So, the dust of move-in day and syllabus week has begun to settle. You're sitting in your dorm room, swiping away on your brand new Tinder (sorry mom) and suddenly match with a cute guy, quickly sending him a cute animal gif to gain his attention. Or maybe you're at your first house party during welcome weekend sipping on some Jungle Juice (once again, sorry mom) when a cutie comes and strikes up a conversation with you by the punch bowl. Or maybe you're running a few minutes late to your sociology lecture (sorry again mom, campus is a lot bigger than you remember) and sit in the first empty seat, which just so happens to be next to an actual 10/10.
Regardless of the situation, your happy little freshman heart is fluttering like crazy at the thought of a guy taking interest in you. You instantly think about how everyone back home was right about you dating in college and you're SO excited to get to know Brad or Steven or whatever his name is.
The only problem?
Cute Tinder (or party or sociology class) boy is a senior. And you're a freshman.
Now, you probably don't think much of this. You're probably even more starstruck, in fact, that a guy so much older and obviously much more mature than you has decided to take interest in you.
I just have one piece of advice for you...
Don't do it.
Here are my four reasons why dating a senior as a freshman is one of the worst decisions you could possibly make:
1. The two of you are in two completely different stages of your life.
You just graduated high school literally four months ago. They're going to be walking across the college graduation stage in about nine months. The things you're thinking about, stressing about, and planning for are completely different. Same with your maturity levels. This life-stage difference is enough for personalities and opinions to clash from the get-go, leading you to more heartache.
2. Nine times out of ten, all they want is sex.
The odds of you finding a senior who looking for something more than a couple nights in bed are pretty slim. If they aren't already in something serious, they aren't going to want to lock up with someone right before they graduate and start their adult lives. You're honestly nothing more than fresh meat to them.
3. The two of you will never be able to spend your weekend nights together.
If you date a senior, they're going to want to spend their Saturday nights at the bars in town with their friends. You're 18 and stuck sneaking water bottles full of vodka into frat parties. The age difference creates a conflict that will make your weekends terrible.
4. The level of experience both of you have is quite different.
Odds are, that senior has a lot more experience when it comes to dating and sex. They've probably been though a couple more relationships than someone who is a freshman and they also have a firm grasp on what the college dating and hookup scene can be like.
5. At the end of the day, you're going to end up with your heart broken.
Everything I've mentioned is going to lead to negative feelings on your behalf, which is the last thing you want. Investing your time in a senior is more painful for you than it is for them. Value yourself and your right to happiness and pass on that senior, no matter how much you want to say yes.