College is stressful. It is filled with many questions that we do not know the answers to. What career path do you want to follow? Are you interning next summer? What do you want for lunch? Have you ever considered who you are going marry? Many female college juniors and seniors feel pressured to find a husband before they graduate. They want to get a “ring by spring" and be engaged by the time they get their diploma.
To the college women only looking for their MRS. Degree—Wake up! This is not why you are in college. Women only in search of a ring are forgetting the real reason they are enrolled in school: to get a degree, to gain independence, to decide on a career path and to have fun while not being completely tied down. Most importantly, college is not about finding a lover, it is about finding yourself.
Don't get me wrong, marriage and college relationships are great. Finding a spouse is most definitely a real-life priority. However, if you become obsessed with finding someone before graduation for the sole purpose of shedding your single status, you need to slow down. Marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. Committing to someone for the rest of your life is a big deal and a very important decision. It has never been a good idea to rush something important.
One problem that women face when rushing into a serious relationship is that they do not make their selection carefully. They often end up with a below-average guy in a below-average relationship. The fear of being single causes them to settle for less. It takes time to truly get to know the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with.
So why do so many young women want to rush to the altar? Old cultural expectations may have a lot to do with it. The good news is that it is 2015. The imaginary deadline of “ring by spring" is proven to be a thing of the past. Studies show that marital satisfaction increases and divorce rate decreases when a couple ties the knot at an older age. The average age for American women to be wed is 26 and 28 for men.
If you meet the love of your life while in college, fantastic. I wish you well. If you don't, it's okay. There is no rush. There are a million other places to find a spouse outside of college. Don't sweat it.
