Alone on Campus: The Art of Taking Yourself on a Date

There is a certain confidence in sitting at a coffee shop alone, walking across campus with no destination, or sitting in the quad with a book and nowhere else to be. On a campus filled with friend groups and couples, it can be daunting to choose solitude. Yet, learning to take yourself on a date might just be one of the most empowering things you do during your time in college. 

Taking yourself on a date does not mean having to plan something elaborate. It can be simple. Here are some of my favorite solo dates that I love doing! 

• Trying a new coffee shop downtown 
• Attending a guest speaker event on campus
• Taking myself to dessert after a long day 
• Reading/coloring outside 
• Walking on campus while listening to a good podcast 
• Seeing the new exhibits in the Moss Art Center 

Taking yourself on a date is not about loneliness; it’s about intention. It’s a time to choose yourself in a way that feels meaningful and relaxing. When you choose to do something alone, you are choosing growth; you are choosing to become more confident in your own skin. 

Learning you don’t have to wait for others to experience joy is a powerful thing. You can create it for yourself. You can try new things and learn to appreciate the season of life you are in in the process. Once you take time for yourself, you begin to realize the small moments that often get overlooked. The sun starts to feel warmer, and you realize the comfort of your favorite drink in these quiet moments you choose to spend with yourself. 

Choosing yourself in these small moments adds up. It teaches you to slow down, to listen to your own thoughts, and to appreciate who you are becoming. Each time you take a step outside your comfort zone, you build confidence and independence. You begin to trust yourself more and to value your own time. 

In the end, these moments you take for yourself are the moments when you finally hear the melody of your own soul, when you drown out the noise of the crowd and listen to what your mind has to say. So, when you choose to take yourself on a date, remember that you are creating the most profound and enduring love story of your life, the one you are writing with yourself.

When you invest in yourself, you carry a sense of wholeness into every other relationship. The love you cultivate within becomes something you no longer chase but something you naturally share. And in that quiet understanding, you realize that the most powerful relationship you will ever nurture is the one that begins and ends with you.