Of course, when you come to college you expect everyone to be mature. We are all adults now so why not? Before coming to college you have this picture in your head that men are going to be perfect and they are nothing like high school boys. You’re not right, but you’re not completely wrong. You want to explore and get into relationships, but you must know that there are some red flags to pay attention to when navigating the dating life in college. If you pay attention to these red flags then your dating experience will go by much smoother than expected.
- He only believes in Situationships
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The beginning stages of getting to know someone are important. It is okay to be in a situationship for about a month or two, but if he doesn’t want a relationship you should cut it off. Men like that will string you along and then treat you differently when you have developed strong feelings. For example, things could be good in the beginning as you are trying to get to know each other. Then, you find out he has been talking to other women and you can not get mad because you both are in a situationship. Do not settle for this behavior. If a situationship is something you genuinely want then go for it. On the other hand, if you know that you will want a real relationship in the long run, then do not allow yourself to get caught up.
- He doesn’t take you out on dates
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Trying to figure out the proper way to go on dates in college is confusing. Most college students are broke and some still depend on their parents’ income. This is all true but do NOT think that a date is you “chilling” in his dorm room. If you allow this from the beginning then he will think that he doesn’t have to court you or take you out. A real man will find a way to take you out while not hurting his pockets. There are so many cheap dates to go on. It is the thought that counts. Do not settle for excuses and do NOT take the first offer of hanging out in his room. That is the first sign of laziness and shows that he will not put forth any effort when it comes to making you his girlfriend.
- He shows you he does not want you
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Many women fail to see when a man does not want a woman. Men are bad at hiding things because we always find out. Therefore it is fairly easy to tell when a man does not want you. He will either make it very obvious or he will stop doing the things that he would do if he were in a relationship. For instance, take a look at the picture above. The man is only using the umbrella for himself and does not even think about sharing it with the woman. You can apply this to real life. Men are relatively all about themselves when they are not in a relationship. A man who wants to be in a fully committed relationship would have given the umbrella to his significant other to appeal to her needs. Men go above and beyond for the woman that they want. Do not be the one that gets played because she did not pay attention to his behavior.
    In hindsight we all should know how to navigate our relationships but relationships are not that easy. In order to get to the relationship phase we have to get past the dating phase. Dating and being in a relationship are two different things. The dating phase teaches us how to be ready for the relationship phase. This is why we must understand the red flags that are given to us during the dating phase. If we know how we should be treated and uphold those standards then we will attract the right people to us. Again, dating in college is not easy by any means but understanding this will make it way easier and save you the headache as well as heartbreak.