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Although the concept of "hooking up" in our society is nothing new, it certainly appears to be more prevalent on college campuses. Instead of dating, many college students prefer to have physical relationships. Students hook up for several reasons including not being able to have the time to dedicate to a relationship, or not wanting the emotional ties. However, my opinion is that hooking up in college is pretty much fruitless. Many students still find themselves suffering emotionally after having hookups, can get lifelong STDs from these temporary flings, and are pretty much ruining their perception of love and marriage.

Before I begin my tirade, it must be known that I was not your typical college student in terms of hookups. I dated sporatically, did a little making out, but my main intent was to find a lifelong relationship, which I did later. So you may find my views on hookups a bit skewed. I have had many a roommate or friend come crying to me about guys they've hooked up with, and have experienced many situations where the hookup led to awkwardness and even destruction of friendships. Many young adults hookup not just for sexual pleasure, but also to seek comfort in someone and to avoid feeling lonely at night.The truth is, even if you choose to hookup, you are still human, which means there will be some emotional baggage resulting from your physical relationships, even if they are not directly caused by the hookup.

Worse than the emotional baggage, which can be quite heavy, many students get sexually transmitted diseases from hookups. I am not denying that people in relationships also get diseases, but am making the point that many students are not responsible when hooking up and do not always use protection. In general, the college outlook on sex is very flippant and apathetic. Students who hookup may not feel that they could get sick, or just don't care in the moment of passion. Although students may claim they use protection, the rampant spread of sexually transmitted diseases on campus such as herpes and crabs, proves otherwise.

So you've hooked up with a bunch of guys/girls and think you know everything about sex. Good for you! But what about love? Do you know anything about love? Because love is what will keep a marriage together, not sex. Hookups destroy the concept of loving relationships. They are purely based on instant gratification, which leaves those hooking up without the important learning experiences that dating provides. Although dating can be a total nightmare, chances are you'll be able to find someone you are compatible with much more easily when you are trying to get to know them better as opposed to just trying to get in their pants.

In essence, it's understandable that college students do not feel they have the time or emotional energy to dedicate to dating. But having hookups isn't exactly the best alternative. Hookups can cause just as much emotional damage, can leave a student with the unpleasant surprise of a venereal disease, and simply do not provide the learning experience about relationships that dating does. My suggestion to college students is to deal with the difficulties of dating as opposed to hooking up. Or just bury your head in the books and wait until you are ready to start a new relationship, and leave the hookup horror stories to your roommates.

Learn more about this author, H.G. Hess.
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