Courtland Hanley, Elyssa Ellis

ENG 2155: Intro to Multimedia Storytelling

Dan Williams

Due 9/25/2013

Podcast Assignment - Relationships in College

Relationships are a very important aspect of life that can help an individual grow socially and psychologically. They can be long, wonderful, and supportive events that could last nearly a lifetime. Relationships can also be devestatating, changing a person forever. A key timeframe regarding relationships is the late teen-mid twenties age bracket, a time when many people are in college.

There are many pros and cons to relationships in college, and thus many different opinions on them. As far as pros go, maybe the biggest one is the immediacy of a partner on (or near) your campus. Having someone physically and emotionally right there for you is an amazing feeling during a strong relationship. While the statistic claiming 90% of people marry their high school sweetheart is a bit far-fetched, many people do marry their high school sweetheart, and plenty of others find love in college or graduate school. It's easy to find compatability during college, especially within your major. If you're in the same major as someone, you're likely in it because you have similiar interests - something that's key to any healthy relationship. Another reason college may help you find a healthy relationship is the fact that many students change and truly find themselves as they move out on their own into the real world. Being on your own helps one find themself more, and once you accept yourself for who truly are, it's easier to accept someone else, and perhaps engage in a relationship. These exact changes can also be the very reason a relationship goes sour.

Change can strain a relationship, because not everyone handles change well. Many people experience their worst heartbreak around this age. As school and work begin to take over a student's life, it leaves less time for a social life and significant others. Another reason relationships don't work is long distance. If partners go to different schools, they lose that immediacy, and trust becomes an issue. Even if you trust your partner, it's a different thing to trust the hundreds of people around them for months at a time. Also, alcohol always lowers inhibitions, and people do things the normally wouldn't (or use alcohol as an excuse to do something they want to do but shouldn't.)

For those who seek alternatives to relationships, those are available, especially in the college atmosphere. "Friends with benefits" is the most popular alternative, but often becomes complicated and messy. Friends with benefits generally consists of all of the physical perks of a relationship, without the emotional attachment. However, it's difficult to keep things strictly physical; eventually time spent together leads to feelings, and complications arise. Some people may want to avoid friends with benefits though, as that can generally lead to a distasteful reputation, epsecially for the female involved.

The college years have the potential to be the best years of your life. Finding (or sustaining) a relationship throughout these years can be a big factor in how well those years go, and if it lasts, how the rest of your life goes. Relationships also have the potential to ruin part of that experience. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to relationships in college, but there are different options, and hopefully most people find something that works for them.