COVID-19 impacted every aspect of life as we know it.
If you weren’t one, just imagine being a college student during the pandemic.
School at home or in a dorm that you can’t leave. Many of the infamous college events, like tailgating put on hold.
Graduating during these unparalleled times is a huge accomplishment and relief for many students.
For some students around the country, graduation is synonymous with “ring by spring.” May is not just a time for grabbing the diploma, it also becomes a frenzy to lock down a lifelong partner.
But given how different college has looked, is this phenomenon still happening?
What is Ring By Spring?
First, let’s review the typical “ring by spring” in case you’ve never heard of it or didn’t read our blog post on it (cough, cough). Ring by spring is a tradition that takes place mostly at Christian colleges.
The basic premise is that college couples who have been dating for a good chunk of time tend to get engaged near graduation. The perception of this trend varies amongst different schools, but it’s been going on for years.
COVID-19 and the College Experience
Before assessing how COVID-19 impacted this very specific event, it’s worth noting how it impacted college and students as a whole.
For one, the pandemic took students away from school for quite a while. Many students were forced to go home and do classes online for several months in 2020. This definitely changes the social aspect of college. There was no walking to class with your sweetheart or study dates.
Even when students were permitted back to school, many had restrictions on leaving their dorms. The same galas, parties, and events were not permitted or happening. Ultimately, the pandemic really altered the social aspect of college.
Harder to Find a Partner
Typical “ring by spring” is based on people, well, dating each other. How do you think the seniors who are about to get engaged met?
COVID-19 changed the college social scene, which means it also changed dating. Arguably, the pandemic made it a bit harder for college students to find partners and get in relationships in the first place.
Normally, students may meet a partner in class, through mutual friends, at a party, or in a club. Maybe it’s possible, but I just don’t see someone making a move in the Zoom chat during class.
One big way that COVID-19 impacted ring by spring is by making it hard to find someone to even put a ring on. 24% of students who have been during the pandemic say they are dating less than they did pre-pandemic.
Dating is Different
After the initial shock of the pandemic, dating did start to even out in college. Still, it wasn’t the type of dating people were used to.
Dating, like most other things in the past year, largely moved online. According to Ed Source, “while romance is hardly dead, these days it’s much more about safety, social distancing and following the guidelines from the nation’s health protection agency.”
To stay safe and follow regulations, many college students turned more heavily to dating apps. Dating apps are not new, but pre-pandemic they were a precursor to in-person dating. During the pandemic, students turned more heavily to social media and dating apps to find new friends and romantic prospects.
As the world began to open up a bit more, some virtual connections did become in-person dates. Yet, these dates arguably had a different feel. A socially distanced date just does not have the same pizazz for most people. For some, the pandemic caused relationships to develop a bit slower physically.
Long-Distance Relationships
Some relationships that would have otherwise flourished in colleges were forced to be long-distance. Of course, long-distance may have been the end for some.
For couples who made it through a long-distance relationship they weren’t planning on, a ring just may not be the priority. Notre Dame student LeMay and her boyfriend decided to opt-out of the ring by spring this year because “Their relationship would be stronger if they had space to develop as individuals while supporting each other through hard times.”
Ring By Spring…2022?
Ring by spring isn’t one of those things the census tracks, but ultimately the pandemic presented many obstacles for college couples.
Some couples may have simply become stronger through the distance and turmoil. Maybe some felt even more compelled to put a ring on it.
Yet, there are likely many couples holding off. College relationships went through a lot and were put under unique circumstances. Like most other big events, students like LeMay are probably postponing the ring by spring to a later date.