I’m in College and I’m in LOVE

April 30, 2011 1:00 pm     Posted in Relationships  Ashley- University of Wisconsin Madison g+ page

As corny as it sounds it’s the real deal and true to my life. It’s been three years and I feel like I’ve known my boyfriend a lifetime.  We actually went to the same high school but didn’t really know each other. Back then, I was friends with the popular “mean girls” and we pretty much socialized with each other and our typical, jock, male counterparts. Back then, he was the “friends-with-everyone” good guy that pretty much stuck to his smart, quirky (in a good way), laid-back clique. Luckily, college brought us together.


By Ashley

We were both freshman at the same university and when you’re walking around an unfamiliar campus with 40,000+ students, a familiar face seems like your best friend. We ran into each other ALL the time, literally. If we weren’t bumping into each on the streets of campus or at a party, it was in the chemistry lab or library. Our frequent run-ins turned into small chit-chat which led to Facebook friending, which led to AIM chatting, which led to hanging out one-on-one, which led to hooking up, which led to introducing each other to our friends, which brought us to where we are now — happily in love!

When you’re in love and in college, YOU GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! I honestly couldn’t put it any other way. And now that I think about it…I wouldn’t have it any other way either. I’ve been able to party and live up the college experience while feeling secure knowing I’ve had my man by my side the whole time. It took time to find a healthy balance between class, sex, and beer but we found it (and we rank them in that order). We still have different groups of BFFs (some mutual friends to kick it with sometimes too) and are each dedicated to different organizations on campus so we have to go our separate ways sometimes, but it’s healthy. Besides, for whatever reason, there’s something sexy about not seeing your boo all day and then meeting up later.

Being in a serious relationship during college hasn’t always felt like luxury, but it’s always felt like love. I can’t count the number of times our dates consisted of ordering in the cheapest, fattiest foods (Gumby’s ring a bell?) or cramming in the library for two days straight with bag lunches. I know that someday I’ll be able to look back on these cheap date memories of undergrad and know that I spent them with my best friend and my lovah! Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

Are you in college and in looovvee? Are you even ready for love?  Wondering what love means these days? Share it all below!

7 Comments on "I’m in College and I’m in LOVE"

  1. Aaa says:
    Sat, 30th Apr 20112:29 pm 

    Thank you so much for this! I've had a steady long-term boyfriend all through college and most of the time I feel like people think I need to be single in order to have a "true college experience". I appreciate you sharing the other side!

  2. Amy says:
    Sat, 30th Apr 20113:58 pm 

    Thank you so much for writing this mature piece on a site that talks mostly about hook-ups! I'm in my second year of uni and have had a steady, wonderful bf for the last year, but like Aaa above, sometimes I feel like it's not 'the college experience' unless I'm sexing it up with a new guy every week.

  3. Celia says:
    Sat, 30th Apr 20117:02 pm 

    Hooray! I'm actually married and still in undergrad, and I really love it. We still party and go out and spend all-nighters with a coffee pot…we just joke that we have a license to make out in public.

  4. Older and wiser says:
    Sun, 1st May 201112:41 am 

    I met my husband in college when I was a sophmore and he was a senior. We got married right out of college. Those early years were the best. We didn't have much money, but we enjoyed being together. I thought I had married my soul mate.

    Now fast forward 30 years. We've changed in ways I never would have imaged. We're not the people we were then. We've grown in different directions and lost ourselves along the way. We've stayed together for our children and this year we plan to divorce.

    Young love is wonderful and exhilirating, but unfortuntely it doesn't always last forever. Enjoy the present. Take your time and don't rush into marriage too quickly.

  5. Jenna says:
    Sun, 1st May 20119:10 am 

    I have so far been in college for 8 years (4 undergrad 4 since starting my PhD) and have been in a relationship for the past 6 years. My perspective is that at least for me personally the “random hook up" experience is something I don't at all regret forgoing.The partying aspect of college of my undergrad degree was fun at the time but it is not the aspect you're likely to remember in years to come. However an undergraduate degree is a fairly unique environment to form really close life long friendships. So while it is great to enjoy your relationship you should be especially careful not to miss out on other important friendships because you may never have the time or energy to do this again. The friendships I formed during my undergraduate degree are certainly the most important I have found so far, and all of my friends who have left college entirely agree that it is much more difficult to make friends as close outside of that environment.

  6. Cindy says:
    Sun, 1st May 201111:32 am 

    Thanks for your story. I've known my boyfriend since high school, we went out for three years in high school, broke up after senior year, and started dating again my sophomore year. We go to different schools 4 hours away, but it never seems like we're that far away. We're constantly communicating throughout the day and we skype almost every day. I also have time to hang out with my friends during the day at class and in between, so I do get the best of both worlds! I am now a senior (he is too), and I definitely know what it's like to call the love of your life your "best friend." I totally know what that is like, and it's the best feeling in the world! I also understand how it's not always a luxury being a college student and being poor, so we definitely eat cheap food together. The best part is definitely being there with them, because that is all that matters!

  7. lynn says:
    Sat, 7th May 20115:44 pm 

    wow! i'm getting into this situation too!
    i'm 2 months away from graduating college and i met my current boyfriend 3 months ago. i loved being single for most part of college because i got to find myself, i grew out of my high school self, i learnt what i wanted in a great relationship and now i have it. i've found that one guy that has most the features i want in a partner and i wouldn't be able to recognise it if i hadn't been single trough college.

    we won't rush things because he still has 3 years of college ahead of him, we want to live it day by day with everything that comes with college: no sleep, cheap food, long library hours, skype, texting, music, bars, beer, friends, etc, etc. but specially, the 2 of us

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