Let your family and friends do their own thing. You do you.

If a relative asks about your romantic life, say something like, “I’m way more into what I’m studying. Can I tell you about it?” Shift the conversation.

As for the friends, maybe find some new ones. Many college students are single …. or single and in a situationship. If all of your friends are prioritizing boyfriends, seek out people who want to hang out in a platonic pack on a Saturday night.

Thoughts on your dating question: if you wait for the perfect fish, two things might happen: 1. You’ll be sad you only ever tried one fish, and 2. The fish might be bad and weird. How could you know the quality of the fish without sampling it? What about the all the other fish that seemed less-than-shiny, but turned out to have fantastic energy?

I’ll drop the fish metaphor now because it’s getting confusing. The point is, if you know you’re not interested in a person, don’t date them. But if you’re curious and think you might like them a little, why not have the experience of finding out? It doesn’t have to last forever.

There’s no need to make this a big project. You’re focused on school, and that’s great. But first dates are low stakes – or should be. You can go for coffee, learn about someone, maybe even kiss them, and refocus on all the most important things the very next day.

– Meredith

Readers? Were most people coupled when you were in school/college? Did you feel pressure to date? Should this LW date more casually to see what it’s like?

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