Ole Miss Love Stories from the Heart and Soul

Let’s face it: serious relationships in college have a bad reputation.
You can blame it on “hookup culture” or on all the technology we use, but either way, it seems as if every day there’s another article that shows up on my Facebook newsfeed about how our generation can’t seem to handle dating in college. They say that we play too many mind games, pretend not to care too often, and depend on our phones too much.
Maybe those things are all true to some degree, but I think we need to start giving our generation a little more credit. Yes, there are the bad stories – the horrible first dates, the awful breakups, the “that guy I met on Tinder texted me to tell me that he missed Snapchat-ing me” stories, but there are the good ones that don’t always get enough recognition.
Today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to share the good stories – the “love at first sight” stories, the “she made me a better person” stories, and celebrate the couples that give serious relationships in college a better name.

Lauren Laffler and Steven Graff
“We met on Oct. 19 in the Grove waiting to go into the LSU game. I went with my friend to her friend’s tent and Steven was there. The second we met, we clicked. It was truly love at first sight. We spent every second of the rest of that day together. We’ve been inseparable ever since. He went back with me to my home in Atlanta to meet my family and they could not be more excited for my future with such an amazing guy. After that, we got to spend a few weeks in the Bahamas together with his family and I absolutely love them. He makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world. I don’t know how I got so lucky but I’m sure glad I went to that tent on Oct. 19 in the Grove. Hotty Toddy!”
 

Ryan Schmelz and Madeline Patton
“Before Madeline, I was a lost soul. I had an awful reputation because I had always been such a flirt. Madeline didn’t care about any of that. Other girls never accepted me for who I am but Madeline was very accepting and cared about me for who I am. She trusts me and loves me. With her in my life, I am able to achieve anything.”
Did you meet your boyfriend/fiance/husband in college and want to share your story this Valentine’s Day? Email our managing editor with your love story and a picture of the happy couple to kate.sinervo@gmail.com! We want to spread the Ole Miss romance this Valentine’s Day!
– Emily Xie, staff writer, HottyToddy.com, yxie3@go.olemiss.edu