Coming into college or university is a huge change to undergo. Everybody goes about it differently, and everyone comes from different experiences. But I’m honestly really sick of my fellow students saying, “it’s so much better to be single in college.” Everybody has different values, so why must we hate on each other?
I came into my first year of university last September in a six month relationship. At the time it wasn’t long, but we’re still dating today, almost two years later. The amount of people I had look at me and say “so you’re not really getting the full university experience?” was a little absurd. I wasn’t entirely sure if this meant that I wasn’t going to be able to “live my life” all through university if I didn’t hook up with people, or meet someone a few years into my university degree. And I want to say that this seems ridiculous to me.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re single in university or whether you’re not. You can still equally have a good time. Never once have I felt like I’ve missed a part of university culture or life just because I came into university with a boyfriend. And I know my single friends have never felt like they’re missing anything either. I’ve personally felt like I had more support coming to Western with someone I know in the same city, but I know that’s what worked for me. Other people prefer to be single, but in the end it shouldn’t matter.
My relationship status didn’t hinder me from meeting some of my best friends when I lived in residence. It didn’t prevent me from going out to campus events, or studying with friends at the library, as some tend to believe. Sure I had my fair share of nights in with my bae, but everybody has those nights. I don’t regret not being able to go out and meet guys at bars, or have a Tinder account. Even if I did come into university single, I know I wouldn’t have done it the “traditional way.” That’s just not my forte.
So instead of shaming fellow students for staying with someone they love when they come to university, we should be supporting everybody; it doesn’t matter if you meet your forever partner before college, in college, or after. What matters are the experiences you have, the people you meet, and the lifelong memories that you carry with you after you graduate. Maybe you’ll meet your future husband, wife, or partner. Maybe you won’t. Don’t let that focus hinder you from having the greatest time of your life in university or college, because it’s about more than just education. It’s about your future, your life, your connections, but it’s most of all, it’s about you.
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