It seems as if there's some preconceived notion that you're supposed to find your soulmate immediately after you graduate from high school. College feels like a dating battle ground, with people arming themselves with cheap cologne and their favorite shade of lipstick. I'm blaming this obsession with finding a relationship on romcoms and popular young adult novels. It feels like everyone is searching for "the one" and I feel like those rocking the single life missed some sort of memo about marriage age limits.
But, guess what? It's okay to be single. It's okay for you to discover who you are, flaws and all, before throwing yourself into a relationship to learn the faults of someone else. Love yourself first before trying to give your heart away. If you do that you'll know what, and who, will be able to make you permanently joyful instead of temporarily happy.
When you're single, enjoy it. Enjoy the freedom. You don't have to be in a relationship to be happy. Learn how to make yourself happy without having to be dependent on someone else.
Don't worry about not being in a relationship in college. There's nothing wrong with you and there's absolutely nothing wrong with being single. Love will find you when you least expect, and you'll appreciate that you took the time to learn about yourself rather than throwing yourself into a relationship when that time comes.
College isn't just about dating and parties. You're here to learn about your major of choice, to experience the life of a fledgling adult, and to discover who you are without being shackled by your parents and the restrictive life of a young teen. So just because you're not focused on finding "the one", it doesn't make you weird.
Love isn't a fad and it definitely won't be going out of style anytime soon so don't act like it is.
Don't be in a relationship just because everyone else is. Who cares if you're a third wheel or if all of your friends have partners--you don't have to. Let love happen. It will come to you, and it will be worth the wait. When you date someone just to date, someone get hurts. Someone ends up with tears streaming down their face and nothing but a screen full of old messages and sappy Instagram posts to show for it.
So rock the single life. Go on adventures, learn what you love, read great books, study for a test every now and then, and don't be afraid to have fun. Make memories in college instead of trying to make a relationship.
College is about discovering who you were always meant to be. Don't waste that away looking for someone to love. Don't waste your love on someone who's not right for you. It's okay to be single. I promise.
