It's that time of year again: Thanksgiving.

A time where college students happily go home for an extended weekend to enjoy edible food, actual heat in their homes, an extra comfy bed and, of course, the company of their loved ones. Truly, what college student doesn't love Thanksgiving time? Ask around a college campus, and the thing that most students are looking forward to in November is going home to delicious and free home-cooked meals for Thanksgiving. However, there is one thing other college students and I have come to dread around the holiday season - more than our finals that start less than two weeks after Thanksgiving break. What we dread is the atrocious question that always seems to float around the table, and then inevitably comes out of one of our relatives' mouths...

"So, do you have a boyfriend yet?"

Whenever I am asked this question, I try not to give the asker the death stare or have an emotional catharsis in front of my loved ones. There are so many responses that I have for this question, but half of them are disrespectful and, out of human decency, I wouldn't dare say them to someone. The other half, consists of my breaking down and basically saying that boys suck and regressing to my 14-year-old, angsty self that I've completely outgrown (sort of).

Now that it's been a year since my first Thanksgiving coming back home and I've had time to think about why I might react the way I do to this question, here's some perfectly rational responses and reasons as to why I (and maybe other single college students) hate being asked this question.

Dating nowadays has the potential to be the most frustrating and nerve-racking experience. It's also pretty time consuming. Not to get too much into how the invention of social media has ruined the value of human interaction and directly made the dating game a million times harder, but dating and all that goes along with it can be a potential minefield. It requires investing in someone physically, mentally, emotionally and sometimes monetarily. It requires time, effort, hard work and dedication to the other person. There have been times during my undergraduate career when I've almost forgotten to take care of myself. Times when I had to ask myself if I had remembered to eat an actual balanced meal because I've been swamped in schoolwork all day. Times when I've been out of my room for so long that I didn't even see the people that I live with until right before it was time to shower and go to bed. Times when I've stayed up well into the night, sacrificing perfectly good sleeping time in order to work on projects that I've, admittedly, procrastinated on. On top of that, I'm interested in many manga, anime and television shows that I have to keep up with, I'm involved in various clubs on campus, I'm a campus tour guide and, sometimes, I happen to have a social life. I couldn't imagine having to add someone else's emotions, stressors, worries, doubts and feelings to mine. That sounds like a lot of work!

Speaking of which, why don't we discuss my thriving collegiate life rather than my squandered love life? Can I tell you all the amazing things I've done with my life in the span of about six months? While I was still a freshman, I managed to transition from a very unpleasant suite mate experience to having the most amazing suite on record (I've done my research, sort of). I have one of the most amazing jobs ever: being a campus tour guide. My co-workers are some of the most amazing people you'll ever meet who are all excited about what they do and make the job amazing. Also, the parents and prospective students I've met while giving tours have not only helped me grow professionally but also made the job a pleasure to do. I've joined clubs that have been the reason why I've met some great people as well. From the freshmen in Baruch Hall Council to the upperclassmen in BWA and all the students in between, I've gained some people that I'm grateful to have in my life as friends and supporters. I've been accepted to a research assistantship and pretty soon I'll be contributing to a very interesting, groundbreaking investigation. I've managed to be a full-time student, a part-time tour guide, involved in my campus and still be able to go out and have fun with my friends. I'm also only in my sophomore year here and have enough credits to be a junior. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I'm doing pretty well in the collegiate life department. So let's not talk about my love life, please?

But, the real reason why I really don't want to talk about my love life: it sounds like the sad part of a rom-com. My relationship track record hasn't really been successful to say the least. For starters, my last real relationship began and ended in high school, and from then on its kind of just been a parade of guys who have been in my life momentarily without much promise. There was the one who I was supposed to go on a date with but then decided to back out and act like I don't exist even though I see him all the time. There was the guy with whom things were seemingly going well, but then ghosted on me out of nowhere. I also have the countless cute guys that I'm always petrified of talking to, the guy that I can't seem to get rid of (ugh), and let's not forget, the guy that I can't seem to ever get over. Yes, I said it (UGH). The opposite sex is just a big question mark to me sometimes, and navigating the mind/emotions of men has left me confused, angry at times, occasionally broken-hearted and consistently disappointed. At this point in my life, I'm pretty content with being on my own, not only because I find men to be a puzzle I don't wish to tackle right now, but also because I genuinely enjoy my own company, being my own person and discovering new things about myself that I may one day be able to offer to someone else.

So, to the single college students out there who are hit with the relationship question, don't fret over your relationship status. Being single is not a sign of failure. Just be confident in the fact that you are a busy, accomplished college student who is doing her own thing and loving life. Also, remember to relish the fact that you'll be back in your dorm in a few days!