Rafaela Fiallos 2/6/2012 #358 Engagement in College

Engagement: beneficial or disadvantage during college?

By Rafaela Fiallos Updated 7:00 PM Mon February 6, 2012

St. Bonifacius, Minnesota- Engagements are increasing in Crown College; many students are taking this commitment but need to know that engagements during college can be beneficial or a disadvantage depending on the couple maturity. The period of engagement for many couples is a healthy time of planning for their wedding and preparing for a new life style, but if they are still in college this can produce more stress; this will depend on how they can manage time. If a student is engaged, it is important to value what are the advantages and disadvantages to get involved in this commitment during college. At this point, the students as a couple need to have sufficient maturity and balancing time to discuss goals in life, wedding preparations, finances, history of their own families, history of their past relationships, future jobs, religious views, and other aspects pertinent to marriage, said Jim Zapf, professor of Psychology, this Friday.

Prof. Zapf also mentioned that engagements can sometimes be helpful during college because it is when the couple has a very supportive system of friends, professors guidance, and both have had the opportunity to discover themselves as a couple in different environments and recognize each others reactions to different circumstances. On the other hand, if the couple does not balance their time correctly, their engagement can interfere negatively in their studies and extracurricular activities. Laura Boeder, a psychologist who is engaged and in her senior year, reaffirmed that getting engaged is a commitment and it moves the relationship to another level. Being engaged in college allows the couple to prepare for marriage and strengthens the relationship, but she also emphasized that facing engagement with not enough maturity tends to have a risk in sexual temptation and stop hanging out with their circle of friends. As far as I know, it is important to experience engagement with maturity more if you are closer each day to that person. This can tend to make you feel tempted sexually; but if you are mature enough to handle the situations, this tends to strengthen your relationship in the transition of being a couple into marriage and realignment of relationships, Laura said. Engagement has captured the attention of many Crown students and is a more predominant phenomenon now than in past years. Engagement requires having patience, maturity and balance in their studies. Communication plays an important role as they spend quality time together. Engagement is a disadvantage or beneficial depending on the couples development of being emotionally, spiritually and academically healthy as a person independently.