The Freshman Twenty

We all know about the awful freshman twenty.
Which has replaced the freshman fifteen for like years now.

The freshman twenty hangs over every freshman's head.
Whether you want to admit it or not - it probably happened to you.
And around the magic number of twenty, you started to freak out.

Wait, I think we're talking about 2 different things.
You are probably thinking of gaining weight - right?!
Ohh. My bad. I'm actually talking about DATING.

You heard me. I'm talking about the freshman twenty
in regards to how many DAYS girls and guys feel like
they have from when college starts until they should
meet and start dating The One.

So before we talk more about the freshman twenty,
we need to talk about what happened to the freshman fifteen.

.....................................................................................................
Commitment. Options. Opportunities. Threats.

Each day there are more and more opportunities that present themselves to us as being the best one. You walk into a coffee shop and there are many different flavors. But then you see the manager's choice blend, the new blend, and the customer's favorite blend; all three options are the best to someone, so which one do you pick? You are 17 years old and looking at colleges. Each one you visit and look into gives you the same pitch about being the place for you to attend.

Dating is not much different.

Boys: You look at the girls in the cafeteria and you always think that the next one to walk past your table is prettier, more spiritual, smarter, or more likely to earn millions than the girl that is sitting next to you.

Girls: You are browsing through various guys' twitter accounts and think that the next one you go to is going to be funnier, more godly, handsomer, or more likely to score the winning touchdown at Saturday's game than the last boy.

There are too many options. This leads to a lack of commitment from boys and girls. So the freshman fifteen is simply not enough time to pick the one. This is one reason why society has been forced to add almost an entire week to the process.

There are also more opportunities that await you once you reach college. There are opportunities to be involved in drama, sports teams, the school newspaper, and other clubs. Well each opportunity unlocks a new batch of girls and guys to meet and get to know before settling down on the one. There are simply too many events to attend and people to meet in fifteen days; therefore, twenty days is required in order to determine if he or she has been found.

Needless to say, the one is becoming harder to locate and date within fifteen to twenty days because of all these threats. Kids these days are born with commitment issues. No one ever has to commit to anything because there is always something new and more exciting that is coming out soon or just around the corner. And if you do decide to commit to something, there is no shame in abandoning the person a few weeks into the relationship when things get rocky because there is someone out there that is sure to be more agreeable.

The problem is that freshman twenty is a real feeling that young people experience because everyone (or a good majority of everyone) wants to tell their children that mommy and daddy met the first __(event,class,week)__ of college. So there are hunters out there, but now we have all of these variables in the mix which lead many people to remain single past the freshman twenty deadline.

So in the twenty-first century, American college students have officially moved out of the freshman fifteen and into the freshman twenty. How long will this last?! That my friends, is the question. Can you commit to the one in the first twenty days of freshman year? That is the answer. [note: answers may vary]

And once you commit to the one - this is what happens next.

Note: If you start college while dating your high school sweetheart, the freshman twenty will be a time period where you completely pick apart your relationship and determine your level of commitment and seriousness because the days are ticking and your true and only one may be whisked away by another boy or girl.