By the time we are in our early '20s, we've all experienced our own relationships, watched our friends' experiences with love, and, more or less, decided what we are looking for in a significant other. We have probably even offered our advice to a friend, pretending to be relationship experts. The truth is, it’s like the blind leading the blind. None of us truly knows how to determine what makes a good boyfriend or when it’s time to walk away from a relationship in which the guy isn’t giving us what we deserve.

Ultimately, we all want to be treated like princesses. However, it can be easy to lose sight of this when we are in a relationship. We often find ourselves making excuses and justifying to our friends why it's okay that our boyfriends don't meet the standards we once held.

So whether you are happily taken, dating around, or perfectly content with being single, keep the below list in mind. Maybe it can give you some insight as to whether it’s worth moving forward with your significant other, or maybe it can serve as a list of standards to hold while searching for Mr. Right.

1. He takes you on dates | Obviously, no guy in college has a lot of money to spend on taking you out to dinner, but if he is willing to take you on dates even if it isn’t the fanciest restaurant in town, then he’s a keeper. It’s the effort of setting up the date and taking you out that counts.

2. He says “sorry” when he is wrong | He understands that you will have your differences, but he knows that fighting can cause more damage to the relationship, so he owns up to his mistakes when he is wrong.

3. He doesn’t hold grudges | He knows that you’ll make mistakes as well, and he is always willing to forgive you when you’ve messed up.

4. He wants to get to know your family | He shows an interest in getting to know your parents, siblings, and even grandparents. He truly wants to get to know the people who are important to you, and he’s willing to sit through many awkward dinner conversations if it means getting to spend time with you and your family.

5. Going along with #4, he wants to get to know your friends | He knows that your friends are among the most important people in your life, and he is genuinely interested in becoming friends with them.

6. He is proud of your accomplishments | In fact, he is just as happy about your accomplishments as he is about his own. He wants you to be the best version of yourself, and he is always your number-one fan in everything that you do.

7. He makes an effort to learn about your hobbies | Whether it be your sorority position, exercise habits, or job, he makes an effort to learn about the things that you are passionate about.

8. He is willing to help you out without giving it a second thought | It doesn’t matter if he has tickets to a big game or needs to study for a test; he is always willing to help you out, whether this means listening to you vent about work or helping you carry groceries into your apartment.

9. He is patient | Even when you are running late to your date, have changed the plans several times, or are taking way too long at the mall, he is always smiling, happy just to spend time with you…no matter what the plan ends up being!

10. He knows when you’re upset without you having to tell him | He knows from the look in your eyes, or from your unusual quietness that something is wrong. He is more than willing to listen to your problems and give you his perspective.

11. He spoils you | Maybe he will make you a homemade dinner or bring you Starbucks on tiring Monday mornings. Whatever it is, he does things to remind you of how much he loves you.

12. Sometimes, he lets you call the shots | Yes, you’ve sat through your fair share of guy movies and bro nights, but he is also more than happy to watch a chick flick with you if it means making you smile.

13. He’s your number one secret-keeper | You know that anything you tell him stays between you two.

14. He reminds you of how beautiful you are | He reminds you every day that you are the most beautiful girl in the world. All of the flaws you used to see in yourself, he now sees as perfections.

15. He is comfortable talking about the future |When you ask him what he wants out of life and where he sees himself in five years, he actually has an answer.

16. He is ambitious | No, he may not be on his way to med school or interning for Google, but he has ambition in his eyes, with goals and visions for his future.

17. He knows it’s the little things that mean the most | Whether it’s letting you play your country music in the car when he prefers rock or eating Mexican food when he wanted Chinese, he knows you will appreciate the little things he does for you.

As you go through the journey of finding love, keep in mind that you deserve all of these things and more. I know that there is someone out there for each of us in this world that truly believes that even on our messy-haired, makeup-less, cranky days, we deserve to be treated like a queen. So if you haven't found your Prince Charming yet, don't fear. He is more than worth waiting for.