Dating during college is a tricky game. Usually you’re limited on discretionary resources. It’s tougher on guys to date while in college than women. Since women are not generally expected to pay for things on dates, that burden falls on the man. And frankly, most guys in college are broke.
My first tip for dating during college is to not do it. Seriously, it’s usually a bad idea. Men and women in college at the same time don’t typically connect well together from a needs standpoint. Men are still broke and in the infancy of developing their identity and careers. Women are young, anxious to experience exciting things, and generally have too high of expectations for what to expect from a partner. Basically the girls want what the guys can’t afford.
College is a pretty unique phase in life. It’s about the only chance you get to spend four years doing very little work and partying the rest of the time without it being too frowned on by society. Embrace this opportunity! You’ve got the rest of your life for seroius, adult-like dating games. As cliche as it sounds, college truly is the time for random hookups, “friends with benefits”, and casual encounters. There’s no need to act like it’s anything more than that.
If you insist on taking the opposite sex seriously during college, avoid the temptation of falling head over heels for the other person. It’s important to remember that each of your lives is currently very different from what it will be in 3-5 years. Sustaining a relationship through these upcoming changes is incredibly challenging. Despite how much you think you’re in love or how much you think you’re the exception, trust me, you’re not. Inevitably one, if not both of you is going to go through a “rebellion” phase where they realize they want some freedom to explore themselves and the world. It might not happen while you’re dating in college. But it will happen; perhaps after you’re already married with kids and up to your eyeballs in debt.
The best thing you could do for yourself and the one you love is to not become too attached to them. More often than not, it will only lead to heartbreak and regret down the road. Build a strong personal identity and career first, then allow yourself to open up to the possibility of “falling in love” and all that good stuff. College isn’t the time for it.