Girl in my grade dating a senior

By now everyone has settled back into the hustle & bustle of the semester. You’ve figured out the quirks of your teachers, whether attendance is part of your grade, and you’ve also realized that you might need to switch your study group. All the essentials you need to have a successful semester have become apart of your routine, but if you happen to be in your senior year of college, then your routine might be a little more stressful.

Freshmen and sophomore year were the days when you didn’t have to worry about much. You could easily party the night away and still successfully write a paper two hours before class started. It was that time when you could easily switch majors (I switched mine about three times,) and during your underclassmen days you could put your emotions on the line & give love a shot.

Dating during underclassmen years proved to be a beautiful, exciting, and easy journey. You could spend hours in class daydreaming & doodling hearts, and not having to worry about where you’ll end up at the end of the semester. You didn’t have to add the pressure of graduate school, job applications, and the possibilities of moving to another state to your list of topics with your significant other. But when you reach senior year of college, the relationships you start (or consider starting) require a lot more effort.

Not to say that relationships during your early years of college don’t require effort (all relationships do,) but planning your life after college with someone else in mind can prove to be a challenge. If you truly love someone and have been with them for some time, then I can see how it would be slightly unrealistic to just break up and move on with your life. But if you happen to be in your senior year & single with no attachment, then word to the wise, consider whether you seriously want to embark on something serious.

As a senior in college anxious to finally graduate in summer with my B.A. in English, I’ve realized that it’s difficult trying to balance my grades, graduate school apps, job applications, and the possibility of starting a relationship. I recently was in a situation with someone that I considered embarking on a relationship with. We spent almost every single day together, and in the midst of our time together, I came to a few conclusions regarding dating in your last year of college.

Yes, you may meet someone and be madly intrigued by them, but you also have to take into account what is going to happen after college ends. In my situation, the person I was dating was still attending community college. That’s not a bad thing at all (I commend anyone who is pursuing education,) but our goals were different. He wanted a long-term relationship, whereas I wasn’t necessarily trying to include someone else in my future. He knew in fall that he would be still at community college hopefully nearing the completion of his A.A., whereas I’m pulling out a map, looking at the economy, and trying decide where I want to move to once I graduate.

I have a lot of things to figure out in regards to life after college. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just reality. And the reality is that it’s extremely difficult to have a serious relationship with someone in your last year of college. There is nothing wrong with dating and exploring options, but if you’re not in the mindset to date and know that you want to focus on your grades (my grades tend to slip when I’m caught up in a serious relationship,) then it’s best to stay single. But fret not, having a serious relationship isn’t impossible; make sure you talk to your partner and be honest about where both of you are in life. As long as your honest about what you want and the direction you want to take things (or not take things,) then you can work on doing what is best for both of you, and especially what is best for you as a senior in college.

You’ve worked so hard to reach senior year, so don’t change your plans for someone unless you truly love them and know what is right.