When I was a student with no money I use to party a lot but I was clever enough to party for free, getting on the local DJs' guestlist or invited as "party photographer" lol.
At some point my party buddy has his sister working as the bar manager of the biggest club in town and we got free member card with VIP backdoor access to skip the queue and even free drinks at her bar. It was good experience without the future poverty lol.