You don't always need a reason to party. Sometimes you just need to decompress and blow off some steam at the end of a few drinks. Fair enough. Go ahead. But every now and then you need a little more than the cheap beer and tacos to satiate your need for social interaction. That is where the true fun starts! I can't say enough about this, but planning is key to a good party. Start as early as possible. But in order to do that you are going to need to know what kind of party you are having.
If someone is going to college my first piece of advice to them is to start collecting college party ideas. Write them down. Brainstorm when your waiting in line. Think about it at the doctors office. Keep a notebook with you and jot down things you notice and see. Everything can become a great party. You see a fire engine go by, and you think 'fireman party', 'hot as hell' party, 'FIRE, FIRE, where all tha Hoes?' party. You notice it is getting cooler outside, so you start thinking about end of summer parties and harvest parties. You write down upcoming holidays and events, or find an online resource. You see people dressed like bikers and you think biker party. The options are limitless! Everything can be used.
The key to making them work is not in the idea, but in the execution. If you have an ok theme, but go all out on getting it together, it will be a hit. Have decorations, food and drinks that relate, music that applies, costumes, favors, games, etc. and you will have one hell of a party. Be flexible in your thinking. Start seeing items as props, see clothes as costumes or themes. And no matter what, start recording them. Get your friends together and brainstorm up some new topics. Combine and share. Work together with your friends and become the premier party throwers at your school.
When writing the ideas in your notebook, make sure to write down thoughts on the related items you may need. Keep a running list and you will be sure to always have access to a great idea, when the need arises. Your success in college party throwing is directly related to your access to great college party ideas, so don't ever stop collecting them. Get creative and get going!

As I mentioned in the last installment, you should be collecting a good list of possible college party ideas to use this year. When writing them down, make notes about items you may want to buy for it, foods and drinks, costumes etc.. So to get you started and heading in the right direction, I've compiled a starter list to get you going!
You may organize your list in any way you would like, just be sure to find a way that works for you. Personally, I divide my list into broad categories, so I don't accidentally pick a bad theme party idea. My larger groups are: Food-Centric, Activity-Centric, and Free-for-All. Food-Centric party ideas are ones that are focused around the food served or brought to the event. For example, a Tapas party would be nothing without the actual Tapas dishes. Activity-Centric parties in my mind revolve around a specific activity or game(s) that people enjoy. A great example of this is a scavenger hunt. The Free-for-All section I use as a catch all for college party ideas that don't fit into the other two. So without further ado, here is my list with a brief description.
Food Centric College Party Ideas (and Drink Centric)

• Spanish Tapas Party- Serve small servings of a variety of appetizers and such. Have guests dress in Spanish Motif.
• You kill it, we grill it!- You provide drinks and side dishes, have the guests bring their meats for the grill. 
• Tailgator Party- Either provide the food or have it Potluck style. Everyone wears jerseys and hats
• Beer/Wine Tasting Party- Gather together some different beers/wines. But them inside a bag or cover the label.
• Martini Night- Get the liquor and a variety of different ingredients (pom, olives, espresso etc) Everyone dress-to-the-nines
• Sushi Night- Everyone dresses in oriental garb and dines on a variety of sushi (plus if it is homemade) Grab plenty of Sake

• Cornhole Tourney- Break out the beer and cornhole set! Form a bracket and haev a prize for top team(s)
• Poker Night/Casino Night- Set up stations for people to play at. Have you and your co-hosts dress as waiters, everyone else dress up
• Scavenger Hunt- Make lists up for individuals or teams, then race to see who finishes first!
• Flag Football Party- Determine teams and away you go! Be sure to have cheerleaders for both sides
• Bonfire Party- marshmallows, hot dogs, wood and good times

• Mad Hatter's Long Island Iced Tea Party- Dress like Alice in wonderland characters, or just fairy tale characters, serve the drink of choice. Good times!
• Luau/Beach Party- I combine these because they are so similar. Limbo, tropical cocktails, Reggae or related music. Hawaiian shirts and leis required
• Toga! Toga!- If you have to ask, you're not ready for College
• Costume Party- Everyone dresses it up! You can even specialize it into types of costumes
• No-Baby, Baby Shower- Have a celebration that you don't have kids to take care of. If someone there does, feel sorry for them and treat them like Kings/queens
• Fill-in-the-blank holiday party- if its on a calendar, you should toast to it