In high school, when you realize your crush feels the same way about you, it’s acceptable to become boyfriend and girlfriend. In college, this would never happen. There’s a whole game to college “dating,” if you can even call it that, and we’re all guilty of playing it. Say you go out to the bars one night and you see a guy or girl who you think is cute. Do you approach them? Hell, yeah! Buy them a drink. Ask for their number. Bring them home. You do you. But say you see that exact same intriguing person sitting across the room sipping on coffee. Do you approach them? That’s a whole different story. Going over to them would just be creepy.After you meet said person, you have a few choices to make. You know you like him or her and you’re interested in seeing them again. But it’s simply not cool to say that or show your interest. 

Thus begins the waiting game. Who can pretend they care less? For some reason, girls expect the boy to reach out first. Once the boy does finally text the girl, though, there are so many unspoken rules. Everyone knows you’re desperate if you respond before a certain amount of time, use one too many exclamation points or, God forbid, double text them. 
You know for certain that you want to see this person, but you wait days, maybe even weeks, hoping that you’ll magically run into them when you go out again because you can’t approach them in broad daylight. 

Maybe we’re setting ourselves up for failure. By trying to care less, people somehow get hurt more. And, hey, college isn’t about relationships, so that’s understandable. But what’s the harm in grabbing coffee together or maybe even dinner? And why can’t we just be honest with each other? 

I can’t speak on behalf of boys, but I can guarantee you that girls care about everything 10 times more than they appear to. Casually hooking up is definitely the easier option, but we’re really missing out on the thrill of getting to know someone. College dating culture isn’t going to change, nor does it need to. Just keep your options in mind as yet another school year nears the end. Next time you’re finally getting that guy or girl’s phone number, take an extra second to decide if you care. You can be bold and honest and take advantage of the moment, or you can play it cool and idly hope for things to work out.