We get it, dating in college is exciting. However, not everything is 'good for the plot'. Arts and Creativity Editor Laura Molloy gives you her best 'Do's and Dont's' for dating as a fresher.
Congratulations. You’ve made it to UCD. A prestigious college that serves both academic excellence, and the opportunity to thicken the plot!
You should be focusing on important things such as your degree, career prospects, and wholesome friendships. But let’s be realistic and accept all you care about is your campus crush and potential Belfield Beau.
Here are the dos and don'ts of dating at UCD.
Do
Utilise @ucd_crushes ! It’s free and completely anonymous making it the least risky option. See someone cute at the gym? Did a Tom Cruise lookalike hold the door open for you? UCD Crushes is a safe space where you can express your heart’s deepest desires.
They also create dating forms every few months where you can fill out a ridiculously long Google doc only to be matched with people who are nothing like what you filled out. What’s not to like?
Don’t
Commit flat-cest or society-cest. In college you will discover what’s known as proximity crushes. These are people who are average on their best days but are always in close proximity to you, making them seem significantly more appealing than they are. Be wary of these as the pull is strong and the consequences are severe.
Where you live at college needs to be your safe space. Hooking up with a roommate will seem fun until you’re eating your cheerios opposite them, and realise after everything they’ve seen, there’s actually no need for you to be wearing that dressing gown after all. Still feel cheery?
The same goes for people from societies. These are meant to be places to have fun and to make friends, not complicated dilemmas. No, working together on a committee doesn’t mean you’ll work in a relationship. Dating requires communication skills a lot more advanced than sending membership emails.
Do
Go to the traffic light nights at the Clubhouse. These are events run throughout the year in the campus bar that invite UCD students to display their relationship status with a coloured sticker.
Red = in a relationship
Amber = it’s complicated (hello situationships)
Green = single and ready to mingle
Sounds straightforward right? Let’s just hope each sticker worn is an honest and truthful reflection of the person’s relationship status…
Don’t
Be in cahoots with your course. Seriously, most college courses are quite small. Are you really saying you can’t find anyone else? Group projects are not cute and romantic. They’re stressful and often incomplete, and so will be your love life if this is where you look for partners.
Course romances often fall into the proximity crush category as well. While it’s great to be dedicated to your area of study, unless you’re spending all of week one in the library to get good grades, and not to “bump into” your course cutie, there’s no point. They’ll be somewhere else enjoying their life and so should you.
Do and Don’t Download dating apps.
Don’t download dating apps if you think they’re easy to use and you will find a life partner instantly. Also don’t download dating apps if you have no concept of stranger danger.
Do download dating apps if you’re willing to do it for a laugh and not take the frequent ghosting personally. Do download them to meet people in your area and at your preferred age.
While dating apps can be fun and games it is important to stay safe. Always share your location with friends if going on dates, report any creepy behaviour, and most importantly leave if you feel uncomfortable.
Finally, Do
When you inevitably ignore all of the advice provided above, and you instead find yourself regretting all of your life choices while you struggle through your self-inflicted relationship dilemmas, do let our Agony Aunt Sasha Shame know about it. If you’re going to do inadvisable things, she wants to hear about it, and give you the strength to pull through.