Leo Gal indo, a junior majoring in exercise science, has not dated anyone since his sophomore year of high school. Previously a chemical engineering major, and then a business major, Galindo says he has had a tough time making time to date.
“It’s not that I haven’t dated on purpose,” he said. “I guess I just haven’t really met someone that I’ve wanted to make that kind of commitment to, especially at this point in my life. I feel like I’ve been more focused on trying to figure out who I want to be and what career path I want to take than on finding someone I want to be in a relationship with.”
Without a solid support system surrounding them, students may find it difficult to forge relationships during the college transition process, said Christopher Lynn, a UA professor in the anthropology department. A culture shock to the college environment can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as the freshman 15 or depression. Additionally, living in a new environment can enhance the strangeness of modern dating, Lynn said.
“To say that you’r e dating someone implies something to other people,” he said. “One of the implications is that you’re a little more involved than just seeing people. If you’re not willing to say to people that you’re dating me, then I don’t think you’re very committed. It’s like saying the L-word. I think people have always been sketchy about commitment, but now ‘Facebook official’ just adds a whole new dimension to it.”
Sarah Hoying, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering, said she isn’t looking for someone to just spend time with. She said working to maintain her GPA and being on the pre-med track has made it so dating is just another fac tor to juggle.
“Not worry ing about guys has definitely made it easier to focus on school, just because there’s one less thing to worry about,” she said. “I don’t like wasting time, and I don’t want to spend my time on something that doesn’t have a chance of going anywhere. I haven’t dated in college because I haven’t found someone who I’ve clicked with yet, and I’m okay with that.”
Lynn said some students are led away from dating because they are the children of divorced parents. According to the American Psychological Association, more than 90 percent of people marry by age 50 in western cultures. About 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States wind up getting a divorce. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher.
Galindo’s parents got divorced when he was in high school, and he said he views relationships differently because of it.
“I guess I’m afraid of the term ‘dating,’” he said. “I’m afraid of making a commitment to the wrong person. But I feel if you are seeing someone and know how you feel about each other, then you shouldn’t need to put a label on whatever kind of relationship you share. My parents’ divorce definitely made me not want to get married. I guess that’s why relationships scare me, because I feel like that’s kind of the point of a relationship, to eventually get married one day.”
