Let's face it, college can be rough for anyone.
Students have to learn how to balance their class schedules, social lives, personal health, and sleep schedules while hoping to maintain a high GPA and remaining somewhat financially stable, if those weren't enough. We have the initial challenges of staying up all night cramming for tests, dealing with the struggle of coming home to no food in the fridge, and partying like hell on the weekends to temporarily forget about all of the stress we have.
On top of all of this, there's this little thing that some people like to call a "love life." Although some college students are either blessed with a significant other or don't care if they're single or taken, the remaining hopeless romantics are in hot water.
Before I begin my spiel on the battles we face every day, it's important to share my background on the topic of romance. I am a 20-year-old college student, and I have only been in love once. I fell for my best friend in high school and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Having someone that was always there to listen to me, take me on sweet dates, and make me feel like the only girl in his world was such an extreme blessing. We had disagreements every now and then, but what relationship doesn't? I'm a firm believer in the fact that if you truly love someone, you can work through any problem that you face together. After ending the relationship and spending a few months in college, I realized one of the most important qualities about myself: I am a hopeless romantic.
A hopeless romantic, in the words of Urban Dictionary, is a "person [who] is in love with love." We would do anything to have someone to admire and share our experiences with. The idea of having someone to go on cute dates with and surprise with ice cream at the end of a rough day is so exciting. You make memories together that are documented with adorable pictures, making everyone extremely jealous of your relationship. You'll meet each others families, travel to new places together, and spend year after year with the same New Year's kiss. Being told every day that you're special and making a impact on someones life gives us such pleasure.
Now, I think we all know that far too many college students make their main focus partying and getting wasted. Along with the constant drunkenness comes one night stands with people we'll never see again, or the mistake of dancing with a boy that forgot to mention he had a girlfriend. I can understand being spontaneous and harmlessly kissing a random guy, but at some point there needs to be a line drawn. It's so hard to find someone that understands that promiscuity just isn't okay. What's wrong with wanting something more than a party or a booty call?
We face the struggles of finding someone to love and call ours. We don't have a significant other that will go to McDonald's with us at 3:00 AM, and we can't find someone that just wants to cuddle and endlessly laugh at "Monty Python." I want someone that will tell me I'm beautiful even without any makeup on. I dream of being loved and cherished by someone that will always be faithful, but I'm living in a society that doesn't go on real dates anymore. I want to witness people taking chances on love, not hooking up with someone they matched with on Tinder and never speaking to that person again. Why is it frowned upon to desire a romantic experience in college? When and where can I find the person that surprises me with pizza and Starbucks?
Let's face it: College can be rough for anyone; especially for hopeless romantics.
