College is four years of our life (give or take) that we spend surrounded by thousands of young people relatively similar in age to us. These are people who share some of the same interests and have education and new life experiences as a common goal in mind. We all go to school, do group projects, take some of the same classes together. On the weekends, we congregate at this person's friend's house or that friend's friend's neighbor's place. We introduce our friends to their friends, share friends, make friends. We go on dates and introduce ourselves on the first day of classes or at the backyard party. We are all so similar in age. We all look college aged. Does a quantified number really mean anything? Do age differences truly matter in college friendships and dating relationships?
As someone who has made both long lasting friendships and dated individuals a few years younger and a few years older than herself, I do not think age is much of a factor when it comes to college aged relationships both friendly and romantic. I surround myself with people that share the same interests as me, usually a few of the same friends, and overall just people that make me happy. Age is never something I take into close consideration when deciding who to develop a stronger relationship with. Of course having a friend or a significant other that is the same age as you can have its benefits. You end up sharing some of the same interests by default. You were both juniors in high school the year that song came out or seniors when that professional sports team won that championship. But a friend is a friend and a love interest is a love interest regardless of age in the majority of cases. After all, age is only a number? Here is what a handful of college aged students had to say when asked if age matters in college.
“Choosing friends means choosing happiness and love, not choosing ages or years.” Rachel, 20
“College is a time to get out your comfort zone and meet new people; a time to open your mind to new ideas. It really doesn't matter your age.” Erik, 21
"I don't think age really matters, especially when it's pretty hard to tell ages anyways. Back when I was a freshman, I made several really good friends in some of my classes, having no idea that they were juniors and seniors until a couple weeks into school. Same goes for relationships as well. Age really isn't a big factor in my opinion, unless it's like 10 plus years of age difference then I get a little sketched out, but to each their own." Ella, 20
“I guess you could say that we feel more mature in college and our relationships should be more mature in that we don't care what age the person is, just good friends that you can rely on.” Max, 21
“Age is fairly arbitrary. I think people gravitate towards people with similar levels of emotional maturity and interest more than anything else. If two people have similar emotional intelligence they can get along well, regardless of their age.” Chris, 20
"I think a lot can be learned when a group of friends are all different ages, because there are different experiences and advise to be shared that can really deepen that relationship." Emily, 21
“In friendships and friend groups age doesn’t matter, but in an intimate relationship a big age gap is kind of weird.” Dane, 19
“I don't think there's much social significance regarding age, especially at school. If you get along with someone, then you get along with them, age doesn't really impact that. The more diverse the ages within a group the more perspective it lends.” Eli, 20
“You can get a group of people together the youngest could be 18 and the oldest may be 30, but as long as they have something in common, or really just something to talk about, it doesn't matter how old they are. I see that a lot in friend groups. In relationships I see the same thing. If you can connect deeply with someone, then that's great, that's what's important!” Malaz, 21
“Of course age doesn't matter! Well, at least it's what I believe from the college perspective. As proof, my girlfriend is 6 years older than me and we hang out with the same group of friends all the time.” Daniel, 21
“The older I get, the wider age range I have of friends. I'm close friends with people I work with that are 10 or 20 years older than I am. I wouldn't say I'm too good of friends with anyone under the age of 15, though. But in the end, age really doesn't matter at all.” Beau, 21“Well, I guess in my experience, it usually has less to do with age and more to do with where people are at in their lives. In college it doesn't matter if you're spending time with a senior or a freshman, we're all in pretty similar stages of our lives. Same with relationships, I think. Age is just a number; it's life experience that actually makes a difference.” Elena, 21“Age in college is like how many donuts you can eat. Sure it's practical to know, but it doesn't really matter.” Drake, 20So in the end, maybe college students are above the concept of age differences. Sure we ask people what year they are in school or what year they graduated high school in as a friendly conversation starter or inquiry, but their answer results in little impact. A few years here and there doesn’t matter all that much if the relationship is founded on common interests and just a pure want to be with one another. After all, age is just a number, and the relationships in life that we foster should be about the qualitative more so than the quantitative. Why let a two digit number or a four digit year affect the potential for a friendship or a partner? After all, we're all adults here.
