My Take On: Dating in College

This past Monday marked 3.5 years that I have been dating my boyfriend Mike! Since this momentous occasion was this week, I figured I'd take the time to shed some light on the topic of dating in college. Before I go there, I'll tell you a little bit more! Mike and I started dating at the end of our junior year of high school at Mercyhurst Prep, we met because we were on the track team together. When it came time to choose a college, Mike automatically chose Mercyhurst and I was not originally so much in love with Mercyhurst as I now am. I did not make Mike a deciding factor in my college decision, it kind of just worked out that way. Mike is also a junior and we actually are able to take some classes together because some of our business classes overlap; he has a double major in Accounting and Finance.

Now for my tips! At first, making the change from being a high school couple to a college couple was very difficult. When we were in high school we generally saw each other at school in the hallways because we did not have classes together and sometimes on the weekends, usually talking on the phone or on AIM (yes, I know that no one really uses AIM anymore, thus truly revealing how long we've been dating)! When we started at Mercyhurst, since we both decided to live on campus, we could basically see each other all the time. However, seeing each other all the time is not a good idea! In the beginning of college, it is imperative to develop relationships with the girls from your residence hall. Sometimes, things don't work out with significant others, so when that goes south, you need to have good friends to rely on.
It was not until about half way through our freshman year that I can truly saw Mike and I figured out exactly how we would split up our time between friends/each other/each other combined with friends. The most important thing to realize is that just because you can see your significant other whenever you want/need, does not mean that it is healthy to see each other all of the time! Make time for your significant other, make time for your friends and of course have time for all of your friends, boys and girls to come together.

Since we are both business majors, Mike and I sometimes take classes. This is often really nice because we can study together, however, last term we grew fairly competitive. We both get good grades and we both strive for high GPA's. We took two classes together last term and we ended up realizing that our competitive natures had us comparing our grades to each other and becoming easily irritated if the other person received a better grade on something. Because of this, we have decided that in the future, we will avoid taking classes together so that we do not run into that issue. This way, we can feel happy for each other when we get a good grade rather than jealous if we receive a lower grade.

Ultimately, for me, dating Mike while in college has been great, it's nice to have him at the same school that I am at. If someone were to ask me what my tip to someone entering into a college relationship, I would definitely tell them not to forget about their friends. Just as it is important to be well-rounded academically (insert the fact that graduating from Mercyhurst, a liberal arts college, will make you a well rounded person) it is also important to be well-rounded socially!

Here's a picture of Mike and I last summer at the beach (Lake Erie)