For those of you in serious college relationships, I’m talking to you. Heed my words… For those of you in serious college relationships, I’m talking to you. Heed my words wisely.

After reading a recent article on CNN’s website — “Saying ‘I do’ while studying at the ‘U’” — and doing some research on my own, I discovered that, according to a 2005 American Council on Education study, 10 percent of undergraduates under 25 are married. In my opinion, that’s about 10 percent too many.

College, after all, is not the time to take your relationship to that level. You only get so long to stumble your way to whichever fraternity house is having their white-trash bash that night. If you try to do this when you’re married, then you’ll find yourself in the doghouse for longer than it took you to decide that special someone was the person you wanted to wake up next to everyday for the rest of your life — approximately three months. Plus, who wants to get married when you can still dance at raves where scantily-clad strangers shoot paint at you? Still thinking about taking your relationship to the next level? Get a tattoo. At least you can hide that more easily than the emotional trauma of a failed marriage before you’ve reached your mid-life crisis.

If you think your relationship is different and I’m just the bitter, cynical ex-boyfriend of one too many girls, keep in mind that experts tend to agree with me. Marriage and family therapist Kelly Roberts told CNN that couples who marry while in college take on new responsibilities and financial difficulties. When considered along with homework and extracurricular activities, these responsibilities can allow less time for collegiate engagements, like going out with your friends and going to sporting events. While these might not seem like extraordinarily important activities if you feel hopelessly in love, this is the last time you’ll be allowed to enjoy them without having to run it by your husband or wife.

Moreover, The National Marriage Project’s “The State of Our Unions” (2010) report suggests that couples who marry before 25 are more susceptible to divorce. Roberts, as well, says that the closer to 30 people are when they marry, the higher the probability that their marriage will be successful. This is presumably because, alongside the aforementioned reasons, the longer that you wait to get married, the more wisdom and experience you have with relationships, and the easier you find it to adjust to marriage life. In other words, you’re so acclimated to the inevitable irrational fights that you’re better prepared to bear them with one person for the rest of your life.

Think about all your past romantic quarrels. Do you really think you would have been able to have longer-lasting future relationships had you not had these arguments with ex-boy and -girlfriends? The immaturity and stubbornness that all of us showcase in our first relationships better prepare us for later partners. You are doing neither you nor your fiance any favors by launching into a marriage this early, as you have likely not yet developed the wisdom, patience and communication skills that are so necessary for a marriage.

Bradford Wilcox, director of The National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, theorizes that getting married in college is a form of rebellion. Previous generations engaged in activities like adultery and premarital sex to act out, while ours is using an institution that was once considered a serious, lifelong commitment. My advice: If you’re attempting to be rebellious, try getting to the top of the Cathedral of Learning or climbing on the dinosaur statue outside the Carnegie Complex — not jumping into something that could potentially affect you for the rest of your life. Marriage is a beautiful engagement based on trust, love and maturity. Don’t ruin it by rushing into it for the purpose of rebellion or as the result of ill-advised thinking.

None of this is meant to suggest that you should immediately end all ties with those you consider important in your life. This is simply meant to convince you that delaying engagement in your immediate future may lead to a more successful, happy marriage in the long-term. So, relax and enjoy your time with your friends and significant other and save the serious stuff for later. Keep in mind that ideally, you should be growing old with your spouse, not growing up with them.