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| Senioritis: Dating Your Last Semester of College
by Meg Coffey
There's a strange phenomenon that occurs the moment you become a senior. In high school you become king of the mountain or so you think, and college and freedom are on the horizon. When you're a senior in college it's a completely different experience, you are in your own world. The first day of your spring semester it hits you like a tidal wave-it's your last first day of school. It's your last everything before camp ends and the real world begins.
Now imagine being in a serious relationship. They say most people meet their mate in college; those sweethearts often marry soon after graduation. Is it getting hot in here? You're starting to sweat.
So here's the deal… you've got all this pressure on you and all of a sudden it hits you-you've got senioritis. What? You know, that restlessness where you can't quite get comfortable and you see your entire world changing before your eyes. When you're in a relationship you often wonder if this is your last chance to go out and party, experiment, be reckless, whatever you want to call it. You don't want to miss anything and a relationship can hold you back. You want to spend as much time as you can with your buddies because this may be the last time you ever see some of them and here is where the problem occurs.
You are in a very serious relationship that you can envision carrying on after graduation and you start to think you don't have to pay as much attention because they love you and will stand by. WARNING: you can't just blow off your mate just because you are a senior. I realize you need another guy's night out, but how many more than 10 drunken nights in a row can you take? You realize that this may be your last chance to screw around and taste different flavors before you are attached at the hip and infidelity becomes a word in your grown up vocabulary.
When you're in a long distance relationship, it's even worse. The most important part of this type of relationship is an open line of communication and spending as much time together as you can. Yet when neither one of you wants to leave campus for a weekend for fear of missing another "last," your relationship becomes strained. No one is faulting you for wanting the most out of your college experience but you can't neglect your relationship. The future is scary and everyone handles it differently. If there ever was a stereotype for the different sexes, get ready to see it.
Here is where the difference between boys and girls becomes most obvious and even the strongest relationships can be shaken by the stupidest things. Girls begin to freak out because you aren't spending time together anymore. Girlfriends who at the most comfortable with the situation are often in the worst frame of mind. They often start to think you are seeing someone else or trying to sow your oats while you can. They start to get clingy and possessive and cherish every moment as if it were your last moment together.
Sound like someone you know? You have to understand that when women start to lose their mates they tend to grab on tighter. The girlfriend realizes that you will be together but you must understand that they are super sensitive at this time. Guys on the other hand run as fast as they can when girlfriends grab on tight. WARNING: if you are the girl in this relationship and possessive is your middle name then we can promise you all you boyfriend is thinking is "Give me space" The macho man in you comes out, as does your need to get rowdy. It's not that you don't love your mate, it's just that you have different priorities right now and in a long distance relationship if you lose sight you risk losing your relationship.
You must ask yourself what is most important and just how much you are willing to risk to continue your actions. So what's the message? What is this all about? Your senior year of college is your last chance to do a lot of things but life doesn't end at graduation; in reality, it is only beginning. So if you're in a relationship and experiencing senioritis, make sure you understand what you have and just how far are you willing to go to risk it. In other words, is this temporary attitude work your relationship?
Didn't think so.
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