This story is presented as part of The Stranger’s Back to School 2018 issue, out now.
By the time I started college, I’d been on birth control for two years, I’d caught chlamydia twice from the same cheating-ass no-good soon-to-be-ex boyfriend, and I’d suffered from at least a half-dozen UTIs. I didn’t need sex and love advice so much as I needed a break.
You likely don’t need much advice, either. You have the internet, YouTube, dating apps, social media, campus doctors, and friends, all of whom are sources of information. But a few tips never hurt anyone.
1. Put away your goddamn phone. It’s more fun to meet someone IRL.
You’ll be spending plenty of time with your face glued to a screen for school. When you can, take the opportunity to actually go out and experience the city, and get some face time with the people in it. Avoid getting catfished from the start.
