The first few weeks of the semester are filled with the excitement of finding a new love, but academic reality quickly kicks in. Homework starts piling up, professors start hinting at exams, and suddenly, cramming a love life into the chaos of school feels like adding another three-credit course to your schedule.
As a UCF student, I see couples everywhere on campus, whether they’re holding hands while strolling through Memory Mall, eating together in the Student Union, or walking side by side to class. It’s sweet, but it also makes me wonder how they are fitting romance into the chaos of exams, essays, and everything else college throws at us.
Turns out, the juggle is very real.
Scheduling Love Like a Class
Gwyneth Esteves, a junior at UCF, confessed that she literally puts her boyfriend into her Google Calendar. “It sounds so robotic,” Esteves laughed. “But if I don’t schedule him in, I won’t see him all week.” Honestly? Relatable. Between classes, jobs, and extracurriculars, there’s barely enough time even to sleep, let alone go on a date night.
“We make up for it with little things, like coffee runs or texting/calling. It’s not about the quantity of time; it’s about the quality.”
– Pavlo Uvarov.
On the other hand, another university student, Pavlo Uvarov, admitted he basically disappears during exam season. “I’m buried in the library, and my girlfriend knows it,” Uvarov said. “We make up for it with little things, like coffee runs or texting/calling. It’s not about the quantity of time; it’s about the quality.”
The Pressure to “Make Time”
College relationships often start feeling more serious than high school flings, which brings higher expectations. We want to “make time” for each other, but what happens when time feels impossible to find? That’s where the guilt creeps in. Do you choose to sacrifice study time for your partner or skip seeing them to keep your grades up? It can feel like a no-win situation because, either way, you’re letting someone down.
I’ve noticed many people in college are stuck in this weird middle space between teenage love and full-on adult maturity. Our expectations in relationships can be a bit unrealistic, but at the same time, we’re in the prime stage of learning in our lives. Little by little, we’re figuring out how to be flexible, communicate better, and give ourselves grace for not being perfect partners.
Small Sparks in the Chaos
The good news? Romance doesn’t have to disappear just because your planner is full. In fact, it might be the “little things” that matter most.
Some couples turn study sessions into dates, even if it’s just sitting side by side in the library. Others swap playlists, grab late-night snacks after finishing homework, or send “good luck” texts before big exams. These small sparks of connection remind partners that they’re still a priority, even if schedules are packed. Personally, I think those little gestures mean more than some big, perfectly curated date. There’s something kind of romantic about surviving midterms together with nothing but caffeine and mutual stress.
Why It Matters at UCF
On a campus as big as UCF, relationships are everywhere. Behind those perfect couples we see on social media, students are trying to balance love, grades, and their own mental health. It’s not always easy, and honestly, we don’t talk about the part outside of the screen enough.
I believe being open about the struggle matters. It helps other students realize they’re not alone when they feel stretched too thin. For anyone just starting to date in college, it’s comforting to know balance doesn’t mean everything is perfectly equal all the time. Some weeks, school comes first, while other weeks, your relationship does, and that’s normal.
The Realistic Kind of Romance
College love may not look like a Hallmark movie, and that’s okay. Sometimes it’s Taco Bell at 1 a.m. after finishing an essay. Sometimes it’s proofreading each other’s discussion posts. Sometimes it’s simply walking across campus together, holding hands, even if you’re both exhausted.
Maybe that’s the most realistic kind of romance. Romance is not about having it all figured out. It’s about learning to support each other through the chaos of exams, deadlines, and growing up. At the end of the day, cramming for love is just another test we’re all learning how to pass.