Dating in college falls to the bottom of my list of important things to do. Although college is the time to meet new people and build different types of relationships, I don’t think dating in college is a necessity.
The current generation has changed the dynamics of dating and hooking up to the point that sometimes it’s even hard for me to understand. For the purpose of this argument, let us consider dating as having the boyfriend/girlfriend label while hooking up is more of a casual thing that single people do.
Cabrini, as we all know, is a small school but it seems to have a mixture of a dating and hooking up community. I don’t think either way of living is bad, it just depends on what makes you happy as a person. During my time at Cabrini, I had the opportunity to experience the dating life with an amazing person, but finding someone to date was never my main focus. From that relationship, I was able to learn and grow as a person, for which I will always be thankful.
Although that dating experience didn’t work out for me, I do believe dating in college is possible. When two people are committed to the feelings they have for each other, dating can be an amazing addition to college life.
Sometimes people are overly focused on being in a relationship they lose sight of what that relationship actually means. Personally, I don’t think a person should ever focus on wanting a relationship because people shouldn’t want the title. Dating someone is about building a connection with another individual from which an emotional bond is created, you can’t plan that.
Often times dating stems from hooking up, but there is also the mind set of strictly staying single. This mind set basically closes a person off from having an emotional connection with another individual; I see this as a way for people to protect themselves from the risk of being hurt, which isn’t a bad thing. There are many labels that may come from leading a life of hooking up, which is why it is important not to do anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable with.
Speaking as a person who has lived in both worlds, I see the benefits in each. In the end, it all comes down to a person’s wants and desires. If there is an opportunity to be with someone that has a positive effect on your life, go for it. Dating doesn’t make or break you nor does hooking up, but they can both add a little spice to your life.