College and University Blog
7 Sensational Valentine’s Day Ideas for Single Students
Valentine’s Day. The holiday makes some people swoon with happiness and others scowl in dismay. February 14 has become incredibly commercialized, with heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, bouquets of roses, and teddy bears making their way onto store shelves before the New Year’s Eve merchandise hits the clearance rack.
The Greeting Card Association estimates that 145 million valentines will be purchased this year, and that figure doesn’t even include the boxes of small cards children distribute at school!
Celebrate Valentine’s Day
If you feel like the only student in town without a significant other, surviving Valentine’s Day can seem next to impossible. Try not to get discouraged, though. It’s totally possible to make it through the day—and even enjoy yourself—without a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Here are seven ways to “celebrate” on your own:
1. Give out non-romantic cards. Hand or mail cards to your parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, professors, bosses, roommates, classmates, hall mates and anyone else that you interact with on a regular basis. To save money, purchase children’s valentines. Who wouldn’t love a cute little message that includes a picture of Barbie, Dora, the Angry Birds or Sponge Bob? You’ll have fun distributing them, and that tiny gesture will make the recipient smile.
2. Bake (or buy) some goodies. If you have access to an oven, bake heart-shaped cookies or decorate cupcakes with pink or red icing or sprinkles. Not a whiz in the kitchen? Hit the bakery at a local supermarket for a package of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, or the like. Just be sure to share—wallowing in self-pity while overindulging on sweets will make you feel worse than being single.
3. Plan a singles night with a group of friends. Plan a night on the town with a group of unattached friends. Go to a movie or grab a bite to eat. Fancy restaurants could be crowded due to V-Day, but your favorite dive bar or local pizza shop will suffice.
4. Love yourself. No, not that way… Write a list of things you like about yourself as well as things you’d like to improve. Encourage your friends to do the same. A healthy self-image goes a long way.
5. Host an Anti-Valentine’s party. If you’re feeling particularly spiteful, turn singles night into an Anti-Valentine’s Day event. Encourage everyone to wear black rather than pink and red, eat everything but chocolates, and watch horror flicks or movies about love gone wrong. You’ll have fun, even if it’s simply because you all start cracking up at the reason behind your get-together. Just make sure you don’t drink and wind up making any phone calls to exes that you’ll regret in the morning.
6. Go on a date with a friend. There’s no hard and fast rule that says only seriously committed couples can go out on dates together. Ask a single friend if he or she would like to join you for a non-romantic outing. Dress up just as you would for any normal date; only realize that it’s a “just friends” thing.
7. Ignore the Big Day completely. Treating February 14 like any other day of the year is another way to survive Valentine’s Day. Sure, you’ll run into decorations and people carrying roses or presents, but there’s no need to act snippy or spiteful. Just go about your business as usual, and tomorrow will be here before you know it.
One final word of wisdom—if you wind up “romantically involved” with someone you don’t know very well, as college students are known to do, use protection. In fact, be safe even if you do know the person, or you could wind up with much bigger problems than being single on Valentine’s Day.
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Melissa Rhone+
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.