March 27, 2026
“My boyfriend and I are typical Grover-achiev-ers. Our calendars are PACKED with school, clubs and sports, and we are starting to feel distant because we never have time to see one another. How can we prioritize one another without giving up anything?” -Grover-Achiever
On THIS campus? That’s a tale as old as time. These days, I feel like I barely have the time to see myself … and I don’t even play a sport, so that’s really something. What in your schedule means the most to you? What means the most to your boyfriend?
I’m sure neither of you wants to give up an ounce of what you both are already doing. For me, every activity I have ever done at Grove City College is to an end, whether professional, social or just for my own personal growth.
What needs to happen is a rebalancing of priorities. Actually, make it a date! Meet up for a meal and pull out your Google/Microsoft calendars. Isn’t that the most Grover thing ever? (I’m partial to Google Calendar … even though no one asked.)
It might suck, but you may have to cut back on the length of time you spend at clubs. It could mean showing up to a club meeting a bit late or carving out a longer lunchtime. It’s completely out of the question to cut back on sports or school of course, so plan accordingly. Don’t sacrifice anything that is important for your relationship.
I don’t know what your majors are, but if you’re spending more time playing IM pickleball than with your significant other … there’s a definite rearrangement of priorities that needs to happen. Now, if your club relates to your major and is necessary for your resume upon graduation, that’s a different situation.
I would set a goal for each week. For example, say that you want to see each other twice a week. Not too difficult, right? Easier said than done, I know. Have a conversation about what exactly this should look like. Is it a quick meal? A study session? Walking to or from class? There are myriad of small activities you can squeeze in that mean you see each other more often.
A word to the wise: Whenever you are together for longer than a walk to class, I recommend not multitasking and being fully present with each other. That’s what will really count when you look back on your memories together. Your schedule only gets busier as life goes on. And once you graduate, you have a job and other responsibilities.
I firmly believe that you two will be able to work it out. I would actually do the Google Calendar date. It sounds weird, but it will definitely help in the future.
Auspiciously,
March 13, 2026
Should what happens on ICO, stay on ICO?
“I went on an ICO trip this spring break and had the best time. I was trying to keep my mind on the community we were serving, but I couldn’t help but notice that one of the girls serving alongside me on the team was so cute and had such a great servant’s heart. But I am nervous – was I just on a spiritual high, or am I falling in love? Should I try continuing this relationship now that we are back on campus? -Lovesick on spring break
To me, one of the most attractive qualities a person can have is a servant’s heart. I understand how noticing a hardworking girl could sway your concentration.
Falling in love? That might be a little much, considering your ICO trip covered the span of 10 days … and at least two of those you were traveling. We all know that days spent traveling don’t reflect the true nature of a person (at least definitely not for me).
I think I can speak for most people on campus when I say that we all want someone with a servant’s heart who desires to give back to others and spread God’s ministry. That’s high up in the list of criteria for the person I want to marry one day. However, there is such a thing as too soon.
I don’t think you can say you’re falling in love with someone you’ve only known for a few days. I love romcoms as much as the next person, but realistically, it’s unlikely that either of us is going to fall into the arms of the love of our life by happenstance and marry them three months later. Plus, an ICO trip is a very specific environment. You only get to see one or two sides of a person: their heart for service, which this lovely gal clearly has, or their sense of adventure, judging from all the excursions you go on outside of serving.
I suggest asking her out on a date that puts you both in an environment where you haven’t been before. Getting to know different aspects of each other’s personality can help strengthen your (presumably) mutual interest. A spiritual bond with each other is a beautiful thing, but your connection is only a fledgling relationship at this point. Give it time to flourish and do things to fan the flames of love.
If it was just a spiritual high, then you still have a new friend who has experienced the same spiritual growth that you have from that trip. People bond over much less.
There are few negative outcomes from this situation. As long as you don’t tell her you’re falling in love with her on the first date, there’s potential for a positive relationship to bloom right before your eyes.
I’m rooting for you!
February 13, 2026
Contest winner!
The following response was penned by our Dr. Love contest winner, who wishes to remain anonymous … thank you to all who entered. We loved reading your responses!
My girlfriend and I have only been dating for two weeks, but Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Meanwhile, a lot of my friends are engaged and already have their forever plans locked down. I really like her, but it feels way too soon to do something over the top. I want to do something intentional and not cliche. What should I do, Dr. Love?
You’re in luck, young man! This time of the semester is a season of fundraisers, so there is an army of people eager to help you.
Your first move is to head on over to SAC and withdraw a pocketful of $1 bills from the ATM. After that, just stroll around SAC for about 30 seconds. Groups that can help you out will likely heckle you repeatedly (as I have been — have you ever noticed how people are really nice to you when they are asking you to buy things?).
Valentine’s Day cards! ICO bake sales! Coffee grams! All these things are super cheap and low-key. You can tack on a little message (“I passed by this stand and thought of you!”), and the sweet gesture will certainly be well received. You can make a day of it: Buy her a muffin and send a nice handwritten (with nice penmanship — your grandkids might be reading it one day) Valentine to her mailbox. Just don’t do the Valentine thing if you aren’t confident this relationship is going places — by the time she checks her mailbox, you both could be long separated.
On Valentine’s Day, just spend some time with her: A stroll down to Collage would suffice. Hold the door. Pay. Compliment her sweater. Be really interested in that Frost poem she keeps talking about. Ask questions. Remember you are happy to be there, going out with someone you really like. Let that happiness shine. These million little things will make it clear you care, without making her feel pressured.
My advice, in brief: Read the advice of all the single people in last week’s edition on how to talk to the opposite gender … and do the exact opposite.
Once you’ve done that, swing by The Collegian Tower in Crawford and drop off any of those spare $1 bills you got from the ATM — due to administrative budget cuts, my cruel, cruel editors have cut my stipend, and as a doctoral student in romantic counseling, I can take all the money I can get. Don’t worry, editorial team, I have no plans to go elsewhere, unless, of course, another publication is interested in paying off my student loans … (I’m looking at you, Cogitare Magazine!).
Best of luck, my friend: May your generous gifts spark a deepened relationship with this girl.
Auspiciously,
Dr. Love Love, M.D.
February 6, 2026
Ever wonder who Dr. Love is? Dr. Love’s identity has been a well kept secret for years. Our current Dr. Love has been hiding in plain sight among you for the past three years, secretly advising the campus on all romantic adversities.
Now, The Collegian is giving you a chance to step into Dr. Love’s role for a week.
We’re hosting a contest to see who’s got the best (and most entertaining) advice for the campus.
Submit up to 400 words in response to the prompt below by Feb. 7 to FoxER22@gcc.edu for a chance to be featured in the Feb. 13 issue!
Prompt: My girlfriend and I have only been dating for two weeks, but Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Meanwhile, a lot of my friends are engaged and already have their forever plans locked down. I really like her, but it feels way too soon to do something over the top. I want to do something intentional and not cliche. What should I do, Dr. Love?
January 30, 2026
Try your hand at being Dr. Love for a week!
The Collegian is hosting a contest to see who’s got the best (and most entertaining) advice for the campus.
This Sunday, we’ll be announcing your prompt on our Instagram account (gcc.collegian). You have until Feb. 7 to submit your 400 word response to our editor-in-chief at FoxER22@gcc.edu.
The winning response will run in the Feb. 13 issue!
October 24, 2025
Does the flame still flicker?
By Dr. Love · Love M.D.
I ran into my ex at a campus event the other night and we ended up chatting like no time had passed. It felt fun and familiar, almost like the old days, and now I can’t stop wondering if that spark is still real. Should I think about giving us another chance, or am I just chasing ghosts?
– Signed, Sweater Weather and Second Chances
September through November: the months when all the canon events happen. The air is about to turn crisp, and you end up face-to-face with someone you never thought you’d talk to again.
The echo of what once was … it feels almost poetic, doesn’t it? It’s so easy to drop back into the banter and tease each other. You can be comfortable with this person because they know the real you, the person few get to know. But just because it’s comfortable doesn’t mean it’s right.
Are you chasing ghosts? You’re seeing a glimpse of the past in the present. Is it a newborn spark, or is it the memory of the original spark? Don’t take a five-minute conversation and use it to open up a chapter that has already been closed.
Being drawn into the past for a moment is so nostalgic and feels like returning to a place you never thought you could. But remember that you two have changed. The person you have lingering feelings for? They don’t exist anymore. The reasons you broke up are still there.
If you two dated freshman year of college, chances are that you two are on very different paths now. What originally pulled you to each other is still there, under all those years of different experiences, but it’s distant now.
The hope is that you both have evolved into better versions of yourselves. Reconnection isn’t totally out of the question. Maybe the timing would be right this time, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
What time did you write this to me? Trust me, anything feels possible after 11 p.m., especially getting back together with your ex. Waking up in the morning really puts things into perspective, let me tell you.
Before you text him, think back to why the relationship started and then think long and hard about why it ended. Are you seeing your ex as the person they are now, or as somebody you used to know?
Remember, you don’t HAVE to take my advice. If you do end up trying to reconnect, I wish you the best of luck. Just know this: It’s important to keep moving forward and find that person who will give you the world and more, who will chase after Jesus with you with enthusiasm.
Auspiciously,
Dr. Love
Love M.D.
October 10, 2025
In love with Dr. Love
My mind has been stuck on one person and one person only. They have such a way with words and such great emotional intelligence. What do I do with my crush on Dr. Love?
Well, this is definitely a turn of events. Have you ever watched “Dash & Lily?” It’s one of my favorite movies to watch around Christmas time. (Please don’t tell me it’s too early to bring up Christmas. It’s never too early). They get to know each other by passing notes back and forth through a red notebook before ever meeting each other.
Get this: The notebook was left by Lily for one lucky stranger to find in The Strand, a bookstore in New York City. If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good bookstore. A relationship built upon the foundation of wise words and banter is one for the books. They prove it. There’s something about getting to know a person through letters and notes that’s on another level.
Take Conrad Fisher from “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” His letters to Belly are FULL of yearning and love. Who doesn’t want that? I feel like no one really takes the time to write letters anymore, and I fear that it’s a dying art. Let’s bring yearning back, please.
Crushes can be kind of strange. Sometimes, you don’t really know how you developed a crush on a person. One day they’re just someone you know and the next they’re all you can think about. Crushes are full of hope and daydreams until reality sets in. That’s when you figure out if you’re in it for the long haul.
Behind this screen (pen?) I write my true thoughts and am more transparent with my readers than I am in real life sometimes. I realize I don’t know anything about you, secret admirer, but you know a great deal about me. Tell me something about yourself. What kind of music do you listen to in the fall? Are you a coffee person or a tea person? Who’s more to blame, Summer or Tom?
In return, I’ll tell you about myself. For my other readers … try not to use these as hints to figure out who I am. (You can try, but Dr. Love’s identity will remain elusive for the present.)
This fall I’ll have “Linger” by The Cranberries on repeat. I’m not a coffee or tea person; I’m partial to smoothies. Both Summer and Tom are partly to blame. I love slow walks across the quad, and someday I’d like to own a café/bookshop. My ideal type is simple: kind, curious, loves music and will stay for a long conversation.
If you’d rather stay a mystery, I get it. I mean, that’s my whole brand. But if you choose to be brave and take that next step forward by answering my questions, I’ll write back.
Waiting wistfully,
Dr. Love Love M.D.
August 29, 2025
Freshman Frenzy
Dear Dr. Love,
I’m a freshman, and I met this girl at the Graffiti Dance last weekend. Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about her. I know it’s only been a few days, but I seriously feel like she might be the one. So now I’m wondering … should I just go for it and ask her to be my girlfriend? Or would that be moving way too fast?
Sincerely, Frenzied Freshman
First things first: Dr. Love is back and ready for any situation. Send in alllll of your questions. I have answers. Now, onto the good stuff.
It’s true. Freshman frenzy isn’t a myth. You’re not the first freshman to walk away from week one thinking you’ve met THE ONE, and you won’t be the last. This is completely normal. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love after dancing the night away at the Grove City College Graffiti Dance? A relationship built on Pitbull, neon lights and sweaty Sharpies is sure to last.
My advice? This is your first WEEK of college, merely a drop in the bucket. There’s plenty of time to become friends and even more than friends. Let the girl get her bearings before springing a relationship on her. Take her on dates to Beans on Broad! Get to know each other. Right now, all you know is that you both love early 2000s hits and jumping up and down in a crowd of teens — you can do even better. I’ll even give you a short list of questions to ask on your first date:
• Who knows you best and what would they say about you? • What’s something you’ve learned so far that surprised you? • What’s your guilty-pleasure song to scream at 1 a.m.? • What’s your five-year plan? (Dating to marry, right?) • Who was wrong: Tom or Summer? (Extremely important.)
Ask her to be your girlfriend after you both feel like you’re on solid ground. If it doesn’t work out, you’ve made fun memories and probably learned a new dance step or two.
In a nutshell: no, don’t ask her out just yet. Too much, too fast will end things quicker than you can yell “Timber!” and then you’ll be wondering why she avoids you in MAP. Starting as true friends is a real foundation that you can build upon.
The freshman frenzy was so fun while I was in the moment, but kind of stressful on top of classes, finding my friend group and figuring out a routine. Don’t forget to enjoy it, laugh at the chaos and remember: a little patience goes a long way.
Auspiciously yours, Dr. Love Love M.D.
