From frat boys to fuck boys to a sweet boyfriend to old guy friends - boys have taught me a lot so far at my time at university.

1. If a guy wants to talk to you, he’ll make it happen

It took me a while to figure this one out because, throughout my first year of college, I would always be the first one to reach out to boys I was interested in. When they wouldn’t respond within a day or so, I would give them the “benefit of the doubt” and just say that they were probably just too busy with school to message me back.

However, it wasn’t until I met a guy who was actually interested in me too that I realized I was beyond wrong. It takes maybe a second to message someone a response, so if someone can’t message you back for a day or so - they ain’t interested.

2. Stand up for yourself

You are strong, independent woman who don’t need no man. If a guy questions you when you say no, stand the fuck up for yourself. You have as much of a right to say no as he does, so put your foot down and use your voice.

If something doesn’t seem right, stop for a second and reassess what you need in that moment. You are an amazing person, and you don’t need a man to complete that.

3. You should have standards

If a guy doesn’t treat you right, get out.

If a guy hurts you, gtfo.

If a guy cheats on you, do what you need to do to get out.

Don’t settle because you think you’ll never be able to find someone else. One of the main things college has taught me is that there are so many great guys out there, and it’s not worth staying with the duds so you don’t have to be alone.

4. But not unrealistic standards

That being said, don’t narrow your standards so slim that you’ll literally never be able to find that “perfect” someone. It’s fine to have standards to a degree but make sure you don’t cut out all the options that will inevitably come your way.

5. Communication is key

Whether it's telling a guy no when you don't want to do something or simply making sure that you're both on the same page, it's important for us to be communicative with them and hopefully, they'll reciprocate.

6. Lying gets no one anywhere

Guys will take whatever you say quite literally because if you look at the next point, they aren't too observant. So if you tell them you're fine, and you actually aren't, they aren't going to do anything more because they just think you're fine.

7. Guys aren’t observant

A lot of girls say guys are dumb because they don’t catch on cues we give them. In reality, everyone is dumb. All girls have different “cues” they give off, so it’s almost impossible for a lot of guys to read them because they can vary from person to person.

8. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care

Just because it’s harder for guys to read our signs and signals, that doesn’t mean they don’t care about us. There’s a difference between guys who don’t understand what we’re trying to say/what we want than guys who genuinely don’t care about what we want.

9. The best relationships happen when you least expect them

Basically, don’t go into things expecting a relationship or for you to immediately start dating the person you’ve gone on literally one date or so with. Let things blossom or dissolve naturally. Then you aren’t let down if things don’t work out, and you’re pleasantly surprised if they do.