I’ve always pressured myself to find Mr. Right in college. My parents met in high school and were married by the time they were in their early 20s. Meanwhile, I’m here preparing to enter my junior year at UF and turn 20 in December, and I haven’t even found a prospect. But I know I’m not the only one.
Deciding to date in college is a serious topic students think about before their freshman year even begins. Believe it or not, they sometimes forget about the having rude professors and worrying about where their first class will take place and are more concerned with the people they will meet and the types of relationships, if any, that will develop.
As Charles Dickens would say, it’s best of times and the worst of times. The idea is the similar to college dating. There are good things and bad things about pursuing relationships while you’re earning your degree.
The best part about dating in college is the experience you’ll gain from it – and I don’t just mean sexually. Whether you find yourself in a serious relationship or date more than one person without worrying about commitment, you’ll learn a lot not only about yourself, but also about love, about life and about other people.
You’ll learn the ins and outs of being in a relationship by experiencing the ups and downs that come with them. Although it can be stressful at times, being in a relationship in college can definitely have its benefits in the long run whether it ends with a walk down the aisle or not. But I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of staying single during these precious four years, too.
Choosing not to date in college saves people from what I liked to call “C&H” chains and handcuffs. Now when I say chains and handcuffs, I don’t mean some kinky 50 shades type stuff; I’m talking about being held back. According to CampusExplorer.com, college students prefer short-term relationships as opposed to long-term relationships because they want to focus on their personal goals. Although handcuffs are escapable, chains keep you within arms length. College is supposed to be four years of figuring out whom you are and what you want to do with your life, and losing sight of that can be easy when you find yourself hung up in a relationship.
Were you often told high school would be the best and worst four years of your life? I know I was, and I believed it at first. But now that I’ve been in Gainesville for, what, almost three years now, I know I was told wrong. I’ve loved here; I’ve lost here; and, I’ve found my truest friends here. However, at the end of the day, this city has given me so much more than it can ever take from me. It’s given me the Gator Nation – a bond that can never be broken. If you learn anything from dating in college it’s that these are, hands down, the best four years of your life, whether you date in it or not. Take advantage.
