Getting good grades, participating in exciting club activities, and having a romantic relationship are three elements that many students seek for in their college experience. Indeed, each student has different priorities and expects different things from college, and the three do not have to be all present to have a happy, satisfying college life. For instance, some consider love a luxury or a waste of time, money, and emotions. Nevertheless, love, the most craved human desire, continues to excite, stimulate, and arouse our feelings. Couples at KAIST are largely divided into two classes: long-distance couples and campus couples. Advantages and disadvantages of each relationship have been examined.

 

 

Long distance relationships are usually either the continuation of high school relationships or those that have started from blind dates. Though not always true, blind dates are typically arranged between KAIST male students and female students from other colleges in Daejeon, such as Daejeon University, Chungnam National University, and Mokwon University. Long-distance relationships are advantageous in that each date can be cherished and made more meaningful. For example, instead of rushing for a quick lunch at Kaimaru (the North Cafeteria), couples can plan out their dates and pay more attention to their outfit, makeup, or hairdo. In addition, since less money is spent on weekly dates, couples have more time to save up for meals at fancy restaurants, or for better seats at sporting events or concerts.

 

However, long distance relationships also pose various difficulties. Conversations over texts and calls can be easily misunderstood, and late or short text replies or missing calls can undermine the partner’s faith, eventually making couples emotionally exhausted. Miscommunication can be fatal especially because it cannot be resolved as easily through smartphones as when done in person. Another problem is the travelling time, which can be a burden for KAIST students who have a lot of workload. This spawns a string of other problems: as the couple starts to meet less often, they will feel lonely and frustrated, especially because they cannot always know what the other partner is doing, or who he or she is with. Such feelings can lead to resentment or bitterness, or can even make one prone to wandering. To make the problem worse, it may be difficult for a non-KAISTian to imagine or identify with the workload of their KAISTian significant other, leading to further strife and dissatisfaction.

 

 

On campus, students often find their partners in classes, student clubs, or even through blind dates. Such couples are often referred to as “campus couples,” or “CCs” for short. There are countless advantages to dating in college. Campus couples can share all random moments together, such as a funny comment that a professor made in class, a roommate’s sleeping habits, what happened while waiting for the shuttle bus, or what score you got on your biochemistry mid-term exam. Partners can relate to each other better and give more relevant response or advice. Moreover, certain events at KAIST, such as the KAIST-POSTECH Science War, KAIST Arts and Music Festival, strawberry parties, and cherry blossom festivals can be enjoyed together as they are much more accessible. Another benefit is that couples can meet briefly between classes or grab a quick lunch together even on busy days. Dating costs can also be reduced because each date does not have to be splendid; every time spent together - studying together in the library, going to classes together, spending time in school cafés, or participating in same club activities - is a date.

 

Unfortunately, being able to spend so much time together is also the very source of problems of dating in college. Studying and living in the same environment leaves very little room for privacy. In addition, seeing each other too often can hasten the cooling down of emotion. The worst problem is that avoiding each other after breaking up is difficult in most cases, unless one of the partners drops the class or chooses to leave the club they are both affiliated with.

 

Not surprisingly, love at KAIST is a bit special. The imbalance of gender ratio, where male students outnumber female students by far, coupled with the fact that low grade point average leads to penal tuition fees, generates an environment that deters romantic relationship. Even so, we love. Squeezing out time for dating, pulling all-nighters in the library together, and walking among laboratory buildings, we love.