Dating
Dating - An Issue of Personal Choice
First there was the passing notes, hand holding and name-calling of middle school. Then you survived your first heartbreak when your high school sweetheart decided it would be best to be “just friends.” Now swept away in college life, with an important aspect being dorm life, you hardly take the time to step back and ask yourself, “What am I doing here? Who’s bed did I just wake up in, and how the hell did I get here?!” Okay, so the second part may not be applicable to all students, but at the same time you cannot deny that it happens, likely more often than one would be comfortable thinking about. If you have not yet taken the time to ponder what it is you plan to do with the so-called “best four years of your life,” besides studying and eating dorm food, perhaps it is about time you did. What do you want to be accomplishing in these prime dating years? More importantly, is that what you are accomplishing?
In short, the purpose of this writing is to discuss the question: “What role should dating play in college students’ lives?” Initially one might think this is a frivolous subject. On the contrary, there is a quite a range of opinions on the subject with marriage incorporated into a number of them. Marriage is not a frivolous topic. Consequently its precursor, dating, also bears significance.
One might also think that college students, being in the midst of their own dating lives, would be able to define dating, be familiar with their intentions, and have a strong concept of where the decisions they make today will take them tomorrow, as they relate to dating. Surprisingly, of the students I spoke with here on the Colorado State University campus, while conducting an informal survey, none would have met that standard. All hesitated greatly when asked to simply “define dating.” Once done struggling through that answer, they were asked “In your opinion, what is the purpose of dating in college?” These students’
First there was the passing notes, hand holding and name-calling of middle school. Then you survived your first heartbreak when your high school sweetheart decided it would be best to be “just friends.” Now swept away in college life, with an important aspect being dorm life, you hardly take the time to step back and ask yourself, “What am I doing here? Who’s bed did I just wake up in, and how the hell did I get here?!” Okay, so the second part may not be applicable to all students, but at the same time you cannot deny that it happens, likely more often than one would be comfortable thinking about. If you have not yet taken the time to ponder what it is you plan to do with the so-called “best four years of your life,” besides studying and eating dorm food, perhaps it is about time you did. What do you want to be accomplishing in these prime dating years? More importantly, is that what you are accomplishing?
In short, the purpose of this writing is to discuss the question: “What role should dating play in college students’ lives?” Initially one might think this is a frivolous subject. On the contrary, there is a quite a range of opinions on the subject with marriage incorporated into a number of them. Marriage is not a frivolous topic. Consequently its precursor, dating, also bears significance.
One might also think that college students, being in the midst of their own dating lives, would be able to define dating, be familiar with their intentions, and have a strong concept of where the decisions they make today will take them tomorrow, as they relate to dating. Surprisingly, of the students I spoke with here on the Colorado State University campus, while conducting an informal survey, none would have met that standard. All hesitated greatly when asked to simply “define dating.” Once done struggling through that answer, they were asked “In your opinion, what is the purpose of dating in college?” These students’
References: Baugher, J. (2002, October 4). Dating with a lower case “d”. The Hoya. Retrieved October 8, 2003, from Georgetown University Web site: http://www.thehoya.com/viewpoint/100402/view2.cfm Baugher, J Beckett, W. (2003, September 5). What lies between the hookup and marriage? The Chronicle. Retrieved October 13, 2003, from Duke University Web site: http://newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=nc&u=chronicle.duke.edu Borra, J Burney, T. (2003, March 26). Dating Sea Nuggets. The Chronicle. Retrieved October 13, 2003, from Duke University Web site: http://newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=nc&u=chronicle.duke.edu Callahan, G Chan, J. (2001, March 29). Stopping search for spouse in college. The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved October 19, 2003, from University of Virginia database: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=8026&pid=707 Graham, J Hill, T. (2003, January 30). UA students have lost that lovin’ feeling. Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved October 8, 2003, from the University of Arizona Web site: http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/96/85/01_1.html Jensen, M Saxe, L. (2003, March 28). Books before relationships? The Johns Hopkins News Letter. Retrieved October 8, 2003, from the Johns Hopkins University Web site: http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/28/3e83a90c940a0?in_archive=1 Vezeris, K West, M. (2001, April 26). Steering clear of marriage until after college. The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved October 19, 2003, from the University of Virginia Web site: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=8570&pid=726 Zauber, D