We all know there’s no perfect recipe for finding a boyfriend … even though we all secretly hope that a really smart scientist will someday find one (aren’t they doing research on that along with all the cures they’re trying to find?)! Yet it seems as though every girl we meet who’s in a relationship has the perfect story of how she met her boyfriend, including some big romantic gesture or the perfect timing of events that led to love at first sight…
Eew. I almost made myself gag there…
The truth is, most girls – especially college girls – don’t actually meet their boyfriends in some “meant to be” situation, where the stars aligned and sparks flew and fireworks set off…
Me? I met my current boyfriend three years ago, but we’ve only been dating for a couple of months. We did a lot of TV shows together at school, and he claims he just didn’t have the guts to talk to me … until one month before I graduated! We didn’t really hang out until he finally sent me a Facebook message back in April – including his phone number and an invitation to hang out. So sometimes the “big romantic gesture” you’re waiting for comes out of nowhere, from someone you’ve known for a while, in the form of a very short electronic message…
In college, you can meet boys in very random places. And, just like how I started to see my boyfriend, it can happen when you least expect it – if you let it (just stop trying so hard!). Here are some of the places collegiettes™ have unexpectedly found love…
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At a Party
I know boys don’t come off as “boyfriend material” when they’re wearing togas and acting like “bros” – but sometimes, under that white sheet, they actually make great boyfriends!
“I first hung out with one of my college boyfriends at a ‘White Trash’ party. I was wearing a ridiculous-looking American flag belly shirt and pigtails, and I was walking around trying to look pregnant. He was wearing a wife-beater. Somehow, we were still attracted to each other and ended up dating for almost a year and a half!” – Caitlin*, Boston College
“I was playing ‘wingman’ for my roommate who had a crush on [a guy named] Josiahs. Josiahs was playing ‘wingman’ for his friend who had a crush on me. We all hung out together, and the ‘wingmen’ ended up getting with each other.” – Brittany, Emerson College
“I met my current boyfriend at a ‘Barbie/Ken’-themed birthday party. I was dressed as Referee Barbie. I went with another single girlfriend of mine and her friend. We had decided we would all leave having met a cute guy. I was looking around the room, trying to find a cute guy who also seemed approachable. And, as cheesy as this sounds, I saw him across the room, liked his smile and decided to go talk to him. We flirted the entire time I was at the party, and when I left, I walked up to him and said (not asked), ‘Give me your phone.’ He replied, ‘What?’ to which I said, ‘Give. Me. Your. Phone.’ So he slowly handed it over, and I typed my number in his cell and walked away. He texted me about 30 minutes later and met me at another party that night.” – Lindsey, Western Washington University
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In Class
Yes, you can learn more than just how to write unnecessarily long papers in classes! So stop showing up to class in your sweatpants with wet hair – you may find your next boyfriend in the seat next to you!
“My fiancé, Chris, and I met in a Languages of the Stage class when he was considering taking a second major in [Performing Arts]. We didn’t talk until November when we were assigned the same play for the final project. Now we’re getting married in May.” – Audrey, Emerson College
“We were both teaching a Communication 101 course on public speaking. We shared an office space and somehow got to chatting about Star Trek. Also, he was on Team Kirk, and I was on Team Picard. He decided that we needed to argue this matter further outside of the office. And so it began … ” – Liz, Western Washington University
Other random places collegiettes™ have found their boy toys:
These may be places where you are less likely to meet a guy, but we think that’s what makes them especially fun. When you least expect it, that’s when it happens – right?
In Another City: “I met my now boyfriend about a week into [staying in NYC for] the summer … and after a short amount of time, I knew that I liked him a lot. However, after a long discussion, we established that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, so I tried to move on. A couple of months went by, and he eventually realized his mistake, so now we’re together! I spent the whole summer in athletic clothes with no makeup, feeling totally and completely relaxed. It’s amazing how something so awesome can sneak up on you when you are least expecting it!” – Anonymous, Trinity College Dublin
The Subway: “On the subway in D.C., I was putting money on my Metro card after a long day at my internship and wasn’t in the best mood. I heard someone behind me ask ‘Do you go to AU?’ and I turned around to see a guy about my age behind me. At first, I was put off until I realized he had seen my AU keychain. We chatted the whole subway ride back to campus and exchanged numbers!” – Anonymous, American University
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Orientation Week: “It was in between events during orientation week that I met Ben. I never had a serious relationship in high school, so my expectations for freshman year were pretty low. I’m super shy and not one to make small talk, but I recognized the band on the shirt he was wearing and started to talk about it. We went to the next event together and became fast friends. It wasn’t until a party in December that we both mustered up the courage (albeit slightly inebriated … oops!) to admit we liked each other – we ended up dating for almost two years!” – Anonymous, Emerson College
Down the Hall: “I met my first college boyfriend when I was going everyday to his dorm room down the hall from mine, looking for his roommate who, at the time, was the only person I knew from orientation. The friend from orientation was never in his dorm room when I stopped by to check, and eventually, his roommate (my then soon-to-be boyfriend) and I would just sit there and talk for hours, waiting for my friend to come back. Eventually, we discovered we had so much in common and a greater chemistry between us than I had with my friend from orientation in the first place!” – Anonymous, UNC – Chapel Hill
So see, Her Campus-ers? You don’t have to go out of your way to find your next college boyfriend. Just keep doing what you’re doing (assuming you’re not sitting inside on your computer 24/7), and stop looking for a boy toy! One is closer than you think … !
Happy hunting, girls!
Sources
* Name has been changed
Collegiettes™ across the country