Updated with current information for 2022
College is stressful stuff, but it also can be a highly socially engaging environment.
Between cramming for finals, writing a novella of a term paper, and the Court Street shuffle, you feel lucky to get a spare moment in your apartment much less have time for an actual relationship. If you are tired of the random hookup and ready for a truly special connection, it takes some work. But with some balance, you can still be a bookworm and a romantic at the same time. But be weary, most college relationships only last about a year.
Set Aside Date Time
Dating isn’t dead, but it has evolved. Rather than the old-fashioned chivalry, just set aside some time doing the things you both love to do together. Go for a hike and pack a picnic. Order a pizza and check out the latest music release from your favorite artist. Hit an open stage or a poetry reading.
In fact, science suggests that couples who go on a date at least once a month are much less likely to split up than those that don’t.
Here’s an excerpt from a study explaining the science, to which there appears to be a happy medium at one or two nights per month:
“Overall, the odds of splitting up among couples who went out monthly or less often were 14 percent lower over the next 10 years compared to couples who went out either weekly or rarely.”
Keep an Open Mind
It’s best to not approach a relationship with expectations, especially in college.
Let things progress naturally. If the chemistry is there, you’ll know. If you force it, it will blow up in your face. And remember that either of you may be busy with commitments from school, part-time jobs, other friendships. It’s perfectly okay to lay low and just hang out with your roommates or friends at your Athens Ohio apartment.
Sometimes you appreciate each other even more when you spend some time apart.
A Roommate Balancing Act
If you live with roommates, whether it be just one other person in a two-bedroom crib, or as big as a six-bedroom house, balancing a relationship with your roommates can be somewhat of a delicate and tricky task.
Bathrooms and common spaces are the hardest issue. Your roommates probably won’t care that your partner spends the night, but they may care when they go to take a shower and find themselves locked out because your significant other is in there shaving or doing their makeup.
Similarly, you and your partner may be enjoying a nice homecooked dinner together and that’s great! But one of your roommates may be in the adjacent living room screaming, playing video games.
Like most roommate woes, the solution is communication. Talk to your roommates and plan ahead. Know your partner is coming over for a special night inside? Tell your roommates. Is your significant other going to be showering for class at 9 a.m.? Tell your roommates.Just talk it out, man. If it works with your partner – it’ll work with your roommates.