California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

    Stay single or should I mingle?

    Love. It is a four-letter word that makes the world go round. It can bring people together, but can also tear them apart. It could change our lives in a second and make us feel things we didnโ€™t know we were capable of feeling. Love is a beautiful thing.

    Sometimes we are lucky enough to find love at a young age. Remember Romeo and Juliet? They were both teenagers when they experienced falling in love. Other times, it takes a lifetime to find true love. Carrie Bradshaw ran around New York City for 10 years searching for โ€œthe oneโ€ before she married John James โ€œMr. Bigโ€ Preston.

    Finding love and accomplishing our goals seem to be two of the biggest worries running through the minds of college students. On one side, we are human beings. We want to love and be loved. We want to find a partner who can laugh with us, support us and make us feel like we are the only person in the world.

    On the other hand, some of us feel that in order to find love, we might have to compromise in accomplishing our dreams, and at this point, it might not be something that we are ready to do.

    The question is, is it better to be in a relationship while being in college? Or is it better to stay single and focus on being the person you are meant to be?

    Junior Nick Dowell, has experienced college life while being in a relationship and being single, and believes that although we shouldnโ€™t go looking for love in school, we also shouldnโ€™t run away from it.

    โ€œOn one hand, this is the time for you to figure out what it is you want to do with your life, what direction you want to go in. But if you happen to meet someone along the way that you really care about, who really compliments you, why not?โ€ Dowell said.

    Although college is the time to find yourself and accomplish your dreams, it is also the perfect place to meet people and build relationships. Many students actually find their significant others while in college.

    Junior Paige Zimmer and senior Raymond Hovland have been together for almost a year and a half. They met in a piano class here at California Lutheran University and instantly became friends.

    โ€œIt was totally sporadic and random,โ€ Zimmer said of their meeting.

    Zimmer, an accounting major, and Hovland, a business major, both enrolled in the class for a core requirement. Neither of them knew anything about the piano, and connected when Zimmer offered to share her book with Hovland.

    Hovland believes that being in a relationship has actually had a positive influence on his college career and made him a better student.

    โ€œI started studying more after I met Paige,โ€ Hovland said. โ€œI did it [studying] before too of course, but since we are in the same major almost, we are hanging together all the time and studying together. โ€œ

    According to Gurl.com, healthy relationships tend to make the college experience well-rounded and fun.

    โ€œIf you have a happy and balanced relationship, having a significant other during your college years isnโ€™t going to hurt you or ruin your experience,โ€ Gurl.com writer Jessica Booth said.

    Being in a relationship definitely has changed both Zimmer and Hovlandโ€™s college experiences. They take each otherโ€™s plans into consideration before making their own.

    โ€œWe donโ€™t have as much alone time, I guess. We are together a lot more and I guess we donโ€™t really hang out with our other friends as much,โ€ Zimmer said.ย  โ€œWe definitely made each other our top priorities, which is a lot different when youโ€™re not in a relationship. You donโ€™t have someone to think about.โ€

    The truth is, there is no actual reason as to why we should or should not be in a committed relationship during our college career.

    Yes, itโ€™s fun to hook up, talk to people, have crushes, but committing ourselves to someone at such a young age, when we have so many dreams and goals to accomplish, might not necessarily always be the best option. A lot of times the thought of being alone forever can cause us to rush into something when we arenโ€™t truly ready. Usually when this happens, it results in both parties being genuinely unhappy.

    In some cases, like that of Zimmer and Hovland, college relationships do get a โ€œhappily ever after,โ€ however, in the end, it is important to remember this; whether you are in a relationship or you are single, always make sure you are the best version of yourself.

     

    Natalie Kalamdaryan
    Staff Writer
    Published May 7, 2014