1. You work with a lot less life drama
Not being in a relationship reduces the amount of drama in your life significantly. When you’re single you don’t have to worry about who your significant other is with, why they haven’t answered your text or who that person in their snapchat is.Granted, once you start developing feelings for someone, whether you two are in a relationship or not, these thoughts arise. However, chances are it happens once or twice before the dilemma fades because there is no relationship to be sustained.
I firmly believe that if you are in a relationship, the concerns mentioned above shouldn’t exist because both individuals would have enough trust in their relationship and self-confidence in themselves to brush off such worries with ease. However, speaking frankly, this situation is not common in college relationships.
2. You learn how to be alone
When you graduate college you become a professional in the real world. (At least you should). There are going to be times in your adult life where you will have be alone, whether it be related to work or personal reasons, you will have to be comfortable doing things on your own. College is the best time to give that a trial run.
3. You learn what you want from a relationship
Being single allows you time and space to evaluate your priorities as well as construct standards and expectations for your future. A single person can do this much easier with romantic relationships than can a committed person because a single person doesn’t have to fit their significant other into their box of expectations. So many times, and especially in college, people realize the person they are with is the not the type of person they want. This happens because they are learning what they want from a relationship while in one.
4. You exercise sexual freedom
Before you start thinking this is an encouragement to promiscuity, let me explain something. Sexual freedom is something we are ALL entitled to. Being in a monogamous relationship, you are of course limited to one person. It’s a beautiful thing, to share intimacy with only one person. However, being in this situation there’s pressure to fulfill every sexual need demanded by a partner. If you’re single, you don’t have to deal with that. You are only concerned with your sexual needs. You can also get it from whoever you want without guilt or shame.
5. You are known as your own person.
College is when you’re on your own. For real. You end up making new friends and doing new things. During this time you develop yourself as an adult and build off of the experiences you undergo. When you do this with someone else, it’s nice because of the company, but it isn’t 100% your experience. And chances are, people don’t just look at you as an individual but also as so-and-so’s girl or man.
6. You can be selfish without explanation
Not much to say about this one except do you boo boo.
7. You have more time to focus on making lifelong friendships
It’s amazing how many people go into college thinking they need to find their spouse when in actuality you should be going in to find your maid of honor or best man. Friendships tend to last longer than romantic relationships. However, we tend to spend an enormous amount of time and energy into a semester-long relationship instead of nurturing that four year friendship with an amazing friend we met at orientation.
8. You are not responsible for feeding a male ego/ dealing with hormones
This is something any person in a relationship will deal with at least on a weekly basis. Men need their egos fed and women need to cry it out sometimes. This of course is a generalization and everyone is different but we see this a lot. Men and women have to express and deal with their emotions in one way or the other and if you’re in a relationship, their go-to person is you my friend-every time and whenever they need it. It’s like you’re on emotional call.
9. You don’t get cockblocked by FIFA
If you’re single and you’re about to get it in, chances are, nothing is interrupting that activity. When you’re in a relationship, however, you get interrupted a lot more. And the interruptions will sometimes take priority over having sex. Basically sex is taken for granted because it’s a lot more common. Sad truth.
10. You have your bed all to yourself
I mean, who wants to share that twin sized bed? You barely fit on it. Now having someone else sleep with you, when you just finished doing the nasty and you’re all hot and sweaty. I’ll pass.
11. You don’t have to deal with familial expectations
This one may not matter a lot to some people but I included it because it does matter a lot to others including myself. Introducing your significant other to the family can be a nerve wrecking experience. You want your special somebody to be accepted by your family and make a good first impression. You worry about what your family will say, what they will ask and what the tone of the introduction to be. Things can get really awkward and go south really fast but they can also go really well. The struggle is you just don’t know how it will play out.
If you’re reading this and thinking, damn, who hurt her?! The answer is nobody. I still have full faith that I will find someone who I will be madly in love with and live with happily. I just think now is too complex of a time for that. And for those of you who are in a relationship and are college students I commend you, because it is isn’t always easy. I have a few friends in serious relationships and I’m rooting for them to get married because they just seem so right for each other. I wish you the best of luck in your love.
