In college, we all think this is the time of our lives to find our true love. But is this a realistic goal? College is a time for us to find ourselves and figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives. Why are we all focused on finding someone else when we can’t even find ourselves?
This mindset started at a young age because with the generations today, we think college is required and college is also the most opportune time to find love. But most of the college population hasn’t matured yet. There are a select few that are active and are leaders, but they still don’t know what they want out of life. No one in college is certain about what they want, making it hard to find someone to connect with when neither side is sure of anything. Most students are still in the midst of changing majors for the 10th time, maybe adding another year or two to school.
There’s so much opportunity in college, with study abroad programs, clubs to be a part of, and groups to lead. Taking advantage of the short amount of time we have in college is imperative. Sometimes we get so caught up in what will happen after college that we don't realize what we have at the moment. A time to do whatever we want, to not have to be tied down to anything, with no questioning of decisions because of anyone else.
While there are societal standards that are evident, they’re from years ago. Previous generations were getting married at 18 and 19. College was not a necessity at the time, and the standards between men and women were very different. Today, we have to go to college and there’s so much opportunity in the work force for women, leaving marriage to be done at a later date. This isn’t a bad thing for our society; we’re adapting to the climate and everyone wants to endeavor toward something new. Sometimes being alone is how we do these things. College isn’t a time in our lives when we want to be held back, let alone held back by someone immature. We don’t realize what we’re getting ourselves into sometimes in college, but we need to recognize if it’s beneficial for us as individuals.
Besides societal pressures, there’s really no pressure to get into a relationship too soon. Some of us think there is much more pressure, mainly being put on by ourselves; we think it’s a rush. This rushing is unrealistic because it’s never making us happy. Taking life slow and recognizing what we have at the moment is what living is all about. We can see clearly when we know ourselves, and knowing ourselves is all about being on the journey. A relationship isn’t necessary to live a full, young, college life—that can be done later.
