PRO

Dating in college is completely different than dating in high school or the professional world.

Dating in high school is premature, and dating in the professional world is, mostly, serious business. No pun intended.

Your time in college is a constant growth spurt and learning about others is sometimes the key to learning about yourself.

Dating as a young adult gives you the confidence you need, not because you need someone else to make you confident, but because you gain confidence from experience.

Today, traditional dating at any age has gone out the door. I believe it’s negatively affecting the respect that genders have for each other.

By saying you will never date in college, does that mean you will just have some one-night stands? Because let’s be honest, college and sex are two things that go hand in hand.

And do we not care who we are sleeping with? Do we not want to know more about these people?

We are at college to achieve many things, but the most important thing is to better ourselves. You do this by crafting your skills through a program, obtaining a degree, or just to learn more about the field you want to work in before you commit to it.

Well, why wouldn’t you want to learn about the kind of person you want to be with before you commit to it? That’s what dating is for. You might think you only like athletes until you say “yes” to a date with the engineer major. They might actually rock your world and inspire you to learn different things.

Everything and everyone you meet is adding to your human capital.

I will address the opposition by saying, I understand. Some people get wrapped up in a serious relationship and they start skipping classes, forgetting about their friends and not spending time on themselves the way they use to. The next thing you know, they are not focusing on their future or experiences outside their relationship.

But I will be honest with you, if you skip classes, stop spending time on yourself and ditch your friends for someone else, you’re really not going to get the things you want out of college anyway.

College requires a drive and hunger for learning and success if you want to finish and get the job you want and a relationship doesn’t mean forfeiting your independence or responsibilities.

And yes, college is the time to travel and explore, but what better way to learn more about yourself and how you handle certain people and situations, than by dating? By dating, you find out the characteristics you like and don’t like in a significant other.

Dating teaches you to be honest and upfront with yourself. What do I want? Do I want to be a career man/woman and not have kids? Do I want to get married after I have my degree, or wait until I have a career?

I also know many people who solely dedicated their life to going out and getting drunk, college was an excuse and classes were on the back burner.

Maybe a mistake happens and a one-night stand ends up in pregnancy. Studies show that young adults in a steady (even casual) relationship are able to talk about things like birth control, protection and STDs much easier.

When you’ve just met someone that night and wake up with the classical “What’s his/her name again?” you’ve most likely missed out on important information that could have protected you.

Dating is usually a friendship as well. A friend is there for you during those nights you’re writing a ten-page paper, they bring your favorite candy bar when you feel down, listen to you when you are stressed and overall they are there to encourage you. And when you have someone with similar goals who also encourages you, you tend to flourish.

Dating in college gives you confidence, wisdom and absolute knowledge of what you want for your future.