Making birthdays fun between 18 and 21

Colorful invitations, theme parties, skating rinks, laser tag, cake, goody bags, and an exorbitant amount of presents -- all these things come to mind when reminiscing about childhood birthday celebrations.

When the number of candles on the cake surpasses eighteen, however, many celebrate their special days in -- well, other ways. "Sometimes, high school parties are organized by parents - quite a bit differently than college birthdays," sophomore Mary Humphreys said.

While the ways that college students celebrate their birthdays may change, the annual event remains a cause for celebration. "I think birthdays get celebrated about as much as they do in high school, but in different ways," Humphreys said.

Students agree that one aspect of birthdays has definitely -- and regrettably -- changed: the number of birthday presents received in college. "[Birthdays] have changed in that I don't think people give birthday presents as much as before college, because there are so many birthdays to celebrate," sophomore Rhiannon Deierhoi said.

Considering the number of fellow Jumbos the average student knows, purchasing gifts for all of them is not only a daunting task, but also a bank-breaking one. "Presents are a bit less extravagant because people just can't afford too much on the actual present," Humphreys said.

The money that students may spend by buying fewer presents, however, often gets redirected towards the actual birthday activity. Friends often chip in to make the day a special affair. "The most money is spent on actually organizing the event," Humphreys said.

Some would argue, however, that the party's not over, even if you can't put your ID to use just yet. According to many students, the college years see a number of landmark birthdays, not just the typically heralded 21st.

"Our nineteenth birthday was our first one together at Tufts," sophomore Caroline Decker said. "Turning twenty is also a big deal; we are no longer teenagers. So over four years, there are some pretty big birthdays in there."

The first birthday away from home represents a milestone for many freshmen. "I always had pretty exciting birthdays at home, but the first one here was great because I wasn't expecting it, and it was all the friends I had made at Tufts that meant the most to me in one place," Deierhoi said of the surprise birthday party her friends planned for her 19th birthday. "It was awesome."

The surprise party is one route many students take to avoid the clich‚d dinner out. "I've been to a lot of surprise parties," Deirhoi said. "Mine has actually been a surprise both years."

For those who are bored with the typical on-campus celebration, there are many places to explore off campus. A surprisingly popular birthday celebration spot for Tufts students is Chuck E. Cheese's. Though it may sound silly, returning to one's birthday party roots can result in a memorable time.

"We went to Chuck E. Cheese's because it was really funny," Humphreys said. "We got to play all the games and crawl through the tunnels with kids, which was embarrassing but awesome." Humphreys said. "Plus, we danced with the Chuck E. Cheese huge doll, so that was funny."

Sophomore Miranda Steed's friends had the same idea. "We got the [Chuck E. Cheese's] party area all to ourselves and just had a blast acting stupid," she said.

Another positive aspect of this type of festivity is the lack of a minimum age limit: Chuck E. Cheese's will not card you and your guests. "It was a nineteenth birthday present, so we couldn't go out to bars or anything like that yet," Humphreys said.

A word of advice to those who plan on copying this idea: avoid Fridays and Saturdays. "We went on a weeknight, so it wasn't full of screaming kids," Steed said.

For those who want a more grown up place to celebrate birthdays, Boston offers a multitude of special-occasion activities for those with the imagination to find them. "We went to see comedian Dane Cook at the Boston Comedy Connection [at Faneuil Hall] recently for a birthday, which was a really fun time," Humphreys said.

Many students fall back on the reliable tradition of taking the birthday girl or boy out to dinner, but add a not-so-tame twist. Some students suggest taking your friends -- and your sense of humor -- to the raunchy Dick's Last Resort, located in the Prudential Center. "The service is really bad, on purpose," sophomore Mara Stahl said. "If you're really close friends with someone, enough to be able to make fun of each other, it's great."

Humphreys' advice to those planning birthday parties is to make it big. "Bigger groups are more fun for birthday parties, especially for surprise parties," she said. "My least favorite way to celebrate a birthday party is probably with a movie or something low-key. I like it to be a big, built up event that people have a blast at."