Sex and Dating: Sharpening your cougar claws
Dr. Desiree, Sex Therapist
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Focus
Being an upperclassman has all sorts of perks. I don't have to look awkwardly for friends, or figure out what my major is. For guys, this also includes the possibility of dating a hot new underclassman. However, the situation rarely swings over to us girls. If you don't already have a boyfriend, being a junior or senior just means fewer options. Guys want someone hotter and younger, and let's face it; we just get wiser.
This has stood the test of time until the dawning of the Demis and Ashtons. Now, dating a younger man has become acceptable or even sought after. Of course, I am not referring to full-on cougar action since we are all around the ages of 18-22 (unless there is a sexy professor in sight). However, we rarely see a junior or senior lady with, say, a freshman guy.
There are many things to consider when dating someone younger. This is true for both guys and girls. While the typical freshman is fresh out of high school and flying free from the nest, juniors and seniors are looking at grad school or even a real job. Those two or three years seem like a small amount of time but actually have a great impact on people and where they stand in their life. As Aaliyah famously sang, age ain't nothin' but a number, but be wary as to where your relationship is going. If you are ready for a career and your new friend has just discovered beer pong, there might be some clashes down the road.
On the other hand, dating someone younger can have its perks. No offense youngsters, but you are easily seduced with such amenities as off-campus apartments a legal IDs, and cars. This can also translate into easy sailing in a relationship. Not all of us went to school intent on finding our future partners, and if you came to Case, odds are you did not come here to get a throw-away degree and find Mr. Right. Case students are driven from the get-go. In spite of this, though, we are still young and want to have fun. The underclassman is still out there sowing his or her wild and untamed oats, still high on the idea that you can sleep in someone else's room, while the upperclassman is looking for someone who wants something fun and possibly with strings unattached.
After a while, this campus seems to get smaller and smaller. As we go from incoming first-years to seasoned upper-class warriors, our pool of "datables" gets smaller and smaller. That's why looking outside your grade may be a very good thing, as long as you know exactly where the boundaries lie. Asking your underclassman out for dinner with the parents, your mentor, and prospective boss on the first date may be too much. But, I'd say a beer and some good conversation is definitely smooth and easy sailing.
Now ladies, go sharpen your cougar claws and nab yourself a young'un. Guys, the younger woman will always be there. It's time you try for some fine aged wine.
This has stood the test of time until the dawning of the Demis and Ashtons. Now, dating a younger man has become acceptable or even sought after. Of course, I am not referring to full-on cougar action since we are all around the ages of 18-22 (unless there is a sexy professor in sight). However, we rarely see a junior or senior lady with, say, a freshman guy.
There are many things to consider when dating someone younger. This is true for both guys and girls. While the typical freshman is fresh out of high school and flying free from the nest, juniors and seniors are looking at grad school or even a real job. Those two or three years seem like a small amount of time but actually have a great impact on people and where they stand in their life. As Aaliyah famously sang, age ain't nothin' but a number, but be wary as to where your relationship is going. If you are ready for a career and your new friend has just discovered beer pong, there might be some clashes down the road.
On the other hand, dating someone younger can have its perks. No offense youngsters, but you are easily seduced with such amenities as off-campus apartments a legal IDs, and cars. This can also translate into easy sailing in a relationship. Not all of us went to school intent on finding our future partners, and if you came to Case, odds are you did not come here to get a throw-away degree and find Mr. Right. Case students are driven from the get-go. In spite of this, though, we are still young and want to have fun. The underclassman is still out there sowing his or her wild and untamed oats, still high on the idea that you can sleep in someone else's room, while the upperclassman is looking for someone who wants something fun and possibly with strings unattached.
After a while, this campus seems to get smaller and smaller. As we go from incoming first-years to seasoned upper-class warriors, our pool of "datables" gets smaller and smaller. That's why looking outside your grade may be a very good thing, as long as you know exactly where the boundaries lie. Asking your underclassman out for dinner with the parents, your mentor, and prospective boss on the first date may be too much. But, I'd say a beer and some good conversation is definitely smooth and easy sailing.
Now ladies, go sharpen your cougar claws and nab yourself a young'un. Guys, the younger woman will always be there. It's time you try for some fine aged wine.
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