If you’re like me, you try to plan for the future 10 or even 20 years ahead, often thinking about what your prospective partner’s name will be or at what age you will get married. However, dreaming about Mr. Perfect has become harder and harder as a college student as it increasingly seems almost impossible to think about a long-term relationship with someone because of the growing popularity of hookup culture. 

As a college student in 2024, trying to get someone to commit to a relationship feels like trying to mop the ocean — impossible. The word commitment almost feels illegal to say because once people hear it, they scatter like roaches. Many people are pressured into hookup culture because of low self-esteem, peer pressure or just sheer embarrassment, according to research conducted by the American Psychological Association.

A survey of 1,468 undergraduate students found that “27.1 percent felt embarrassed, 24.7 percent reported emotional difficulties and 20.8 percent experienced loss of respect,” according to the same study. 

As of today, hookup culture seems like a trend that everyone is following, and it will be a continuous cycle until something changes or someone makes a difference. 

When asked about hookup culture, many Clemson students said that they just simply do not even try dating anymore while in college because it is so difficult. Even today, most people on dating apps in college are looking for friendships or “something fun,” but most of the time, never anything serious. 

Some of the top excuses Clemson women claimed people would use when saying that they don’t want anything serious were answers like “I just have a lot going on right now,” “I’m just trying to focus on school and myself at the moment” or lastly, the most popular “I have ‘commitment issues.’”

A recent study from Gitnux found that “60-80% of college students report participating in hookups at least once,” and “40% of first-year female college students have reported participating in a hookup.”

As a woman who has grown up watching fairy tales and romance movies, I truly thought that I would be able to find my prince charming and live happily ever after. However, with the growing popularity of hookup culture, just finding a boyfriend seems like a mere fantasy.

Mariah Jordon is a sophomore English major from Dallas. You can reach her at [email protected].