Taking shots of tequilia with strangers at Oz? Playing the penny slots for unlimited free drinks at Harrah’s? Barhopping through the French Quarter alongside tourists? Or realizing that 90 percent of the drunk patrons at the Boot are underage? Or perhaps that Mardi Gras is just a more dangerous and crowded version of any given weekend in the city?

Well, it’s all of those things. But, it’s more too.

Yes, true, you’ve come to college in a city that loves its drinking and always seems to have a party around every corner, but is that really all there is to New Orleans nightlife? As someone who grew up in the Greater New Orleans area, I spent my high school weekends in this city that never sleeps; by the time I was a freshman in college, I thought I’d seen it all. As the city takes the phrase “age is only a number” seriously, I didn’t think there was much I hadn’t done. Freshman year summed up: What is the easiest and cheapest way to get drunk?

Four years later though, it’s different.

Nightlife as a senior is only going out on weekdays to avoid the crowds. It’s heading out early to hit the 4 o’clock happy hours. It’s grabbing a beer with the friends you haven’t seen in forever because they all graduated and now work in the real world. It’s wine tasting on the weekends and going on tours of breweries because alcohol is more than just a means to an end. It’s grabbing a nightcap with your coworkers after a long day of work. It’s hitting every trivia night in the city you can with your busy schedule because you love nothing more than the satisfaction of winning. And sometimes, it’s not drinking at all, it’s just crashing after a long day with your two best friends: Netflix and your dog Charlie.

Nightlife can be whatever you make of it, but something that changes from freshman year to senior year — you’re an adult now. It opens up dozens of doors for you but makes those hallways that much narrower.

So seniors, don’t try to keep up with the freshman. Just have fun and be responsible.