As a sophomore in high school, my psychology teacher, Mr. Bell, said something to our class that managed to wedge itself deep into my brain. No, it had nothing to do with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or the definition of retrograde amnesia. It had to deal with dating. “Dating in high school is great,” said Mr. Bell, but he continued with “Dating in college is way better. Dating in college is like a candy store. There are so many good looking people because most of us are in our prime during the college years.” I remembered that advice during the weeks before the start of my freshman year.
That first weekend, I met my boyfriend. He lived 3 doors down from me in Rhoads Hall and started talking to me at a party we all went to at The Ivy. The following weeks were filled with dinners and hours spent sitting around in the third floor common area of Rhoads Hall getting to know each other. I was able to form a relationship with a person while I watched others around me go through the cycle of snapchatting others and then being ignored at parties.
Having a partner means that you never have to carry your own drinks to parties or pay for cinnamon rolls at Camelot, but the best thing about having a partner in college is knowing that you can go home and still have someone who loves and cares about you even when you’re not living with your family. I always say that my boyfriend is my rock as he has had to sit through many phone calls consisting of tears, complaints and irrational fears about failing classes that have yet to start.
Dating anyone, anywhere will have its own challenges, but college is a whole different story. You no longer worry about just your own grades, health and well-being. You now have another person who you want to see succeed and do well. I spent time worrying about exercise science lab reports when I’m a healthcare administration major. Having a partner, just like my job and clubs, needed time. Even though we don’t have the time to see each other every day, we always make it a point to call and recap on the days events.
Sure, there’s fighting, but I think that every relationship has that. It can be most difficult when stress seems to take you over and you accidently take it out on your partner. I realized that dating in college is great because the positives outweigh the negatives. Knowing that there is someone right there to help you when you can’t figure out chemistry questions or when you just need a hug because you had a rough day is one of the best feelings in the world. If you find a person who you want to be with, and they want to be with you, go for it! It can’t hurt to have another person on your team when you’re trying to navigate life in college!
