College: Dating on Your Floor

Before you went to college, did anyone say to you something along the lines of "Whatever you do, don't ever date someone who lives on your floor." If I had a nickel for every time someone said that...(I guess that analogy doesn't really work here, but you get the picture : ) Anyway! My roommate and I (who happen to share to the same name) decided to break the rules; we both starting dating girls on our floor. If you're reading this now and are going or have gone to college, you're probably thinking to yourself "big mistake." However, even though things did work out for me in the end, I got to experience second hand why in most cases it is not advisable to date someone who is living next door...

1. 18 is NOT the age to move in.

Although this may happen even if your significant other lives on your hall, when you date someone who lives on your hall you may find your significant other moving into your room days after the proposal. At first, this may seems like a very good idea. You're "in love," and you couldn't imagine spending a second of your life away from this person. However, if your going to date someone on your hall, I highly recommend making sure that the person has no intention of ever moving into your already overcrowded room. If for no other reason, having your significant other move in may really strain your relations with your roommate. Also, it's probably not that much fun fitting two people into a single bed every night...

2. SPACE

Although this is #2 on the list, it is arguably the number one reason why more often than not it is not advisable to date on your hall. Even if you don't move in with the person, you are practically living with them being that you will be the last person your lover sees before you go to bed, and very often the first person when you wake up (besides your roommate that is : ) As a result of living in such close quarters, you will get to know your girlfriend/boyfriend better in a month than you would have after a year of high school. This can create a lot of stress in your relationship, which may lead to fights like, "WHY DO YOU DO DRUGS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AT 1:45 ON A MONDAY MORING?!" Although this is a very legitimate question, such a question would never come up if the person did not see you come and go every waking second of the day. The best advice I can give to those who still want to have a relationship with someone on their floor is to make sure they are willing to give you an adequate amount of personal space to "have fun" as a young adult : )

3. Just for Convenience?

Very often it is the easiness of dating someone on your hall that makes you think you are madly in love with the person that lives three doors down. After all, you see this person everyday, and get to spend plenty of time with the person as he/she lives approximately 6 seconds from your room. However, I am a big believer in the idea that one of the main reasons why "floorcest" does not work is because the two people dating do not actually like each other. It is the "ease" associated with being able to date someone who you can see at a moments notice that makes the relationship possible.

I am not saying that you should never date someone on your hall. However, if you are considering such an action, I would advise going on quite a few dates with the person off campus as well as thinking about a few of the things I've mentioned before "tying the knot" so to speak... That being said, I'd really love to get some feedback on my thoughts. Do you think I'm right? Do you have any crazy relationship stories to support your argument for or against my position on floor dating? I'd love to hear from you : )