Making it work

I've spent a lot of time chatting with single students on campus, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk to someone in a committed relationship and get their perspective on dating in Athens. I talked to Maja Blanusa, a senior here at OU studying International Business and Marketing. Maja has been in her current relationship for going on one and a half years and shared some thoughts on her relationship and gave some advice for single students:

Lauren: How did you and your boyfriend meet?

Maja: We met through a mutual friend and we started hanging out. I think we met at Donkey Coffee...

Lauren: Did you like him when you first met him, or did your feelings develop over time?

Maja: When I first met him, I wasn't really looking for a relationship to be honest. We just started hanging out for awhile and it kind of turned into a relationship. I was new to Athens and was more interested in making friends than finding a boyfriend.

Lauren: At what point did you guys get serious?

Maja: It's funny, I didn't even realize were dating when we apparently were. I just thought we were hanging out. I think he [my boyfriend] was trying to determine what our situation actually was and I wasn't really concerned about that. Then we had a conversation and I told him I don't want to force the relationship on myself, and could we take it day by day and see what would happen? I guess we've been taking it day by day for a year and a half now!

Lauren: Do you think it's hard to find relationships here at OU? Would you consider yourself lucky?

Maja: I think it's kind of hard to find relationships here because it's a college town and people come and go. This is a transitional place, you're searching for yourself and trying to find out who you are, and I think it's hard to find somebody that is willing to accept that ambiguity about yourself---if you don't know who you are, how will you know what you're looking for?

Lauren: Do you have any advice for students in this transitional period?

Maja: Just be yourself, don't try to force anything on yourself and do whatever you find appropriate. If you don't know what you want or what you're looking for, just be honest. I think that is one of the keys to dating successfully and trying to have positive relationships.

Lauren: Where do you think the best places are to meet people in Athens?

Maja: Definitely not the bars, it's too loud and it's really hard to talk to people. I would say coffee shops or quiet restaurants, social groups, and student organizations that you might be involved in.

Lauren: Do you and your boyfriend go out on dates?

Maja: Yes we do, from time to time. We'll go to restaurants, like for example we went to a cafe in Pomeroy that has a nice patio that looks over the river. We also go for bike rides a lot, go to the movies and we have dinner almost every night together.

Lauren: Do you think you've missed out on any of the college experience by having a boyfriend?

Maja: I feel content in the relationship that I'm in right now because I think it's a very productive one if that makes sense. It allows me to be myself and allows me to do whatever I want, it's really nice.

While some students may consider Maja one of the lucky few that was able to find commitment on campus, it may just all be relative, depending on what you're searching for. I came across a column by a student at Penn State who explores the idea of the expectations in relationships. After reading it it had me thinking...maybe OU isn't much different from other schools after all?