We’re back on campus again at UMass Boston, masked up and meeting in person. The hallways are busy, the line at Dunkin Donuts’ is long, and the community at UMass Boston is thriving. I took myself to the Campus Center to sit down with some fellow students and discuss their thoughts on the dating scene on campus.
I had the opportunity to talk to a female athlete who opened up about her personal navigation in the dating world. She said, “We’re at stages in our lives where if you’re in a relationship, do you stay in that relationship? Do we work it out because we have X amount of years together? Or do you grow out of it, see new people and experience college…that’s what I’m kind of struggling with right now.”
Girl, you are not alone. Meeting people, growing with them, and then growing apart is normal and healthy. Her friend chimed in, adding, “We are all so young. We’re all trying to figure out who we are and have fun with it”.
One gentleman, a sophomore living in the dorms, would agree. He advocated for the freedom and youth we have as college students, expressing how our social life in college changes so quickly, “Dating in college in general is weird because you’re meeting so many new people a day. It’s easy to become interested in someone new.” As we are learning who we are, what we want, and what we need, commitment can sometimes feel limiting. So, what about casual dating?
Casual dating is a relationship without the demand or expectation of commitment. Just make sure that it is clear that you are in a casual relationship because respect and autonomy never go out of style.
One eager junior also informed me that there are resources provided by University Health Services as well: “There’s always a full bowl of condoms located at the Quinn Building.”
I sat down with a very charismatic senior who described the dating scene at UMass Boston as “extremely diverse”. His friend added, “You got to find your community…we have our community here—Arabs—and we speak our native language. You can find someone closer to you when you can speak your native tongue.”
Compatibility has a great influence on our relationships and finding the people you connect with can come when you least expect it. I discussed this idea with an Irish exchange student: “As long as you’re open and willing to talk to people, you can meet people so easily.” After I spent my afternoon walking up to strangers asking them about their thoughts on dating at UMass Boston, I can confirm this.
The community at UMass Boston is full of friendly people who are willing to interact and connect. The best way to go into dating is to seek out genuine connections and friendships and then see how it goes. The dating scene at UMass Boston has typical influences of hookup culture. However, the community here is so diverse. Meeting amazing people and making genuine connections can be as easy as initiating a conversation with the person you’re sharing a table with at the Campus Center.