College is about learning. Learning about living life, about the world around us, about… College is about learning. Learning about living life, about the world around us, about ourselves and, arguably the most important, about dating and sex.

I find myself in the position a lot of college students are also in: I am single and on the prowl. As much fun as this used to be, it is now just frustrating.

Most guys don’t make it past one or two dates. I quickly get over people because, well, most people are annoying. I don’t have the dating pool you breeders have, which makes it all the more difficult.

I only have a few bars or other places to go to find gay guys. That requires me to rely on my finely tuned gaydar to locate potential conquests, but that topic is for another time. For now we will talk about after I’ve found them.

Notice that I used the term “conquests.” I am like a lot of guys my age. I almost get high off the dating game. I hate that it’s true, but it is. If someone is really into me, I think that it is needy, lame and unattractive. I’m just being honest.

The thrill of the chase is invigorating. You’re wondering if he likes you. You’re playing hard to get, and this is a skill that’s mastered by only a few. Those first few phone calls and dates provide such a rush. It is better than drugs.

When I meet someone I have to set up a plan of attack. The reward of a well-planned and well-executed strategy would seem to be the guy. It isn’t though – the reward is the high, not him. Once I have him, I lose total interest and I don’t want him anymore.

Some people would say that these are the actions of a player. They would say I am a player, but I disagree. I believe I never really liked the guy in the first place. I say I do. I think I do. In reality what I like is the chase and the game, not the guy. Once the chase – the fun part – is over, I am left with this guy that I am not into.

I hate that I do this. It is all subconscious and I don’t know how to make it stop. I don’t want to play games. I want something more than that.

After much pondering of this issue, I have a possible explanation. I wonder if I am wrong about what my type is. I think that in reality I have no clue what I want. In light of this new outlook, I am employing a new strategy – “see if it fits.”

This is how it works: Pretend you are clothes shopping and you see a shirt you don’t like. It looks so bad on the hanger – you might even hate it.

For some reason – perhaps a friend insists or it is only five bucks – you try it on anyway. Really, what do you have to lose?

Now that you have it on you realize how much you like it. You decide that it is exactly your style, but you didn’t realize it until just now. Years later when you are looking at this shirt – with all of the changes in your fashion and your life – you will think you love it just the same, if not more, as when you bought it.

I highly suggest you try this new strategy with me. Remember, college is about learning. You came here one person and you’ll leave a different person, a better person. Don’t pass people over because you think they aren’t your type. Try different people on and see if they fit. Not everything looks good on a hanger.

Even if they don’t fit, it is better to learn that now than later. You don’t want to realize that someone else really does fit after you have three kids and things aren’t that easy to change.

Todd Brandon Morris is a columnist for The Pitt News. If you find it wrong to equate guys with clothes, he agrees. He knows it isn’t fair to clothes, they last longer. He can be reached at [email protected].