Three Differences Between Dating in College and Dating in the Real World

1. Where Have All the Young Dates Gone? College is an amazing time. Custodians clean up after you, dining hall staff cook your meals, and you are surrounded by hundreds, even thousands, of intelligent, attractive people your age!  It’s a surfeit of potential dates. After you graduate, seemingly everyone in the world ages by 20-30 years. You will lament, “Hey! Where did all the young people go?” You go to work and you’re the youngest by about 25 years. You take an art class to meet people and you’re surrounded by retirees complaining of their aching joints. Now, it requires a lot more effort to meet those intelligent, attractive people your age. You may have to search high and low, but they are there.

2. E-F-F-O-R-T, Find Out What It Means to Me: My very first date with my very first college boyfriend was a memorable experience. On a sunny Friday afternoon in November, we met at a place with large windows overlooking the snow-capped Green Mountains in Vermont. We picked up our red trays, gathered our utensils and napkins, and stood in line for overcooked grilled chicken and cold pasta, with a side of soggy onion rings, chased down with diluted diet soda. Yes, my friends, it was every woman’s dream come true: a date in a college dining hall. We were doomed from the start. In life post-college, you must put in a little effort in order to sweep the object of your affection off his or her feet. Do not be mistaken: there is no need to hemorrhage bundles of money on an evening for two. Cook dinner together. Go to a museum. Climb a mountain. Picnic in the park. Anything, but a college dining hall, or its real world equivalent (the company break room?)!

3. Two’s Company, Three (Or More) is a Crowd: There’s something about college and group “dating.” I put it in quotation marks because I’m not entirely sure if one can call it dating. You’ve met couples in this situation: they’re an exclusive item, but they only hang out with their mixed-gender group of friends. All together, they go to movies, hockey games, and out to dinner. Usually, the couple hooks up afterward. What gives? If you have fallen into this habit during college, plan on breaking it after graduation. While hanging out with friends as a couple is a lot of fun, romantic, one-on-one dating is necessary for building a healthy relationship.