It's that time of year again when teens leave the sanctuary of high school and venture into the sexual free-for-all known as college. If you didn't spend your formative years playing the field, sex as a college freshman can be an extremely eye-opening (and often, completely traumatizing) experience. Although not everyone chooses to go hog wild when they hit campus — it's certainly not a requirement for a good education — university life is at the very least conducive to trying new things.
Within my first six months of school, I witnessed an astounding array of misogynistic wooing tactics and all I got for them was a side of just-OK-sex. However, plenty of my lady friends had the exact opposite experience and made out like bandits, enjoying the pleasures of being able to hook up without consequences or find a meaningful relationship within which to practice their moves.
If you didn't take advantage of collegiate cliches, you're not alone. Only 33 percent of students today get laid on the regs, so if all your friends said they were tearing up the sheets nightly, they were probably stretching the truth. Here are seven things that you (might) learn about sex as a freshman in college, because it's way easier to experiment when your parents aren't in the other room:
1. How To Use Contraceptives Properly
If you shied away from those hard-to-have safe sex conversations in high school, college is the time you figure out that protection requires a bit more than hoping some guy has an old Trojan in his wallet.
2. That Heterosexuality Is Definitely Not Your Only Option
If your high school was a bit on the conservative side, you may not have encountered diverse forms of sexual expression in your peer group. Thanks to college, many have just the opportunities they need to explore other options.
3. That One-Night Stands Can Be Way Awesome/Awkward
It's not that common to have random sex with strangers in high school, but in college it can become the norm. Depending on your individual comfort level, some have luck with hookup culture, and others find it detestable.
4. That Being A Virgin Is Normal
Contrary to the sexed up stereotype, there are plenty of virgins on campus and there's nothing wrong with waiting until you're ready to do the deed.
5. That You Can Ask For What You Want
Not everyone is lucky enough to learn this at the tender age of 18/19, but hey, if you manage to figure out how to ask for what you want in bed, you have basically won at sex. Forever.
6. That Drinking, Drugs And Sex Don't Necessarily Go Together So Well
College is about experimentation, which often includes a fair amount of booze and or illicit drug use. However, once you throw sex into the mix, parts stop working, consent gets fuzzy, and a whole host of other potentially negative outcomes can suddenly become realities.
7. That Sex Is Dififferent With Every Person
It might seem obvious, but when your sexual history isn't extensive, you might believe that you'll experience sex one way and it will never change. With new sexual experiences comes the knowledge that your sexual style develops over time and always depends on the partners you're engaging with. This is good news for anyone who's had a rough sexual streak, and for those who are killing it, there's hope that it can get even better.
Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our latest video on sex positions for small penises.
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