People, especially girls (and especially girls my age), seem to have a lot to say about “dating” and what that means. We’ve got some pretty high expectations, whether it be throwing rocks at our dorm room windows for midnight walks, to getting treated to dinner at nice restaurants (even though when you’re in college, anything that’s not on a meal swipe is pretty nice).

In the world of college kids, having a "thing" is more common than seriously dating someone. Commitment is pretty rare and “dates” usually include splitting a $10 box from Pizza Hut and watching a few episodes of “That 70’s Show” rather than a sit-down dinner at Chili’s and catching the 9:55 show of the new "Captain America." The general consensus is that the lack of serious relationships and frequent casual dates that have become our generation’s dating norms should be more like the way dating was when our parents, or even grandparents, were teenagers. Actually going out with someone, picking the girl up at 7 p.m., knocking on her door, and shaking the father’s hand should come back in style, according to the overwhelming majority. "I'm sooo over being single" is a sentence used quite often among my friends, and I literally can’t go on Facebook without someone sharing an article on my feed with a title along the lines of “We need to start dating again."

This is just me, but when I think of the word "date," the first thing that comes to my mind is grabbing coffee at the Starbucks cart between classes with the guy I like and hanging out with our friends at night. To me, an 11 p.m. “I got us a pizza to split, come hang out in my dorm with my friends and I” text is better than receiving a dozen roses and a three-page love note about why the color of my eyes helped him find his meaning in life (or something equally as dramatic). Maybe I’m just low-maintenance, maybe my fear of commitment is more serious than I realize, but I see no appeal in settling down into relationships just for the sake of wanting to be with someone. If you’re a Lily who found your Marshall, congrats. I think that’s awesome. I hope to have that, at least someday. But for all of us Teds out there, why dedicate your life (or nine seasons of "How I Met Your Mother") to finding someone and settling down right away? There is nothing wrong with Snapchatting your cute lab partner on the daily and eating dinner in the dining hall together, but not wanting to commit to each other as your one and only. In my opinion, the best relationships happen naturally. They begin with texting someone to go see a free movie on campus together, maybe getting some food after, not first dates at a reservation-only restaurant where you silently debate what entree will make you seem the most “girlfriend material” (salad gets in your teeth, pasta can be messy, burgers are hard to eat, the list goes on).

There’s nothing wrong with having fun, keeping things low-key and not wanting to commit to anything or anyone. You’ve got your whole life to fall in love and settle down. Have fun while you can. Date a million people, date one person, or don’t date at all. It’s all about what makes you happy.