Junne Park, Photo Editor
It’s that time of year again — that time when love is in the air, when courting a girl or boy has never felt timelier and when rose sales and a cappella serenades are inescapable. Yep, it’s almost Valentine’s Day.
Whether or not you enjoy the holiday, you should know what college students are demanding so as to best please yourself or your significant other on the upcoming Feb. 14.
A recent survey about Valentine’s Day that polled 87 respondents (49.4 percent male and 50.6 percent female) revealed that, contrary to what you might think, the holiday may be best received if approached like any other normal day. How so? Take, for example, the item that so many college students place at the forefront of their minds: sex.
When asked what they were hoping for sexually on Valentine’s Day, 41.4 percent of respondents answered, “just what I’ve been getting any other night.”
Maybe you’re not hoping for anything at all (17.2 percent of responses), or maybe you’d like to take things to the next level (16.1 percent of responses), but the most popular answer warns you not to stress over that imminent topic. So, treat sex — and anything the term implies to you — just like you always do.
In considering what to actually do on Valentine’s Day, 42.5 percent of respondents indicated that they would prefer to cook or watch a movie at home than go out to dinner, get drunk at a bar or do nothing at all.
Whip up a bowl of pasta and a salad, even if the latter is just to feel like you’re being healthy amid all the chocolate that’s about to float around.
As for the movie, you could watch the oh-so-spectacular “Valentine’s Day” starring too many actors and actresses to list. If nothing else, you might get to laugh at either the endless comedic moments or Taylor Swift testing the acting waters.
For the 13.8 percent that would rather get drunk at a bar, Southwedge Colony Bar and Grille is the best bet. Why, you ask? Three reasons: No cover, one-dollar beer and karaoke.
Now, let’s get physical (per suggestion of Olivia Newton-John) for a moment.
Guys: if you have a beard, get rid of it. Only 8.3 percent of respondents who opted to describe their ideal guy preferred he have a beard.
Girls: let your hair down. An overwhelming 82 percent of responses from those describing their ideal girl reveal wearing it down is preferable.
If there’s one material item that defines Valentine’s Day, it has to be Sweethearts — those little candy hearts with cutesy messages. The distribution with respect to which message survey respondents would most like to receive on Valentine’s Day was very even.
So don’t fret over choosing one. “Be mine,” “kiss me” and “let’s get busy” all took roughly the same portion of the pie — about 11 percent each.
Maybe because the candies are too representative of the holiday, 34.5 percent of respondents did not want a candy heart message at all. But maybe it’s because Sweethearts taste like chalk, or at least what I would imagine chalk tastes like.
Regardless, don’t stress. Sure, there’s a stigma that comes with a name, but Valentine’s Day is just the 14th day of a month.
Seligman is a member of the class of 2012.
