By Emily Castillo
Pulse Staff Reporter
The college dating scene varies from monogamous relationships to friends with benefits and everything in between.
Between the chaos of class, studying and interning, having a relationship in college is possible.
“Communication and having a schedule made it possible for Cody and me to have the kind of relationship we have,” said Martha Montez, a sophomore International Affairs major.
Sophomore Liberal Arts major Stephanie Romero has tried the online dating scene and calls herself a professional.
“It is so much easier to do the online dating scene than going out to find someone. My favorite dating site is Tinder because you can find people near you and go out with them without any hassle,” she said.
Being in college does not give you the excuse to sleep around. Some college students have already found their life partners.
Samantha Garza, an Education major, and her husband are high school sweethearts who have been together going on 14 years. They both went to UT-Austin right out of high school.
“It was not really a challenge for us to stay together,” said Garza. “We love each other and were not tempted to do all the partying and sleeping around people usually associate with being in college. It actually brought us closer together because we were some of the only ones who did not want to do that.”
Those who aren’t looking for anything too serious, like Ashley Sanderson,* a sophomore Criminal Justice major, admit to preferring one night stands with guys as opposed to being in a relationship with them.
“I feel like there is not enough time in the world, so I enjoy getting a quick fix without any strings attached,” Smith* said.
Others prefer that route for a variety of reasons. It is a whole lot easier than trying to juggle a relationship. It can also cause less stress and make more time for studying or going out. Some people do not agree with this way of thinking like sophomore Allyanna Hernandez, * a Business Management major.
“I believe that if you mess around with guys/girls like that, it makes you easy, and that is what guys/girls seem to go for in college. I think college is the perfect time for people to be in relationships,” said Hernandez.* “I personally do not want to date anyone. I am really focusing on my studies rather than going out and hooking up. I have a lot of friends that I hang out with when I need a break from school work. You don’t need a boyfriend/girlfriend to have fun. That is what friends are for,” said Hernandez.*
Friends with benefits has quite the reputation of being the easiest relationship in college because people get to have sex with a person they like without having to deal with any of the obligations associated with being in a romantic relationship.
“I’m not ready to be in a committed relationship, and I still want to be able to talk to whoever I want whenever I want, so that’s why I like having a friend with benefits,” said Eloisa Galvan,* a sophomore Biology major.
Although relationships can be fun, some safety precautions should be taken. If you are going to meet with an individual you met on the Internet, take a friend with you. The buddy system is the best system when meeting someone for the first time.
If you want to have a friend with benefits or sleep around, make sure to use birth control, like condoms. Unprotected sex can cause unplanned pregnancies or lead to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
For information on where to get birth control and tested for STDs, visit your local Planned Parenthood at http://www.plannedparenthood.org and the San Antonio AIDS Foundation at http://www.sanantonioaids.org.
*Names changed to protect student’s identity.
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