Collegiate Times

Let?s face it, facebook has become the go-to book to find out if someone is in a relationship or not. We are all guilty of it, slaving away on our laptops day and night researching who is still together and who broke up over the summer. It tells us that when it comes to relationship statuses, there are really only a few classification options. We expect to look and see someone as either single, dating, or is involved in something extremely ?complicated,? yet they are comfortable enough to inform everyone about it. However, there?s also the more overlooked relationship: status choice, and perhaps the reason we forget this one is because it seems like it shouldn?t yet be relevant in our lives. That relationship choice is ?engaged? and just the thought of the word makes me wonder where my youth has gone.

It?s always been normal to return to college in the fall and hear about the make-ups and break-ups that the summer brought upon your friends. For guys it?s obvious that a break-up has occurred because of the increased amount of hair on their face. It?s what I?d call ?Post break-up facial hair? and a sure sign of an ended relationship. However, this fall I return back to college to find myself with less bearded male friends, and more female friends with huge rocks on their ring fingers. After getting past both the initial shock and the blinding gleam of engagement rings, I realize that it wasn?t a joke and weddings are being planned.

Maybe this is supposed to be some type of turning point in our lives where we realize we?re growing up and people our age are starting to get married. The thing that baffles me is if I didn?t even know what drink to order from Starbucks this morning, how am I supposed to know who to spend the rest of my life with? If there is one thing that college students are good at, it?s indecision. So how come the decision to say, ?I do? could be right around the corner?

How are we supposed to know when you?ve found the one? Some guys seem to have tests of whether or not a girl is ?marriage material.? First there?s the one where he unlocks the passenger side door for his date and then sees if she reaches across to unlock his door for him. In this instance, the girl either looks like an inconsiderate jerk or is too oblivious to notice that his door is still locked. Then there?s the ?does she offer to pay? test. I?ll never understand this, because it can either make a girl appear cheap or a threateningly masculine. When it comes to putting a girl to the test, I beg any guy not to.

Think about how your parents met. For most of us we have probably heard the stories of how they met in college and they ?just knew? it was meant to be. For the average college student, the thought of meeting someone and ?just knowing? they are the one you are destined to marry seems pretty unrealistic and almost scary. Some girls almost try to convince themselves that they will never marry, and will therefore live in a house with a large amount of cats that will serve to be their only companions. There was a time when I feared of becoming that crazy cat lady on the block that all the kids would run from in terror as a result of never marrying. It didn?t take me long to realize that just because those around me might be well on the path to married life, that doesn?t mean we all have to be the next ones in line.

I will never forget the words that my mom told me when she said, ?I?m proud of you for keeping yourself on the market?. Despite her poor word choice, my mom holds a valid point. Our college years are the ones where we should enjoy what remains of our youth, and if love happens to come your way then embrace it, and if not, there?s no reason to panic. So, I come to the conclusion that there is no timeline of how our lives are supposed to look. Maybe you?ll marry in college, or maybe you?ll have tons of cats. The best advice I can give all the hopeless romantics out there is that when it comes to love, you should live each day expecting nothing, but prepared for anything. Who knows, today could be the day you meet your soulmate.