With December first in the next couple of days, we will all officially be in the full swing of "cuffing season." Cuffing season, for those who don't know, happens around the holidays when, for an arrangement of reasons, people find themselves looking and getting into new romantic relationships. If you're looking, don't worry, you still have some time, but I'm here to tell you to learn when enough is enough. Learn when to accept "no."

"No" is a good enough answer for anyone and anything. Period. End of story.

Especially with being a first year in college, the peer pool around you expands by a lot (in my case, 23 times). Transitioning from my high school of roughly 1,300 students to a college campus of over 30,000 is a lot, there's major possibility there. Whether it was appreciated or not, at this point in the semester men and women alike, including myself, have experienced the perusal of possible partners, been pursued, and gotten that dreaded "U up?" text at 1 a.m. It can be a lot to take in and not everyone is ready for certain level of human interactions that others want. Because of this, it's important you keep your person of interest's feelings in mind.

"No" is a good enough answer. Period.

For whatever reason they may have at the time, not everyone will agree with what's happening. You can't assume that just because you sent them a random direct message with nothing but "hey" and they answer, that means you're both on the same page. If they say no to you, don't take it as a personal offense, maybe they just don't want to be in a relationship. That being said, take that no as your answer. Do not keep trying to convince them on reasons why you would be a good person to be in a relationship with, and don't try to convince them to give you a chance for a talking period. That shows that you aren't listening to them and belittles their feelings. People should not have to make up excuses or share personal information with you to make it feel like a sufficient reason as to why they said no.

"No" is a good enough answer.

The bottom line just comes down to common courtesy and respecting other people. Maybe you are head over heels for this person but they just don't feel the same, or maybe they just aren't interested in or ready for a relationship. Of course that sucks, but you can't force someone into their feelings and you can't get upset with them for feeling the way they do. Forced feelings and pressured first dates is no way to build a stable relationship or those who want it, so learn to take the rejection, use it as a lesson, and get back out there. After all, the cuffing season championship game isn't until February 14^th.