The sky is blue, half of ten is five, and there are virgins in college. These are just the facts, people. While it might seem like everyone and their sister have done the dirty, not everyone has! Being a virgin in college is not uncommon and is not anything to be ashamed of.

If you heard about a high school senior who was a virgin, you wouldn’t blink an eye. So why is a college freshman any different? Well, truthfully, it’s not.

There are two types of virgins in this world: those who chose to be and those who tend to lie and say they’re not. If you are either of these, you should not take any shame in that. If you’ve chosen to wait until marriage to make the beast with two backs for religious or emotional reasons, own that! If you have made no such decision and the opportunity just hasn’t come up yet, own that too! Even if you’re unhappy with the status and are looking to give the V-card away, don’t rush it. You’ll be happier waiting a bit longer than you would be giving it away to someone who isn’t special to you.

A good friend of mine continued to hide her virginity for as long as possible once she came to college. She hid it because she was embarrassed by it and was worried that people would judge. Unfortunately, once she decided to share her sexual inexperience, some of her friends did judge her, which, personally, I don’t understand. Honestly, what is there to judge? Losing your virginity is just that. You don’t suddenly know the meaning of life or magically become more mature. If anything, the opposite happens. It’s a significant mutual decision and it happens when it happens.

If that’s after marriage, so be it. Believing in something enough to not succumb to societal pressure is pretty impressive. Whether that be through your religion or just a personal choice, that is something to be proud of and something others should admire. Regardless of what anyone says, everyone should stick to what they believe is best for them. No one wants to wait in the heat of the moment, but it is a big decision, and if you’ve already made it, stick to that! That being said, if you decide to change your mind, that’s okay too! Everyone is different, that choice affects everyone differently.

Warning: The following paragraph contains corny crap that some readers might find icky.

For those who are still holding on to the V-card but are wishing it was long gone, you might want to hold off. When you do find that special someone and gift them with your innocence, you’ll be very happy that you hadn’t given it to anyone else. I’m not advocating abstinence or anything, so if you wanna play hanky panky with everyone, you can – you do you. I’m only saying that if you haven’t yet, don’t beat yourself up about it. Besides, you’re safe from STDs, STIs and pregnancy scares. Go you!

Collegian writer Jillian Kolman can be reached at blogs@collegian.com. Leave a comment!