College is a breeding ground for your expectations to be completely crushed by the harshness that is reality. When in college, we still have the naivety to expect things that likely won't happen, and the hammer of truth comes down hard when we find out they don't. It's like we are constantly living in one of those "expectation vs reality" memes. You know, the one where you try to make a cake from Pinterest [12] and instead of it looking like Elsa from Frozen like, it looks more like if you put yellow hair on a flesh-colored blob.
Hate to break it to y'all, but when it comes to the romantic holiday that is Valentine's Day, these collegiate fails are no less cruel. Let's take a look at some Valentine's Day expectations versus realities, shall we?
Going on a date
Expectation: We're going to go to a nice restaurant! Probably in Armory Square [13], perhaps in East Syracuse. It'll definitely have mood lighting and the menu may not even have pictures! He's going to pick me up, in a motor vehicle, and we are going to drive to said eating destination, and enjoy a wonderful three-course meal.
Reality: All of the reservations at restaurants have been booked by "real people," not in their third year of undergrad, and therefore the two of you are stuck dining at the nicest-place-on-Marshall Street, appeThaizing [14], where he doesn't pick you up at all. In fact, you have to walk to meet him there. Sad.
Drinks for the evening
Expectation: You think that you and your honey, because you decided to keep it casual and stay in for the night, will at least enjoy some classy Valentine's Day alcohol. He'll probably pick up a nice bottle of wine, or you will make one of those "love potion" cocktails you saw on Buzzfeed [15]. You'll somehow come across glasses that are not made of plastic, and you will sip the sweet nectar from real glass.
Reality: No one, in fact, picks up any wine. He doesn't want to spend the money with fear it will legitimize the non-relationship you have going on, or vice versa. But as for not wanting to be alone on V-day, you still do hang out, and instead drink Franzia out of Solo cups. That is, until you decide to make a questionable cocktail out of whatever liquor you have stashed in your mini-fridge with a random juice product your mom sent you that you never thought you'd actually use. Nice.
Galentine's Day celebrations
Expectation: You will have a fun and successful "who needs men anyway" night in with the gals, while drinking Barefoot Pinot Grigio, eating pizza and watching The Notebook or some equally pathetic Nicholas Sparks capital venture, all while wearing PJs and snuggling up.
RealityHalf the girls don't show up because they randomly found Valentine's dates and not-so-surprisingly would much rather do that. And the bunch you have left no longer want pizza or wine as they feel fat and uncomfortable in their own skin after not getting a date, and instead come over with bottles of vodka wearing skinny jeans.
Single swag
Expectation: Single people always get oddly excited for Valentine's Day, like they can't wait to prove they couldn't care less about the holiday. So, naturally, when you're single on V-day you expect to just be swaggin' everywhere about how single and awesome you are. You plan to attend a party or two, solo dolo, and feel really confident doing so. You plan to do you!
Reality: You sound delusional, nobody actually thoroughly enjoys being single on a holiday legitimately created around couples(remember Cupid and his nudity and his whole arrow thing). So you stop doing that “convincing yourself by convincing others” thing, and instead just lie in your bed on Tumblr [16] eating Smartfood popcorn until you lie down to rest in a dust of white cheddar and loneliness.
Clearly, there are a lot of scenarios for tomorrow that we will see don't live up to our hopes and dreams. Just remember, expectations aren't meant to be the real thing anyway.
