The beginning of the year is a wonderful mess of emotions. Sophomores have finally got it together, juniors are starting to think about what to do with their lives, seniors are panicking because most of them put off thinking about what to do with their lives when they were juniors, and then there are the freshmen. This column is for you. Welcome, class of 2012, to Case Western Reserve University, and more importantly, to our dating pool. Being right out of high school, I'm sure many of you are coming in with a myriad of different romantic situations, so to start the year off right, allow me to provide you with some basic college romantic etiquette rules and advice that most upperclassmen had to learn the hard way.
There must be plenty of you who came to college already in a relationship. If that's you, one of the most important lessons you must learn immediately is how to be diplomatic about having alone time, since most of you live in doubles. This goes for all of you singles who bring "study buddies" back to your room, too. Having a system to notify your roommate before they open the door that you are in the room with someone else is key. Some people put hair ties on the door knob, others write it on the whiteboard – whatever works for you. Additionally, asking upfront "Hey, can I have my girl/boyfriend over on Thursday night?" can work. It may be uncomfortable at first, but both single and attached roommates should keep in mind that if you're going to live with someone for a year, it's better to avoid awkward moments than to have surprises later on.
Also for those who are attached – if you're wondering if there's a secret to keeping long distance relationships alive and kicking, it'll have to stand the test of time. The key to this one is knowing yourself and setting solid expectations of each other in terms of communication right off the bat. Don't go in without a plan and just try to see what happens in college – think about how you would like to go about solving problems like "he never calls me" and "she talks about her guy friends all the time" in advance. That way, you won't be devastated if the aforementioned or anything else crops up over time.
My next little gems are for those of you who came to college single. The most important piece of advice I can give you is please don't hook up with the first hot thing you see. I know it's hard (no pun intended), but when you're a freshman, it never occurs to you just how often you might see someone you thought was just a one-night stand. For instance, if you hooked up with someone during orientation then brushed them off and now they're in your SAGES class, you might be in trouble. And speaking of the issue of where to meet people, remember that you're more likely to meet your soul mate when you keep your mind open. Your chances of meeting prince charming at the stir fry station are just as good as meeting princess charming at a club meeting, so put yourself out there and go talk to people.
But no matter your situation – don't sweat it! Enjoy your four years for what they're worth. If you find romance, then good for you. And if you don't, then that's another couple of years of reading this column! Either way, good luck and welcome, class of 2012!
Internet Dating & Online Dating
Feel free to check my blog here:
http://www.millionairecupid.com/AskApril
