College dating has been dismissed as the source of all evil a whole lot recently.

Articles like this Cosmopolitan one and this Elite Daily one about the hookup culture have gone viral and made us rethink our dating ways. Sure, our relationships – or lack thereof – are pretty messed up and confusing, but I honestly haven't been particularly hurt by this strange dating and hookup culture. So I decided to play devil's advocate and give you a list of seven reasons why college dating really isn't that bad.

1. It's fun while it lasts.

So you flirted with someone at a party, you exchanged numbers and now you're texting. When you see each other, maybe you flirt some more, you dance or you make out. What's the problem? We all get a rush from flirting. It boosts our fragile egos and it's just plain fun! Having someone to talk to about sweet nothings, even if you two aren't dating, is always a good thing.

2. Technology isn't all bad.

People keep saying that texting and Facebook messaging are killing our chances at love (http://elitedaily.com/dating/8-modern-dating-strug... ). That's b.s. For one thing, there's still plenty of love out there to go around. For another, technology just makes our lives easier! Making plans via text is much more practical than in person or over the phone, plus we can answer when we're actually free – which is not often. So what if we have to put a lot of thought into our messages? It only gives us a better chance to show off how witty-cute we really are!

3. We don't have to make time for relationships.

Relationships are awesome, but if we choose to keep our options open and not commit, we don't owe anything to anyone but ourselves, which – in college - is a good thing. That way, we have time to prioritize self-fulfilment and truly find ourselves (pardon the clichés) before having to account for a another human being, which is sometimes an issue in our busy schedules.

4. It's a learning experience.

It's safe to say our poor attempts at dating and hooking up often fail pretty badly. But haven't you always been told to learn from your mistakes? Exactly. You can learn so much from your bad experiences, not only what to do and not do, but also what you want and don't want in a significant other. Whether you repeat these mistakes or not is besides the point, as long as you know you're doing it! Guilty.

5. We live and work close to each other.

If we are lucky enough to have found a functional relationship, we get to see each other as often as we want. We can eat together in dining halls and sorority houses and on campus, we can easily hang out at each other's places and we can go on dates in Westwood. It's the perfect set-up!

6. We support each other.

College is friggin' hard. We have so much on our plates and we're trying to figure out who we are and where we're going all at the same time. We are bound to have bad days here and there. On those bad days, it is so important to have a support system away from home. Although friends, brothers and sisters are invaluable resources, sometimes you just need a boyfriend or girlfriend to cheer you up.

7. We stop each other's overachiever tendencies.

I have previously argued that we don't have time for feelings in college. Maybe that's not such a bad thing! Let me explain. Typically, at least at the beginning of a relationship, we want to be with each other all the time. Maybe we miss a few deadlines or we're late to a meeting or two. Well, good! Us UCLA Greeks tend to be crazy overachievers, so if we can take a step back and relax from time to time, I don't know about you, but I'm all for it. Gotta live while we're young and stuff.

However much we like to complain about college dating and the hookup culture, we kinda, sorta love it all the same. I think my favorite thing about the struggle is sharing it with my friends, hypothesizing, overanalyzing, freaking out. Is that just me? Oh.