Everything You Should Know About College ‘Situationships’
By Ellie Jornlin
April 14, 2023
Image Credit: Oziel Gomez for Unsplash
“What are we?”: The age-old question that couples ask before making or breaking their relationship. This question has always been difficult to answer, but younger generations have started to stray away from using a label altogether. Instead, many have found themselves involved in what’s called a “situationship.”
Maia Mosser, a freshman bio-chem major, said that a situationship is extremely confusing.
“A situationship is when you do a lot of the things that someone who is dating would do, but it’s very unclear what you actually are to each other,” said Mosser.
“There is a lot of confusion, even fear involved in a situationship,” freshman civil engineering major Elizabeth Spencer said.
Situationships can be described as “‘friends-with-benefits,” except there are strings attached. These types of ‘couples’ engage in many of the activities that take place when people are part of a normal relationship and some may even express deep feelings for each other but don’t make it official for one reason or another.
One of the main issues with situationships is that there isn’t enough communication between both parties. Some situationships end up making it official, but many don’t communicate their true feelings and often end up with one party getting hurt. Some people describe it as feeling like you’ve been cheated on in certain instances
Freshman public policy major Daniel Lascola expressed his feelings regarding a situationship that he had been a part of.
“I thought that I was going to end up dating him, but he only wanted to hook up and didn’t make that clear,” Lascola said. “I was constantly confused for five months of my life and I felt betrayed.”
Melody Howe, a sophomore political science major, said, “casual sex without commitment can cause a lot of brain and body chemistry that ends up harming people even though it may feel good in the moment. In my experience, when you get that intimate with someone over a period of time without real commitment, it can be difficult.”
Situationships are especially prevalent among college students. College is a time when many are attempting to figure out who they are and what they want in a potential relationship. That makes it a lot easier for one to not want to commit to the title of “relationship.”
“In my experience hookups are definitely more common on college campuses and they oftentimes lead to situationships. It’s a lot easier because at least with a bigger campus like Maryland, you don’t have to see them every day,” said Lascola.
While situationships can end badly or have negative consequences, it all depends on the mindset that you’re in. Howe explained that being in a situationship may work for some, but not others.
“There are a lot of pros to situationships when it comes to understanding more about who you are and your sexuality, but I think it depends on the type of person that you are and the mindset that you have going into one,” Howe said.
At the end of the day, it depends on how you feel about being in a situationship. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. But remember, the most important part about a relationship, “situationship” or not, is to communicate!
Maia Mosser, a freshman bio-chem major, said that a situationship is extremely confusing.
“A situationship is when you do a lot of the things that someone who is dating would do, but it’s very unclear what you actually are to each other,” said Mosser.
“There is a lot of confusion, even fear involved in a situationship,” freshman civil engineering major Elizabeth Spencer said.
Situationships can be described as “‘friends-with-benefits,” except there are strings attached. These types of ‘couples’ engage in many of the activities that take place when people are part of a normal relationship and some may even express deep feelings for each other but don’t make it official for one reason or another.
One of the main issues with situationships is that there isn’t enough communication between both parties. Some situationships end up making it official, but many don’t communicate their true feelings and often end up with one party getting hurt. Some people describe it as feeling like you’ve been cheated on in certain instances
Freshman public policy major Daniel Lascola expressed his feelings regarding a situationship that he had been a part of.
“I thought that I was going to end up dating him, but he only wanted to hook up and didn’t make that clear,” Lascola said. “I was constantly confused for five months of my life and I felt betrayed.”
Melody Howe, a sophomore political science major, said, “casual sex without commitment can cause a lot of brain and body chemistry that ends up harming people even though it may feel good in the moment. In my experience, when you get that intimate with someone over a period of time without real commitment, it can be difficult.”
Situationships are especially prevalent among college students. College is a time when many are attempting to figure out who they are and what they want in a potential relationship. That makes it a lot easier for one to not want to commit to the title of “relationship.”
“In my experience hookups are definitely more common on college campuses and they oftentimes lead to situationships. It’s a lot easier because at least with a bigger campus like Maryland, you don’t have to see them every day,” said Lascola.
While situationships can end badly or have negative consequences, it all depends on the mindset that you’re in. Howe explained that being in a situationship may work for some, but not others.
“There are a lot of pros to situationships when it comes to understanding more about who you are and your sexuality, but I think it depends on the type of person that you are and the mindset that you have going into one,” Howe said.
At the end of the day, it depends on how you feel about being in a situationship. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. But remember, the most important part about a relationship, “situationship” or not, is to communicate!