By Dr. Love
I’m a freshman, and although I (as much as the next person) would be happy to find love in college, I’m a little concerned. Especially since the start of this semester, I feel like like I can’t get away from this one senior girl. I’m flattered, but I keep hearing the phrase ‘senior scramble,’ and I am worried about the genuineness of her interest. Besides, I just got to college – I still need to figure out how to wake up to my alarm and remember all of my assignments! What should I do? – Flustered Freshman
Run, don’t walk. Run far, far away.
Think about it. Are you the same person you were when you walked onto campus for the first time? The personal growth from even the first semester of college to sophomore year has the potential to be astronomical.
My advice to you is to NOT lock yourself down with the first person to show interest, no matter their year. Many couples have attended and graduated from GCC to get married shortly after. Most probably didn’t find their soulmate as a freshman dating someone in the senior class. She’s graduating soon; there’s no reason for her to attach herself to a freshman that she won’t even see in four months.
You seem rightfully apprehensive about her motives. Even though I hate to say it, there is some merit to the phrase “senior scramble.” That ring-by-spring mentality can affect even the most levelheaded among us. A senior dating a freshman is a bit icky and can come across as desperate for the older party. You might say, “we’re all adults,” but for me, there’s just a large maturity gap that can really get in the way of a healthy relationship, age gap notwithstanding. While the end goal of dating is to get married, each of you would probably approach a relationship differently since you two are in such different stages of life. One is looking to graduate, move from home and probably get married soon. The other is just concerned about waking up on time and fitting in Chick-fil-A between classes.
You’re at college to get an education, first and foremost. Worrying about classes and waking up on time means that you have your priorities straight. After that? Focus on finding a strong friend group or joining an interesting club. Maybe you’ll end up working at the Collegian like me! As far as I know, there aren’t any cougars on staff, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the senior scramble here.
It sounds like this girl wants a relationship just to say that she is in a relationship. When the time is right for you, the girl of your dreams will most likely be closer to your age.
Wishing you the best of luck,
Dr. Love
