There comes a time during senior year of college when people realize they only have a year left to figure out what to do with their lives before entering the "real world." For some, obtaining a job is the main priority. This gives them the hope that eventually they can save enough money to buy their own place and say goodbye to mom and dad.

For others, attending additional schooling is the best choice. This gives them the opportunity to procrastinate a little longer before making the real decision of what to do; yet they are also getting a higher degree of some kind. In addition to these two types of people, there is a third group whose ambitions have nothing to do with money or a career. There are some people who use senior year as a time to find a significant other and fall in love.

But my question is, if you don't find love in college, does that mean you will never find love at all? It seems as though there is a race against time to find that special someone before graduation day hits or we are doomed to a life of loneliness forever.

I dated someone for the last two years of high school and then through my sophomore year of college. It was the first time I had ever been in love, and I will admit it was a very happy period of my life. I swore this person was the one for me, even going as far as to say we would get married one day. It is now senior year, and we have barely spoken since we broke up two years ago. Looking back, I laugh at some of the things that I said. Who talks about marriage at 17? I had no idea what I was doing with my life and where I was going to end up, but I could make a statement as bold as, "I want to marry you," to another person.

I have a problem with the idea of searching for a boyfriend senior year. Half the fun of falling in love is not knowing when it will happen. If we start programming ourselves to find someone because we feel like we have to, are we actually letting ourselves fall in love?

I will admit senior year does bring on a panic that feels like being stuck in a broken elevator with 15 strangers. But why do we have to solve the panicky feeling with another person? I hear girls say things such as, "I would die if my boyfriend ever broke up with me," or "I can't wait to graduate so we can live together." I contemplate pulling my hair out and screaming when I hear these things. Why do we let ourselves become so dependent on other people? No, I am not jealous of people in relationships; this column is far cry from that. It blows my mind how people are so easily willing to sacrifice their wants and goals to make someone else happy. If that is what love is, I don't want to find it. I need to figure out how to make myself happy, just being alone, before I can even think of being with someone else.

At this age we are still discovering who we are, and where we want to go in life. With so much ahead, why do we let being in love decide our lives for us? I want to choose where I live after I graduate. I don't want to have to move where my boyfriend lives. I don't need a ring on my finger before I graduate to feel secure with myself and my future. Yet it seems that this is becoming the trend more and more. My only advice is to slow down. There always has been -- and always will be -- love.

We can't all find it senior year on the campus of Virginia Tech. So, what is there to do in the meantime? A little self-reflection never hurt anyone. Regardless of whether you are single or in a relationship, you should be your first priority. The thought of being alone shouldn't be a scary one if you really know who you are. On the contrary, the thought of not being able to live without someone is truly terrifying.

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