As a fellow tinderella whose suitors have never moved into a relationship (I know cue in the world’s smallest violin), relationships and college don’t seem to go together. In the age of the “hookup” culture and a variety of dating apps catering to different ethnicities, beliefs, and hobbies it is quite confusing to witness a common day at Rutgers. What I mean is, you’re bound to see a couple at some point during your day, actually it’s almost a guaranteed sighting that could be advertised to prospective visitors. Because in a university so large with “millennials” participating in the culture of swiping, quick satisfaction, and “ghosting”, the number of those in relationships that aren’t your old run of the mill, casual relationships, but serious and involved is actually surprising.
I mean, you go to parties, bars, and you see the bros and the girlfriends scouting their catch of the night but even within that context lo and behold there’s the couple intertwined by hands or hips.
And as I mentioned these relationships, many times, are serious. Take for example my very good friends Anthony and Hannah (names have been changed to protect them from relationship fame). They met on Tinder, Anthony was a well-seasoned player, so good he claims one day he saw Jurassic World 3 times with 3 different girls and successfully scored. Hannah was a sweet, sporty and sometimes wild girl. The two met and she didn’t fall for his charm, she made him work for it until a fateful day 3 months later, on top of the One World Observatory in Manhattan, Anthony asked Hannah to be his girlfriend, like a scene straight out of a movie.
Almost, a year later, in one month to be exact, the two practically live together, spend every waking moment together (literally, they take the same classes and live in each other’s apartments) and are planning their future together. While this may seem somewhat surreal and soon for a “college relationship,” the fact of the matter is that it’s out there and they are not the only ones.
People will always tell you college and your 20s are for exploring and seeing what’s out there, and supporting evidence from surveys and studies show that people in this frame are indeed doing just that. My own group of 8 guys within a house are the prime example of the practice and bashing of “hookup culture:” a few good weeks of being casual with anyone and then a step back to realize they want more, not succeeding, and going back into cycle. However, real and serious relationships among college students are an irrefutable fact that cannot be ignored. And with that I suppose we can continue swiping until the magical swipe.
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