Sometimes college guys get a bad rap. We hear stories all the time about players, guys who never respond to texts and those who only want to hook up. To quote our girl Taylor Swift, aren’t there any guys out there who are more “Today Was a Fairytale” and less “I Knew You Were Trouble”? But don’t worry; there are college guys out there who really appreciate the meaning of romance, and on the most amorous day of the year, they know how to pull out all the stops to give their girlfriends the romantic memories they deserve. Read on for the five cutest things guys have done for their girlfriends on Valentine’s Day.
1. The artsy beau
“I had been dating a girl for a few months, but we agreed not to break the bank on each other. I still wanted to do something nice, so I let my creative side take over. Her favorite candy was Reese’s, so I bought a big bag of the heart-shaped Reese’s that come out around Valentine’s Day and taped them (in their wrappers) to a piece of cardboard in the shape of a heart, then wrote a nice letter on the back of it for her. She loved it! I still got roses and took her to dinner, but I could’ve just done that on my low budget because she appreciated the thoughtfulness behind it so much.” – Patrick Bradley, Merrimack College
2. So thoughtful
“My ex-boyfriend and I go to different schools. Since he couldn’t visit me on Valentine’s Day last year, he surprised me with a package from Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. He sent me a stuffed animal customized by him with a tag that said ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in Spanish as I am a Spanish major. Later in the day, I was emailed that I got another package. He sent me a tin of my favorite cookies. It was all very thoughtful!” – Liz Bacharach, Bucknell University
3. The long-distance sweetheart
“Last year, my boyfriend was studying abroad in Italy, but still managed to make Valentine’s Day awesome. He got my friends and his friends together to send me on an elaborate scavenger hunt around campus, and I eventually ended back in my dorm room to find flowers, chocolates, a big stuffed dog and a really sweet letter from my boyfriend. It was adorable!” – Kristin Doherty, Drake University
4. The videographer
“This was Valentine’s Day 2011. I made a video with pictures of me and my girlfriend, Jenn, interspersed with quotes about love and whatnot to the tune of ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ by This World’s Fair. Then I posted the video a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day and told all of her friends and family and my friends and family about it and to go and leave comments on it. Then Valentine’s Day, I took her out to dinner at Makoto’s Japanese Steakhouse in Boone up at App State and then afterward gave her flowers and showed her the video. It was a huge success; she loved it.” – Matt Caulder, Appalachian State University
5. The early-bird
“The day before our very first Valentine’s Day together I was telling [my boyfriend], Brad, how it was kind of sad that it was on a school day where we both had labs/classes/meetings/etc. We usually studied together at night somewhere like the Union, his living room or the lobby of my dorm because that was the only time in our crazy schedules that we could be together, and that didn’t sound too romantic. Well, the night before our first Valentine’s, I kept him well past midnight to try to spend more of the holiday together. He was a really good sport considering the sneaky plan he had up his sleeve.
The next morning I expected to get a sweet text or even a phone call, but instead, I awoke to [my roommate] telling me there was something at the door and then passing it up to my bunk. Brad had woken up insanely early, somehow got into [my] dorm, and left the sweetest surprise gift basket for me to find at my door full of all my favorite chocolates, red ribbon for a Valentine’s Day bow, a hand-cut heart shape and sweet love letter as well as two (COLD!) Diet Cokes! He had thought of everything even down to the tiniest detail. While it made for a terribly unhealthy breakfast, it left me with the brightest smile all day knowing how lucky I was to be surprised so sweetly by my valentine (and now, years later, fiancé!).” – Alex Bradsher, UNC-Chapel Hill