Marriage as a college student – for better or for worse?

This archived article was written by: Austin Palmer

The college life is awesome. It’s filled with friends, parties, late nights, and activities so numerous that it’s hard to keep track of everything. Then there is the dating aspect of college that definitely can’t be overlooked. Most of the dating is somewhat casual and it’s not too difficult to go on three or four dates in a week with just as many different people. The idea of commitment doesn’t even occupy space in the furthest recesses of the mind and doesn’t seem like it will for years to come. After all, marriage is for boring people who don’t have a social life and seem to shun anything that can even remotely be described as fun. They stick to themselves and never appear to do anything other than homework. Why would anyone ever want to put himself or herself in this situation? It’s beyond comprehension!
The purpose of this article is neither to persuade college students to rush out and get married to the first person they can find nor to remain single for as long as possible. Every person is different and what may be right for one student may be totally wrong for another. Whether married or single, college can either be a success or a failure depending on one’s attitude.
Married students do have unique responsibilities and it may be easier in many ways to hold off and wait until after graduation to get hitched. The list of reasons for postponing marriage can be endless but these reasons shouldn’t cause fear in the minds of those who are debating whether or not to get married. For those who are engaged and are worried about money there are Pell grants that help a ton. This doesn’t mean you can simply throw up your hands and rely on the government either, since that would be a stupid decision. Many who criticize young married couples use financial pressure as a means to scare and dissuade them. If you want to be married and get a college education you can do it. It’s as simple as wanting it and then having the strength of will and character to achieve your goals.
From an unmarried persons perspective marriage may seem like an endeavor only to be considered when all other options have played themselves out. They may believe that people who get married, especially at a young age, are driven by the fear that if they don’t get married now they will be too ugly in the future to attract anyone. Or maybe they think that they just want to have sex without feeling guilty. To them, the reasons not to get married outweigh those to get married. Some may also think that going through college single is much easier than for those who are married.
Now, lets get the facts from someone who has been in both the married and single roles as a college student. It may come as a surprise to many that marriage has a very positive effect on college performance and success. Most people who are unmarried will change their majors many times before settling on a decision, but those who are married are put into a position where they want to make responsible choices and are more likely to achieve their goals. Being married in general makes students more responsible and they are more likely to get assignments done on time and work harder to get better grades. A married student has to learn how to manage their time wisely to accomplish everything that needs to be done. This can be the case for anyone, but there are certain responsibilities that become greater for married students. Most of them have full-time jobs in addition to going to school full-time. It is obvious that there are many changes that must take place when a person decides to get married, but the changes are worth it and help build character.
If you do decide to get married while going through school, make the necessary changes in your life and make good things happen. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. For those who are single and loving it and don’t feel ready for marriage, don’t get married!