Everybody’s doing it in today’s YOLO-minded, free love society. It is almost as easy to fall into bed with a one night stand as it is to trip on those ridiculous cobblestones of the Meat Packing District – not that we’ve ever done that.

Whether it is a result of our inducing MTV role models, or a general shift toward a sleazier population, sleeping around is the norm at schools everywhere, and Syracuse is hardly an exception. Unfortunately, not everyone can laugh off a slutty love triangle as well as the Gossip Girls and Jersey Shore cast. They get to start over fresh next season.

As glamorous as it may look, promiscuity still has its serious consequences – emotionally and genitally. If you are going to exercise your licentious freedom – afforded by comforts of boozy nights and looser morals in college – do it wisely and think it through.

Sex is liberating, but it is not always necessary to enjoy yourself. As a mother would say, “You can’t go back to holding hands.” Of course it is not always possible to control yourself on a wild night out, especially when under the influence. But if you make sex a regular part of your weekend routine, you will forget about all the bases before the home run that entail a real relationship. If you don’t respect yourself, no one else will.

So before going all the way, take your time to enjoy the whole process. Not only does this give you an opportunity to truly appreciate your sexy partner, it is a way of ensuring that you are totally confident in the decisions you are making.

The worst side effect of wanton sexual habits? Your reputation is always at stake. If anyone out there is majoring in communications, then you should know that everyone is a brand. With social media, information spreads at light speed. Pictures and proof of your lascivious sexcapades can be Tweeted and Instagram’d – maybe even before you even remember what you did last night. Do you really want to be the root of all jokes by all the men around you?

Though the fall of sites like CollegeACB and JuicyCampus might have cut down the worst of cyber gossip temporarily, your internet identity is as much a part of your life as is anything. With your identity solidified on a public forum, anyone can contribute to your now public image. And once it is up on the internet, you cannot change the fact that someone, somewhere, can see what others say about you. Gossip travels faster than anything.

Take, for example, Anthony Weiner. The revelation of his adulterous behavior were not up on the internet for any longer than a few minutes. But it took only one person seeing content connected to his personal page to strip away Mr. Weiner’s credibility as a stand-up family man.

So if someone were to see an image or a post about you that reveals behavior that degrades your reputation, you will have a lot of explaining and apologizing to do. And that is if you are lucky – you may even suffer far worse consequences. You be known as that college student with lax moral standards by potential employers, mother-in-laws and by internship coordinators.

A tryst you may think you have concealed can also escalate into a full-blown scandal in your friend group. For those of you who have yet to experience college, or those who have forgotten college’s hallowed halls, the casual dating scene in collegiate culture leads to more drama than you might expect. Even the most talented players on the dating scene slip up. In the immortal words of Howie Day, “even the best fall down sometimes.”

Don’t be one of these guys.

And, of course, the Sexual Exposure Chart. This diagram literally haunted us in high school health classes: the pyramid shaped chart depicted the result of sleeping with one person, then two, then three.

Hypothetically speaking, the amount of sexual partners you “experience” increases exponentially with every new partner because they have their own sexual past as well. The idea of this is horrifying, to say the least. But hey, the point serves a purpose. It is easy to think of your one-nighter as a single notch on your metaphorical belt, but diseases are tricky and evasive; they latch on to all their hosts. Even if you did not sleep with that questionable girl in Cancun three months ago, the guy you met at the club did. And her chlamydia? Yeah. It’s yours now, too!

No matter how great your sex life is, nothing is worth risking your reputation, your dignity or your sexual health. You may party like the 1%, but do your best to own your crazy urges and your sexual endeavors will be much more rewarding.

Maggie Quigley | Elite Daily