Urban Dictionary defines a “Hopeless Romantic” as somebody who’s in love with the idea of love. These are the girls that have been planning their wedding since they were four years old (and probably had a play wedding with their dolls). They imagine bumping into their future husband on the street, and it’s love at first sight. Hopeless Romantic’s live for those good morning texts, and their heart flutters when they’re somebody’s “Women Crush Wednesday.” I am not this girl. Sure I love “Say Yes to the Dress” as much as the next girl, but wedding planning looks awful. I preferred my dolls to be fashion models, not brides.

The idea of “love at first sight” just confuses me. In my opinion, love takes time and doesn’t just happen after seeing somebody. To be honest, the “good morning” and “goodnight” texts make me want to gag inside. If you are a girl who enjoys these things, good for you. Hopeless Romantics don’t want to settle for anything less than perfect, and I admire that. Believing in Prince Charming is fine, but not believing is fine also. In the words of Maroon 5, “All those fairy tales are full of s***”. Girls are expected to want that “perfect ending” and I’m here to tell you that it’s okay if you don’t. I am not in love with the idea of love; I actually find it quite terrifying.

We’re in college, this is supposed to be the most fun time of our lives! When else are we going to be surrounded by our friends 24/7, have unlimited access to free food, and go to themed parties every weekend. I hear girls talk about wanting to find their husband, or the love of their life, and I want to shake them. There will be plenty of time in our 20’s and 30’s to be in the “perfect relationship.” I understand a lot of people aren’t into typical college dating culture, and I respect that. All I’m saying is, don’t make that your main focus. Make new friends, spend time with your family, do well in school, and have fun! Don’t put pressure on yourself to find a boy who makes your heart flutter and insides warm.

Hopeless Romantics are looking for their soul mate, the love of their life, their forever. If you’re like me, then you don’t really believe in soul mates. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing love or romance. I just feel that the idea of only having “one true love” is silly. What if your soul mate lives in a bungalow in Africa? Being a broke college student, it’s not exactly in my budget to fly to Africa to find my boyfriend. Chances are, the guy sitting next to you in Bio probably isn’t your soul mate, but he could be a pretty cool person. Get to know a lot of different people, and don’t shut someone out because they’re “not your type."

I am by no means a hopeless romantic, but “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” are two of my favorite shows; but I prefer the drama filled group dates to the gushy hometowns. I love a classic rom-com as much as the next girl, but I’m also obsessed with gory horror films. Not being a Hopeless Romantic doesn’t mean you hate love, it just means you’re realistic about it. We can crush on Noah from “The Notebook” and Will from “The Last Song”, but we don’t crave that in our own lives. Buy me some tomato soup from Panera Bread, and I’ll be happy.