Scrolling through Instagram and seeing nothing but photos of cute couples in love may be a little depressing, especially now that V day is around the corner. I get it, you wish you had someone to shower you in flowers and chocolates, and tell you that you’re beautiful before you even have the chance to cake your face in Covergirl.
And while you may think that you’re missing out, and all the “taken” girls in your friend group have it so much better, there are actually so many good things about being single in college.
So stop beating yourself up over the fact that the only relationship you may be in at the moment is with your dog, or your Netflix account, or pizza. Here are seven reasons why being single in college is a good thing.
1. You can focus more on your studies.
OK, you probably read this first reason and already rolled your eyes at me. I’m not trying to sound like a parent or a guidance counselor, but significant others can be a HUGE distraction. You came to college to receive an education, not to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It’s hard to balance a relationship and academics at the same time. And let’s be honest, if you’re presented with the opportunity to go on a romantic ice skating date with your boyfriend or stay cooped up in the library all day writing a paper, your academics may take a back seat.
Single you is the lucky one. You have one less distraction from working your hardest and being the career-driven woman you are. And while having more time to read your textbooks instead of running your hand through your boyfriend’s unruly hair may not seem like the good end of the bargain, you’ll thank yourself later in life when your hard work pays off.
2. No one is chaining you down from following your dreams.
I always look back to that episode of The Hills, where Lauren Conrad turned down a phenomenal work offer to spend a summer in Paris with Teen Vogue, so she could instead stay home in Malibu with her beau Jason. She chose him over Paris. She chose love over work. And guess what, by the end of the summer they had split.
We are at the age where opportunities are coming our ways left and right. We can’t have anyone, such as a significant other, distracting us from following our dreams. And being single means that you have no one to stop you from seizing every opportunity you are presented with (well, maybe except your parents).
Lauren had Jason, and he stopped her from following her dream. Now she is known as “the girl who didn’t go to Paris.” You may not have a Jason, but you do have your dreams and less reason to be held back from achieving them.
3. You meet way more people.
A typical friday night for us singles may be a house party where we are constantly mingling with new faces, in between some drinks of course. A typical friday night for a couple may be a cute, party of two, date. Both scenarios sound like a banging start to the weekend, but one seems a little bit more social.
Have you ever seen a couple on campus who is always together, just the two of them? You always see them together, hardly ever with other people. Be happy that although you may not have a 24-7 cuddle buddy, you have the opportunity to meet new people. You don’t have a significant other bodyguard to ward you off from any new potential friendships. You can hang out with whoever you want and do whatever you want without any repercussions. You’re a single who can mingle.
4. You can experiment with Tinder; you can make a few drunken mistakes here and there.
When you look back at college, do you really want your juiciest story to be “well, in college I was in a committed relationship and was very well-behaved.” We all want a crazy college story to tell and being single makes you one step closer to it.
Being single means you can swipe right to all the cuties on Tinder and maybe even meet up with them. Being single means that you can flirt with that cute guy in your Stats class and maybe also that hunk in your history class. Being single means that you can meet a guy at a party and you can kiss him right then and there (ps. I’m not promoting you to do any of these things, just reminding you that you have options).
If you stop looking at all the negatives of being single, you’ll realize that it can actually be really fun. And how many other times in your life are you going to be living on a college campus stocked full of solely 18- to 22-year-olds? It’s easy to have a fling, and it’s a lot easier to have to do the dreaded walk of shame when your dorm is only 100 feet away.
Plus, now’s the time to hit it off with a Mr. Bad Boy who you already know your parents would disapprove of if you were living at home.
5. You learn to be more independent.
You are a strong independent woman who don’t need no man. You hear that? You do not need boys taking you on dates, spoiling you, and being your personal chauffeur driver.
You can do everything you need to do to make yourself happy, even when you’re riding solo. You can make your own money. You can take care of yourself. You can handle all your responsibilities, and you can change the flat tire on your car even if you’re in heels and a mini-skirt. You don’t need a man in your life for anything. You got it all in the bag, girlfriend.
6. Every night is a girl's night.
I think it’s funny when my friends in relationships send group texts asking to hang with all the girls.
When you’re single, every night is a girl’s night. I do almost everything with my best girlfriend at school, and in between studying for exams and class, you already know we’re gossiping, playing dressup or binging on ice cream.
When I’m out with my girlfriends, I never feel like I need a boy to make me happy because I already have loved ones in my life.
As Icona Pop would say, “all I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend.”
7. You can focus on yourself.
Whether you’re just shy of your 20's or you’ve already stepped foot into this new decade, the 20's are your selfish years. Your YOU years. Not your HIM years.
All the money you would spend on anniversary/birthday presents for him, splurge on yourself. All the time you would pass with him, use that time to build new friendships, new skills, oh and definitely a professional, yet, kick-butt resume.
OR go to the gym, score an internship or join a new club. Now are the years when you can work on building an exceptional life for yourself, you know, before letting any brown-haired cuties in.
