Dating Freshman Year, Smart Move or Terrible Mistake?

So you enter your freshman year of college a confident single gal (or guy) ready to take on your new independent lifestyle and hopefully meet some hotties. The first week of college you meet someone who you happen to really hit it off with. A few weeks later, you’re still talking to this special someone and you start to wonder where this is all going.

But is it really a good idea to start dating someone you’ve only known for two weeks into your freshman year?

In my experience, no.

Freshman year is all about new experiences, whether it be living with someone you don’t know or having to do your laundry for the first time. While the idea of meeting a new boyfriend or girlfriend is exciting, the first semester of college might not be the best time to start thinking of a long term relationship.

I met a guy during the summer at one of my school’s orientations and I continued to talk to him once we met up in the fall. We started hooking up almost immediately after classes began and I wondered if he was feeling as strongly as I was about him. I soon realized, as he hooked up with multiple other girls, that there really were no feelings involved on his part. He announced that it was no big deal since he and I weren’t officially anything and he didn’t want anything serious his first year. I was hurt because I had read too much into the situation. Even more, though, I was angry at myself because I could have spent the time getting to know other people (or studying) instead of hanging out with him.

A friend of mine had a similar situation; she hooked up with someone for awhile during freshman year, but the guy had no intentions of taking it any further. She was devastated when he would constantly parade other girls around. She was miserable for the remaining year and didn’t seem to enjoy her time as a college freshman as much as she could have. While she should have gotten away from this dude, she felt too attached to him to let go. And this was all over someone she had known for only three months. I’ve even known countless others whose grades have dropped because of a bad hook-up or nasty rejection from someone they just met.

The first semester for college freshmen should be used to settle into a more comfortable routine and get used to everything new. Take this time to get to know friends and potential hookups as much as you can and save anything more serious for the second semester when you are finally settled in. This way, forming friendships, finding time to study, and becoming familiar with the college lifestyle is easier to maintain without the added stress of a relationship.

What do you think about dating freshman year? Is it a do or a don’t?