Oracle Online

Dear Out,

You are not the only one experiencing this, believe me. The whole “does he like me?” problem has existed since the dawn of the college student. By now, you’d think that there would just be a simple technique to find out. Sorry.

Picking up on flirting may prove difficult to some, more so if it is with someone of your same gender. Some people are just oblivious, and some are over-analytical. After trying to come up with some suggestions for you, I realized that being as blunt as possible will get the answer you want.

If you don’t know, ask. Straight up (no pun intended). Beating around the bush has never really helped anyone out. If your casual day-to-day chit-chat hasn’t sparked any indications, it might be safe to suggest that this is a genuine friend; but there is never any real way to know unless you hear it spoken from Mr. Dashing himself.

I understand that this is going to take a lot of courage. Gather up those balls, and remember: if after all of this he isn’t interested, he will still be your friend. So, don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. Who knows? Maybe he was having the same dilemma.

Dear Stevie,

I just got dumped! I had been searching for so long for a boyfriend; why is it that as soon as I finally find a good boyfriend he breaks up with me? Why are all of my friends dating someone, but I’m stuck being alone? Where can I find a new dude?

Strung Out and Single

Dear Strung Out,

I get it; you’re single, all of your friends have someone, and you feel out of the loop. It can really get you down, especially if you let being single get to you. My advice to you is: don’t.

Stressing out about a relationship will set you up for disappointment. First of all, searching for a relationship can be a step in the wrong direction. The more you search, the more desperate you’ll get, and the better chance you have that you’ll end up with someone you don’t even like.

Second, don’t let a relationship define who you are. You can really be happy being single. Relationships can cause unnecessary stress, especially during your college years.

And finally, you have the rest of your life to share yourself with someone, but until that comes along, take all this time for yourself, because you really are the most important person you’ll ever know.

If you still think you can’t go on without a beau, I hear Myspace.com is a great place to meet plenty of uncreepy singles.