Do you think college relationships are easy? Let me tell you, they’re certainly not. No relationship is! A college relationship, however, can be an extremely rewarding experience (or so they tell me). I mean, who doesn’t want someone who will get you soup from ABP when you’re sick, or give you backrubs every night? Let me share my personal insight on the do’s and don’ts of college dating:
1. DON’T let your relationship take over your life. This may sound like an easy one, but I know so many girls whose boyfriends become the only thing they care about! Make time for your friends – they’re the ones who will always be there, especially if he dumps you at Saturday night Shooters. Schedule time in your calendar just for your friends, even if it’s just a late-night Perkins study sesh.
2. DO schedule yourself “me” time. Whether you realize it or not, everyone needs some time to themselves sometimes. Let’s be real ladies, YOU come first. Always. Scheduling time for you will ensure that those little annoying things he does don’t escalate into a fight due to too much time spent together.
3. DO get off campus and explore Durham together! Trek out of the jungle we call college. As Duke students, I think we can all feel trapped on campus sometimes. This can definitely place strain on a relationship – who wants to spend every dinner date trying to decide between Pitchfork Provisions and The Loop? Try out one of the many top-rated, exciting restaurants in Durham. Break out of the Duke bubble!
4. DO something new together, or just something you two haven’t done together before. Go to an art exhibit, go mini-golfing, try out a tapas restaurant. The Triangle is so full of exciting options for a date night out. This is a great time of the year for date nights—who doesn’t love corn mazes and haunted houses? Plus haunted houses = letting your manly man think he’s protecting you from all the scary things + getting to cuddle up to him for some comforting afterwards.. duh. Spice up your love life and do something you normally wouldn’t do, especially on the weekend – trust me, you won’t regret it.
5. DON’T let your boyfriend distract you from your schoolwork. School, especially at a competitive university like Duke, should always come first. Boyfriends can be tempting to hang out with all the time, but sometimes you just have to separate yourself. Your GPA will thank you later. As will your med school diploma, and your millions to spend on yourself while he’s off being a dude.
6. DON’T bring up the past. This should be a no-brainer, especially at a small school like Duke where everyone has hooked up with everyone else. That time during O-week when your best friend and future boyfriend hooked up in the Blackwell laundry room?—don’t let it bother you. Bringing up past hookups and relationships (especially relationships) should never be done, and being drunk is no excuse! It’s not going to be a fun conversation for either of you, and one or both of you will end up feeling sad, angry, or insecure.
7. DO sweet little things for him to show that you care, like surprising him with small gifts during midterm time. It’ll show just how awesome of a girlfriend you are and make him even crazier about you than he already was. Also, it’ll make all of his guy friends super jealous.
8. DON’T let others meddle in your relationship. Nosy people love to stick themselves in the middle of relationships, and although they usually have good intentions, it often backfires. At the same time, however, don’t give others a chance to meddle. Keep your relationship your personal business.
9. DON’T dance with other people at Shooters/a party, especially while your boyfriend is there also…. Enough said.
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