Dating and relationships change after leaving college and starting adult life. Some go from living next door to their significant other, to being miles apart. Some also have to adjust to the different forms of dating when it’s no longer acceptable to take a girl on a romantic date at Cav’s Corner.
“I would say things after school are definitely a lot more electronic because in school you’re constantly around people. It’s mostly online unless you go to a bar,” Nick Cipollone, ‘15 alumnus, said.
Online dating sites and other online connection tools, such as the growing app Tinder, have offered a new option for finding your perfect match. Cipollone said, “Two friends of mine actually just started dating girls off Tinder so I think that’s really weird.”
Many alumni, such as Lauren Hight (’15) and Jennarose DiGiacomo (’15), agreed that the most popular ways to meet people after graduation are online, at work or at a bar or club. “Most of the couples that I know that have met outside of college were either co-workers or met through mutual friends,” Hight said.
“I believe most couples meet outside of college by simply meeting at clubs or bars which has become quite the scene in our generation, as well as online dating,” DiGiacomo said.
“A popular way students meet each other after graduation is typically through work, or online or through friends,” John Solewin, ‘11 alumnus and assistant director of admissions, said. He also commented on other changes that take place in dating after graduation. “I think when dating outside of college the bar is kind of raised. You’re expected to do real things like to out to dinner, not just take the girl to the cafe,” Solewin said.
Couples that were already together before graduation also have a large transition to deal with as they move forward both with their adult lives and with each other. Chris Keeney, ’15 alumnus, has had to work through long-distance with his girlfriend since graduation.
Keeney currently works full time for the government while his girlfriend is a member of the Disney college program in Florida. “It has definitely been different than her living down the hall,” Keeney said.
DiGiacomo has a similar situation. She stayed in the Philadelphia area while her boyfriend has moved to Virginia to continue classes. “I absolutely love when I get to travel and see him whenever I can and he can, which continues to make our relationship grow and get stronger.”
Cipollone, in a relationship of about a year and a half, doesn’t have as far to adjust to. However, timing has been a change for him since graduation. “The nature [of our relationship] has changed since we don’t have as much time for each other because we have to compensate for other friends and other commitments we have. It’s hard to have time just for us,” he said.
Though it has been an adjustment, Cipollone has still been able to make his relationship work in life after Cabrini. “We do a lot of phone calls,” Cipollone said. “She always calls me when she’s done work, I always call her when I’m on my way to work, so we kind of figured out a schedule of when we could talk.”
