In honor of Virginia Tech starting a new academic year today I thought it would be a good time to put into writing the three rules I created as a student.  These, like all wisdom or advice, are not absolute but rather things to consider in choosing the path you will take.

1. Freshmen should not date.

Your college career is a time of incredible growth and change and your first year is a large part of that change.  The first year away from home is the year you begin to lay the foundation for the rest of your college career and life.  You need to be able to focus on that growth and not be trying to balance a relationship.  I have seen so many times where people grow apart and hurt each other or waste their time clinging to a new relationship.

I am not advocating breaking up with someone you have been dating in high school, I have a few friends who have made it from high school through college and get married.  I have also known a handful of couples who got together as freshmen that later led to happy marriages.

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