A few days ago, in the middle of move-in, one of my friends was filing a roommate agreement, and one of the questions read: “Do you have a significant other that may be frequenting your room?” The answer options were “Yes, often,” “Yes, but not very often,” or, ever-so-bluntly, “No.” As easy as a click of the mouse is, merely answering the question for my friend was more than just a twitch of a finger: It was yet another reminder of how single she was. Her unfortunate answer option was not just a “No” to her, but more like a “Noooooo.”

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: It’s ridiculously easy to dwell in the sting of singleness, and I can easily admit that I’ve been there — many times. But, alongside hearing my friend’s pain, I also witnessed another one of my friends completely living up her single life. Not only does she walk around totally self-assured, she’s even quick to disclose that she’s never spent a Valentine’s Day during her adult life alone — not because she had a date, but because she went out and had a great time with her friends. And, believe it or not, she has boys incessantly knocking on her door.

She gets it. Being single gives you the time to make yourself whole, to understand who you really are and what you really want — not just out of a life partner, but out of life itself. When that point is reached, people not already hitched become so much more attractive. Looking confident and not at the mercy of any person giving you attention totally trumps the desperate and needy look of someone on the prowl for a significant other.

Many students start their college careers believing that only when in the holds of a “secure” college relationship can they truly be satisfied. This leads to perpetual searching, often causing hopefuls to even reach the point of joining clubs and perusing campus activities just so they can browse the offerings of the UW single pool.

But, being single is not some kind of curse. A night out is so much simpler when there are no worries about what your girlfriend is doing or where your boyfriend is — as well as not having to worry what your boy or girl would think of you being out.

As hard as it is to detach yourself from the constant reminders of the joys of being in love and finding your “one” — not to mention the budding relationships all around campus — it’s definitely more worth your time to spend those single moments actually enjoying it. No one teaches us how to be single; our parents and pretty much all of the people who assume a teaching role in our adolescent lives have focused on keeping us prepared for falling in love — which is not fair or realistic.

So, if you haven’t already, teach yourself the ropes of the single life. There’s so much allotted time in our lives for being hitched, anyway.

Reach Copy Chief Parisa Sadrzadeh at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.