She said: The perks and drawbacks of college relationships

The first day of orientation, one of the 20 speakers who talked to us told us to look to the left, look to the right, behind us and in front of us, telling us there was a large probability we just had the first look at our future spouse. Unfortunately, to the left and right of me were females (I still remain optimistic about men), the kid behind me was picking his nose, and the one in front was wearing a t-shirt that read, “Hooter Inspector.” I blame this introduction exercise as being some kind of curse over my Fairfield relationships. Be that as it may, I think its great when I hear stories of people meeting the loves of their lives in college who then move on to have long happy marriages. I just have not been one of those people; my only relationship of commitment has been with Athena Diner on a Sunday morning.

I don’t totally buy the fact that girls opt out of dating because they have not found the right guy. Many college girls have been overcritical of perfectly good boyfriend proposals. We also have an uncanny ability to pick loser men. Relationships illustrating this in my life: The Jets, the Mets, a super senior with aspirations to sell cheese on the Internet, a German motorcyclist who couldn’t decide which was prettier, his new leather jacket or me.

Or perhaps we don’t date out of convenience. As a freshman and sophomore I wanted to keep my options open and dating posed too much of a restriction. What if that lacrosse player I hearted started to notice me? As a junior I left to study abroad for a semester with no desire to start something before leaving for another country. It’s now senior year and I would rather be left to the confines of my own home than be subjected to going out with one more guy who burps the alphabet.

But I do think those girls able to maintain a stable and healthy college relationship do not regret ‘missed opportunities.’ And when I say a ‘stable and healthy’ I do not mean to include those relationships where late night screaming sessions occur on a regular basis, or cheating is considered okay, or sober activities are optional. Girls who have found a compatible partner date because they are happy and value the relationship they are in.