Whether you care or not, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Valentine’s Day hits everyone differently and it’s important to remember the purpose of this holiday: to celebrate love. So, I asked a group of college seniors (single and cuffed) to tell me how they met a significant other in college. Regardless if you’re currently in love, trying to get over love, or searching for somebody new, here’s some stories from students to remind you that love comes into your life when you least expect it.
- “I’ll Never Get a Boyfriend”
-
“Valentine’s Day my freshman year was spent scarfing down a heart pizza with my roommate in our dorm. There’s a video of me sipping an entire bottle of wine saying, ‘I’m never going to have a boyfriend.’ Referring to all the typical freshman boys that made me lose hope. My friend made a snap story about how he broke his collarbone and I decided to swipe up and say something, not thinking anything of it. We’ve snapped every day since I swiped up and have been dating for over 2 years now.”
- Lee Brice
-
“I went to a Lee Brice concert with my friends. We got there and my girlfriends started talking and dancing with a group of guys. I was standing next to one of the guys in the group and just tried not to be awkward. We ended up talking, dancing, and eventually really hit it off. I normally never did things like that, so it was spontaneous. I gave him my number that night and we dated for 2 years.”
- Greasy Hair Scare
-
“I did not want to go out, but my roommate begged me to go with her. My hair was GREASY and I didn’t wash it because I was set on staying in. I quickly threw on a beanie and went downtown. While I was waiting in line for my friend in the bathroom, someone behind me snatched my beanie. Mad that my greasy hair was exposed, I turned around to find it was a cute guy I didn’t really know. So, I took his beanie off and then we flirted for a while. We hung out that night and my hair was so gross I refused to take my beanie off. We dated for almost a year.”
- A Surprising Prince Charming?
-
“I got hammered. I was on a party bus for my guy friend’s birthday. I remember seeing another girl kiss one of the guys and I thought nothing of it. Drunk me ended up dancing with him on the bus ride back. When we got back to our friend’s apartment, he let me sleep in his bed and he slept on the couch. Now we’ve been dating for almost two years.”
- The One That ALMOST Got Away
-
“I spent a large chunk of college talking to the wrong guys and getting my heart broken. I used to talk to my now boyfriend’s best friend. His friend and I stopped talking but I still hung out with the friend group. We watched each other do college and hook up with people and never thought anything of it. One day I had an interview in the summer at school and some of them were down here, so I stopped by. I never saw him in that way, but we ended up flirting and the next thing you know were hanging out…and now we’re dating.”
- Ghosted
-
“I met this guy at my friend’s apartment party freshman year. I didn’t think anything of him until my friends told me he asked for my number and “I ignored him.” I saw him again at my friend’s 21st pregame and we ended up kissing. After that, his night was ruined when he left the pregame and got a drinking ticket. We didn’t really talk until the next year when two of my friends were with him at a party and dragged me over to talk to him. We ended up dating at the beginning of senior year.
- Finally Realized
-
“I had recently dated a guy for over 2 years. My ex’s friend invited me to a random party, and I decided to go. This party happened to be at my now boyfriend’s apartment. I went outside with my friends and found myself standing next to this guy. We started casually talking and we easily bonded. I kept running into him around and we became friends. One day we realized we had a lot in common and both of us were like “WOW I like you a lot.”
- What’s Mean’t To Be… Will Be
-
“I visited my sister at the University of Iowa my freshman year and I met her boyfriend’s friend. I thought he was a cool guy, but he had a girlfriend. A couple years later I was in a relationship for over a year and we broke up at the start of summer. I was devastated. I didn’t get out of bed for 4 days. 4 days. I’m not kidding, I was that sad. Instead of being sad about the plans I had with my ex, my sister convinced me to tag along with her and her friends for the 4th of July. The guy I met freshman year came with her boyfriend. He recently got out of a long relationship and we just hit it off. We started snapping here and there and I eventually saw him again in Iowa. We’ve been dating for a couple months now.
- Who Would’ve Thought?
-
“My sister started dating a guy at her college in Michigan. I knew her boyfriend had a cousin that went to ISU and he knew his cousin has a sister that went to ISU. My sister got engaged and her fiancé’s cousin that goes to ISU decided to follow me on Instagram. That same night I went to Chasers and a guy from my floor freshman year ran up to me and said “Hey, your soon to be cousin-in-law is here you have to meet him.” So, I had an awkward 30 second conversation with him and went on with my night. I kept seeing him out and would say hi, but nothing more. In May, I went to Chicago for my sister’s fiancé’s birthday and he was also there, and we hit it off. I slid into his DMs on Instagram and we started talking and eventually went on a date. I am technically dating my cousin-in-law now.”
All these women have spent Valentine’s Day feeling lonely or longing for a special someone in college. It’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day is just a day. The more time spent being sad about your singleness, the less time you spend enjoying life and potentially meeting a great guy. Live your life. Have fun. Try new things and go to new places because Prince Charming can pop into your life when you least expect it.