Sarah Casimong

They say relationships are complicated, but non-relationships can be just as complicated — if not more so. Are you still hoping that your friend with benefits or recent hook-up will ask you to be his girlfriend? His motives might be a mystery, but there are some obvious clues that you should look out for. If you’re wondering if your guy will ever officially become your guy, we’ve come up with a list of seven signs that say he might never commit.

1. He has a reputation for being a player.

“He avoided telling me where he was going and what he was doing,” says Soniya*, a junior at Carnegie Mellon University, who later found out that her friend with benefits was also busy wooing another girl while hooking up with her. “I should have guessed he was with someone else and that was why our hook-ups always took place at random times, like Sunday afternoons or Tuesday nights.”

Dr. Carole Lieberman, author of Bad Boys: Why We Love Them, How to Live with Them & When to Leave Them, warns us to stay far away from a player — no matter how hot he is.

“If you think you'll be the one to tame a guy who has a reputation for being a player, think again,” she says. “These guys hide deep-seated psychological reasons for not committing to one girl — such as insecurities about their desirability — that only a therapist could change.”

2. He only wants to hook up and he’s not interested in getting to know you.

Looking back in hindsight, Soniya noticed a few signs she should have paid attention to when she started hooking up with her best guy friend. One of the signs was that the whole relationship (or non-relationship in this case) revolved around hooking up.

So you’re single this year and you can’t seem to avoid the sickeningly sweet couples, no matter where you go. If you’re hoping to avoid the surge of PDA during Valentine’s Day and you don’t know what to do, fear not! You don’t have to mope around your room, doing homework if you don’t have a date. Instead of sulking alone and weeping into your pillow, throw a party for you and your single girlfriends and get your Anti-Valentine’s Day on!

1. Break out the anti-romance tunes to belt at the top of your lungs (& make a music video!)

It’s time to make a playlist of the best anti-love anthems on your iTunes. What’s better than sing-shouting “We are NEVER EVER EVER getting back together!” with your girlfriends? If you’re willing to take it one step further, why not direct and star in your own music video featuring one of the songs? Here’s a list of some songs that you can get creative with:

You barely got through last semester without having a mental breakdown. All the partying, late nights and procrastination caught up to you in the form of one big stress snowball. This semester, you’re set on making changes to ensure that an avalanche doesn’t happen—and the good news is, you don't have to do it alone! We spoke to collegiettes about their experiences with stressful semesters and what they are now doing to make this semester less stressful. We also spoke to Susan Vincent, a counselor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, to get you expert tips on how to stay calm amidst all the craziness of college.

1. Be self-aware and realize which changes you need to make

Every collegiette is different. So while there are many great tips below, keep in mind that what works for one person might not work for another. Vincent suggests looking back at the stressful and successful times in your past semesters.

“Depending on who you are, maybe you want to start [looking] at what is causing you the most stress. So maybe you’ll start there,” says Vincent. “[For] other folks, maybe change is more difficult for them so they start [to change the] smallest thing.” She says it doesn’t matter what the first step is, what matters is that you make a change—no matter how little.

“Often with students, especially if they have a bad semester, they want to add on more [responsibilities] rather than slow down, look at what went wrong [and] self-evaluate to see what they can do differently. It’s about learning where you’re successful and building on that.”

2. List it out

It’s another night of tossing and turning. After many sleepless nights, you finally realize that telling your brain to shut off doesn’t work so well. It doesn’t help that you’re constantly looking at the clock as your anxiety about getting less and less sleep increases with each minute that passes. You’ve got an important test tomorrow morning, but you just can’t seem to doze off no matter how many sheep you count. So why are you having trouble falling asleep? We talked to Dr. Aneesa Shariff, staff psychologist at the University of British Columbia, about some of the factors that could be keeping you up at night.

1. Studying late at night

When cramming for an exam, you might use every bit of time that you have left in the day, right up until bedtime. But hitting the hay soon after closing those textbooks could be the reason why you’re having trouble falling asleep.

“Sometimes when we’re doing really stimulating activities close to our bedtimes, that can really inhibit our ability to then get into a relaxed state and fall asleep,” says Dr. Shariff. This includes studying late at night, which many collegiettes may be guilty of. Because studying and trying to retain information is mentally stimulating, it could keep you too alert to fall asleep.