A good rule of thumb for college romance, on both sides of the fence, is that school comes first. Respecting your partner’s commitments and desires is a large part of the dating scene and nowhere is that more important than when you’re both in college.
The challenge of romance in college is that you are a very busy person. Your class schedule, your homework, and any employment you might have, and friends are all major time sinks. The image of the partygoer college student is strong in pop culture, but the reality of the situation is --- fewer parties and more stress. Students tend to get rowdy because it’s how they blow off steam, but even with the college party scene thrown in, dating in a ‘traditional’ sense is not the easiest thing in the world for a college student to do.
Whether you are involved in a long-term relationship or just met the perfect guy/girl and want to go out with them, keep in mind the following tips. College students are broke all the time. They rarely have a lot of disposable cash and an expensive date might be ordering pizza into a dorm room that they share with four other people. So be prepared to split the bill if you can or if you actually have extra dough, be ready to pay for the whole thing.
Avoid planning big dates during heavy testing times, because you’re both going to be stressing about exams. It’s better to spend time together when you’re not preoccupied with other matters and can really spend the time together. The best part of a romance in college is the ability to share all the new experiences, but keep your feet on the ground. College is a four-year experience and if you are putting your nose to the grindstone, romance – no matter how fulfilling it is ---can be a huge distraction from your endgame goal.
Some college romances can turn to deeper, more meaningful relationships and some can evaporate with the turn of each semester. Be prepared to spend time on the romance, but not to the exclusion of your studies and if you’re dating a fellow student, respect their needs as much as you want them to respect yours. A romance in college can be a fantastic thing, but it’s a side activity – not the whole banana.
This seems pretty self-evident -- though my college days are in the past, I admit. (On the other hand, I've seen plenty of college relationships crash and burn because one partner or the other couldn't grasp the common-sense part about a big test standing in the way of romance.) There's a great, fun book out now on improving dating life: Why I Love Men: The Joys of Dating. It's pretty common-sense, too, instead of that tired "how to get a man" kind of stuff.
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