By Katie Potzick

Marriage may seem like an event in the distant future to many University of Louisville students but, for some of their peers, being married is the reality.
Similarly, it may seem as if being a college student would make a marriage more difficult, presenting situations and circumstances that are far from the ideal concept of marriage. Senior English major Rachel Huff, who has been married for two years to junior English major Andrew Huff, however, didn’t let that kind of thinking stop her from embracing matrimony.
“The fact that we were in college did not make a difference on our decision to get married,” said Rachel.
Although she does admit that college can present some difficulties to a marriage, Huff expected those problems and was confident that she and her spouse would overcome them.
“We knew it would be more difficult financially since we are both in college,” she said, “but we knew we would find a way to make it work and so far we have.”
Financial difficulty is one of the biggest hurdles for a married college couple, according to those who have taken the plunge and gained experience firsthand. Some, like senior business major Jack George choose to play the odds when it comes to considering marriage.
“In the event of a divorce, which is half of all cases,” said George, “the man gets screwed financially.”
Money was a concern for senior history major Vince Kline and his wife Claire when they were married earlier this year.
“College was a deciding factor because of finances,” said Vince, “but Claire works full time at a bank so that made [marriage] possible.”
Similarly Jessica Bowman, a junior education major, and her husband Drew decided to get married because his job provided them with financial stability.
“If we were both in school, [money] would have been a deciding factor, because neither of us would’ve been able to support ourselves,” said Jessica. “But, since he has graduated and is working, it’s not a big deal that I am still in school.”
Even when finances aren’t a factor, George still doesn’t embrace the idea of marriage at such a young age.
“You forgo your option to experience a lot of different women,” said George.
Yet many students are willing to make that sacrifice when they believe they have found the right spouse. However, college marriages are often dismissed as unlikely to last due to the young age of the couples.
According to a study by sociologists Bronson and Merryman, it is a risk factor for a marriage when either of the members are less than 25 years of age.
According to their findings, college students are a demographic  more  likely to lack life experience and communication skills.
For some students, waiting until you are at an older age is beneficial in that you have accumulated more life experience.
“Waiting until you are at least 25 years old gives your brain a chance to reach the point of intellectual maturity,” said Bronson. 
According to the 2003 US Census Bureau, while college attendance has increased 55 percent over the past thirty years, the percent of married college students has remained steady at 7 percent.
Though it may seem like a small demographic of the college population, Huff said that being married has had a profound impact on  her overall college experience.
“A lot of the social aspects of college, such as going out and dating around, do not apply to me,” she said, “so I would say that it has changed the whole college experience for me.”
The biggest change for Vince and Claire has been sharing the same house and getting used to living with each other.
Vince said he enjoys living with Claire because before they were wed he had to choose between school work and getting to see her; now, however, it is no longer an issue.  “We can be together and I can still do my homework,” said Vince.
The three couples agree that marriage has been a learning and life changing experience.
“As a whole, my life is pretty different. I get to have a forever sleep over with my best friend in the whole world,” said Bowman. “How great is that? I also do weird wife things like cook dinner, clean up the house and make his lunch.” 
Both Bowman and Kline remarked on how selfish they realized they were with their time before marriage and how that had to change to make the marriage successful.
“You can’t be selfish when you’re in a marriage,” said Kline. “You have to be generous with your time and your self.”
And when it comes to advice, it seems that all married students have a little wisdom to share with their peers who may be considering making the plunge.
“The only advice I’d give is to realize that once you get married, your promise is forever,” said Bowman.
“Realize that you both aren’t perfect. You will both let the other down more times than you can count.
Unconditional love and forgiveness are the only things that will help a marriage withstand our horrible human tendency to screw things up.” 
“When you’re in a marriage you can’t be selfish with your time,” said Kline. “You’re going to struggle so don’t do it if you’re not sure.”
“Don’t get married if you think it’s going to fix all your problems,” said Kline’s wife, Claire.
And Huff believes that students should wait until they are entirely confident in their decision to wed–not just for the sake of their potential marriage, but for the sake of their academic success as well.
“I would recommend if any other college students were thinking of pursuing a marriage before graduation, make sure that you know your partner really well because too much stress at home does not help your education,” said Huff. “However, it is possible to be happily married while still in school”
Huff emphasizes that it take significant effort from both partners: “It can be done, but it is not always easy.”