In college, all girls meet and fall in love with the same kinds of guys. We make similar mistakes and do everything we can to impress and get these guys to notice us. There’s the guy that you’re in love with the idea of, the granola guy, the best friend/soulmate, the frat guy, the cookie cutter guy, the cute guy you sit next to in class, the friend of a friend, etc.

We get sucked into this culture that is full of games and where no one ever says what they want.

College is its own little reality bubble. Its four years to kind of “find” yourself and have few obligations and responsibilities. In this little world, there is this idea of “hookup culture." This novel idea is really only used and understood younger generations. This so-called “hookup culture" that most college students have as their mindset really just objectifies sex.

Meeting people now consists of meeting on a drunken night out and maybe “hooking up” or “talking” afterward. There is also this whole idea of “talking." It basically is when you aren’t dating but you both want to be, however, neither one of you will admit to it, and to be honest, I don’t really get it, either.

Dating has become an entirely different and unrecognizable beast these days. It’s confusing to all parties involved. There are all of these rules about what you can and cannot do or say. Along with this new dating culture has come new terms that, let’s be honest, really just make the whole process more complicated. Being “together," “cuffed," “hooking up," etc... whatever happened to simply dating? People are afraid to put labels on everything. And on the subject of dates, no one ever goes on dates anymore.

Why are dates such a novelty?

My friends and I are generally surprised and excited to hear that someone went on a date.

Some people play hard to get while others who say what they want can be seen as being too eager or even desperate, but why? It is because we are not used to it. Girls always comment that a boy they met is so nice and so great, but it is simply because the other boys they were comparing him too. For some weird reason, girls always chase after the guys that treat them terribly.

The culture has come to expect that guys and girls “fuck around” for a while before actually trying to find a relationship, but why? Why is it so rooted in our culture now that dating and getting married has to happen at a much later date. Relationships, especially in college get such a stigma. No one wants to date in college because it is their time to be free.

But being free is just hooking up with random people. If you ask me, forming a true bond and having something meaningful is much more memorable than getting drunk and trying to meet anyone. And there is a double standard in this culture. It is fine when guys hook up with a lot of girls, but girls get slut shamed so easily not only by guys but also by other girls.

The new big trend is dating apps, and there are a lot. Of course, I don’t want to dismiss anyone that has used a dating app, because they have plenty of success stories, but what happened to meeting people in person? What happened to not making a snap judgment and swiping right or left based on what you see in front of you? Tinder and Bumble get stigmas of being used for hookups, and it objectifies both men and women, forcing the other to judge them based on appearance only (for the most part).

There really is no right or wrong, though, when it comes to dating. Everyone goes about it all in their own way. The main thing to keep in mind is that there are many fish in the sea!