For many, spring is a time of organization and new beginnings. Decluttering your closet, picking up a new hobby, or improving a study schedule to prepare for finals could all be on your to-do list this coming season.
But for some, marriage is just as much of a priority.
The phrase “ring by spring” typically describes women in their senior year of college who are interested in being proposed to by the time they’re walking across the stage of graduation.
Vice writer, Scout Brobst, wrote in an article, “The Persistence of the ‘Ring by Spring’ Phenomenon,” that “students of faith-based colleges in different corners of the country, with different creeds and expectations of devotion, offer the ‘ring by spring’ phrase when asked about the nature of romantic relationships on their campus.”
As someone who doesn’t have the same ambitions, the motivating factor seems to revolve around peer-pressure and expectation, rather than genuine love. Everyone’s journey is different, so why compare?
Being a 20-something in college, I’m constantly reminded that there isn’t one way to navigate the decade. I have peers who took a gap year after high school to travel or work, and I know others who got married, started a family, and chose to go to a vocational school.
My hope for women who may be stressed about getting their ring – your life will unfold in its own unique way. If you’re not currently in a relationship, it’s OK. Allow synchronicities to occur, and welcome the idea that love will find you and embrace you in due time.
When the expectation is that you should be engaged by your last semester of college, does that mean women across the country are enrolling in higher education as a way to find their husbands? And if so, what does this mean for women who don’t meet their person, and more so, those who do?
In Stacy Keogh George’s article,“Beyond the Ring by Spring Culture,” she discusses the various ways rushing to marriage, in the name of tradition and righteousness, can create “muddled perceptions of marriage and vocation.”
Because people’s 20s are often described as a period of growth, I think it’s important to be mindful that people’s perception of love and relationships can change from the time they are in college into their adulthood.
Although the culture is more popular on Christian college campuses, I encourage anyone who may be experiencing relationship FOMO or feeling a bit lost, to stop making other people’s lives a standard for how life should be lived.
Regardless of your beliefs, understand that love is all around you, even if it doesn’t take the shape of a ring this approaching season.