Valentine’s Day on a college campus rarely looks the same for everyone. Some students go on dates, some celebrate Galentine’s with friends, and others spend the day in class, at work, or catching up on assignments. But once Feb. 14 passes and the heart-shaped posts start fading from our feeds, something quieter tends to settle in comparison — not always sadness, not always loneliness, just comparison.
For many college students, Valentine’s Day doesn’t really end on Feb. 14. It lingers through Instagram stories, TikToks of surprise gifts, aesthetic dinners, and perfectly curated recaps of the day. Even if you felt completely fine in the moment, scrolling afterward can suddenly make you question your own experience.
Did my partner do enough? Was my day special enough? Why did everyone else’s Valentine’s Day look more exciting than mine?
At a large campus like the University of Central Florida, where student life is fast-paced and diverse, Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. Some students spent the day with significant others, some had low-key Galentine’s plans, and some treated it like a normal day filled with responsibilities. Still, the pressure created by social media makes it easy to compare experiences, even when the holiday wasn’t a priority to begin with.
One of the most noticeable forms of comparison comes from gift culture. After Valentine’s Day, it becomes almost impossible to avoid posts showing flowers, baskets, handwritten notes, and elaborate surprises. While these gestures are meaningful, they can unintentionally set unrealistic expectations. A simple and genuine celebration can suddenly feel less significant when placed next to highly curated online moments.
“I wasn’t even upset on Valentine’s Day itself,” said Sofia Martinez, a sophomore Psychology major at UCF. “But the next day I kept seeing people posting huge gifts and fancy dinners, and it made me start overthinking my own relationship even though my boyfriend and I had a really nice, simple day.”
This kind of delayed comparison is common among college students who are constantly surrounded by social media highlights. Instead of focusing on how the day actually felt, students may begin to measure their experiences based on how they appear compared to others.
Galentine’s celebrations also play a role in shaping expectations. While celebrating friendships is empowering and fun, social media often portrays Galentine’s as highly aesthetic, planned, and picture-perfect. In reality, many college students celebrate in more casual ways, like grabbing dinner, watching movies, or simply spending time together between busy schedules.
“I feel like social media makes it seem like everyone is having these perfectly planned Galentine’s dinners,” said Aaliyah Khan, a junior Digital Media major at UCF. “My friends and I just hung out and got dessert after class, and it was honestly fun, but online it can make you feel like your version isn’t ‘enough.’”
Another overlooked perspective is the students who chose to ignore the holiday altogether. For them, Feb. 14 was just another academic day.
However, the post-Valentine’s social media environment can still create subtle emotional pressure, even if they had no initial expectations for the holiday. Once the excitement fades, students are left comparing not just events, but emotions. Some may question their relationship based on how the day went, while others may feel a drop in mood simply because of the heightened expectations surrounding the holiday.
For college students who are already navigating academics, friendships, personal growth, and social life, this emotional shift makes sense. Valentine’s Day is heavily marketed as a day of validation, love, and grand gestures, which can make anything less than “perfect” feel disappointing — even when the day was completely normal.
In reality, most college Valentine’s Days are far from the aesthetic highlight reels we see online. They happen between lectures, assignments, work shifts, and real-life responsibilities. A quick dinner, a thoughtful text, a small hangout with friends, or even a quiet night in are all authentic ways students experienced the day.
Social media, however, tends to amplify only the most visually exciting moments. This can distort how we remember our own experiences and create unnecessary self-doubt. A day that felt enjoyable in real life can suddenly seem underwhelming when compared to curated online posts.
Ultimately, the post-Valentine’s comparison cycle reflects a larger aspect of college culture: the pressure to constantly curate meaningful and aesthetically pleasing moments. Yet some of the most genuine experiences, supportive friendships, meaningful conversations, or simply making it through a demanding week, rarely make it onto social media.
As the semester continues and academic pressures increase, Valentine’s Day becomes just one small moment within a much larger college experience. What matters more than how the day looked online is how it actually felt in real life. For most students, that reality is not picture-perfect; it’s busy, authentic, and uniquely their own.