Being single in college is truly a personal choice. There are positive and negative aspects to both dedicating yourself to a relationship and dedicating yourself to, well…yourself! Ultimately, it is your decision to make, but if you are torn between the two we have some pros and cons that might help you out.
While you are single you can concentrate more on your extracurricular activities, academics, internships, and career path. You automatically become a source of inspiration and a beacon of independence and leadership for others because of all the independent devotion you show to yourself.
You don’t need to be in a relationship to feel loved. First and foremost you still have your friends and family. You will probably get to see them more often and you can foster the relationships you have with them better than if you had to share your personal time between them and your partner. Even if the relationships you have with your friends and family don’t change, you can fully appreciate the time you have with them in general.
You are able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. You don’t have to consider someone else’s feelings when making decisions in order to maintain the romantic relationship. You spontaneously decide you want to live abroad for three months? No problem! The only person you need to worry about is yourself.
You are lonely on Valentine’s Day—and many other days, for that matter. You don’t have a special friend to cuddle and share romantic evenings with. When your roommate falls asleep talking to her boyfriend on the phone you may wish you had something like that also.
Being single in college means you have to deal with people who ask, “Don’t you have a boyfriend yet?” Or your relatives asking if you have met anyone “special” yet at school during family gatherings. If you are in a relationship you won’t have to worry about coming up with different excuses every time someones probes you with annoying questions.
You don’t get to brag about your relationship on social media like many of your friends are. You may begin to wonder if it would be easier to have a specific, special someone who you can always rely on to talk to when you need someone to listen, (other than your mom). Especially with all the emphasis on social media these days, you may start to feel serious FOMO around the holidays and when you aren’t with your friends or family.
Whatever decision you choose to make in terms of being single in college or committing to a relationship in college, make sure you are making the decision for yourself and no one else. Of course, you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but staying “selfish” at such a pivotal point in your life is extremely important for your well being.
Do you have any other relationship advice for our readers? Let us know in the comment section below!
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