Porfolio April 2014 | Page 5

Being a college dating & relationships is always a big topic, so this section of the book stood out to me. I was raised with the “old school” idea of dating, a man should approach you, let them call you first, do not always make yourself available to them. After being in college for 3 years it seems as though these rules do not apply anymore. My experience aligns with Jay’s analysis. They are dating the wrong people for the wrong reasons, which I have done. The media makes us think that dating the most popular or star player is the goal, when that person is not always your type or what you are looking for in a partner. The popular movie “Mean Girls” shows Cady Heron wants the attention of the most popular guy, so she acts as though she is not good at math even though that is the subject she is the strongest in. Going forth from reading these chapters I will be intentional in who I date and what I look for in the person you date, in how I date, and who the ways that you decide to make a long-term commitment to. A short excerpt from this section that stood out to me: When and if you commit, chances are that you will choose someone who is similar to you in ways that are convenient. But long-term relationships are inevitably inconvenient. Psychologist Daniel Gilbert calls them “the gateway to hard work” as they open the door to mortgages, children, and the like. Personality tells us something about how you and your partner will go about the good and bad days together… The more similar your personalities, the smoother things may be. And for all the ways you may not be like someone you love, by knowing something about his or her personality you have the opportunity to be more understanding about why he or she does the very different (or annoying) things that he or she does. That goes a long way toward bridging differences, and that’s important too.