When it comes to sex in college, there's a spectrum of experiences you might encounter. Whether you choose to engage in hookup culture or not, there are stories that deserve to be heard.
The Spectrum anonymously surveyed students on Snapchat, giving them a chance to share their amazing, awful and awkward hookup stories — and they definitely didn’t hold back.
Here’s what they said:
Getting caught in the act
If you’ve ever been walked in on, you know how awkward it can be. But how often does it happen? Almost every student who participated in this survey had third-party encounters while fooling around, whether it was their roommate or RA, though this one is off the chain.
“We were hooking up and his grandma and little sister, who was five, walked in. They were watching us for like ten minutes before we realized. Didn’t realize they were there until he had finished and they saw it all,” a sophomore communications major said.
Situationships
The term “situationship” was coined in 2017, used to describe a couple who engages in relationship activities without the label… and it can get messy.
Sometimes, you're not even mad, you’re just impressed by the audacity.
“Found out he had a girlfriend of three years, we had been hooking up for months…” a senior business major said.
The emotional damage here could fuel an entire Frank Ocean album.
“She said ‘I love you’ and I didn’t speak to her for a week… [and then] I met my new girlfriend. We hung out recently and said she had over nine guys [since] and nobody will ever get close to you,” a senior pre-law major said.
Sometimes, the drama even follows you into your next semester.
“He was too much so I blocked him, but next semester we had a class together,” a freshman art history major said.
Terrible hookup excuses that somehow worked
Getting out of such an intimate situation can’t be easy. Sometimes, it's so bad you just have to go.
Students attempt to keep it lighthearted, like having to sing happy birthday to a friend, or simply using the most common excuse, Aunt Flo, as a reason. For some of us, our minds go to the craziest places… but maybe that makes it more believable.
For others , it could be hard to just say ‘no,’ and for this student, it was much easier to reply with the next best thing.
“I lied and said my dog died, and my family needs to FaceTime me to say goodbye,” a freshman art history major said.
For others, keeping their ego intact is a priority, so much so that they need to pretend they’re with the law.
“I always would pretend my boss was calling me and I had to go save the country from a national emergency, then kick them out,” a senior pre-law major said.
The golden response is something everybody has used at least once: your friend is having an emergency. It’s so easy to say that your roommate just got broken up with, even if that excuse is widely recognized now.
“I had a friend call me saying he was tweaking on an edible,” a junior communications major said.
Craziest hookup stories
Maybe it’s getting caught in the back of a lecture hall, sneaking into a professor’s office after hours, or the classic “my roommate just walked in” moment. It’s the kind of story that makes you cringe, laugh, or maybe even question your life choices. Somehow, no matter how embarrassing, it always ends up being a story worth telling. Some Tinder dates are dinner and a movie, while others involve high altitudes and zero shame.
“Met a guy on Tinder and our first date was a plane ride in a four seater plane. It was just us obviously, and he was flying the plane. I gave him head during the flight,” a senior biochemistry major said.
While getting snowed in with your hookup sounds romantic, don’t forget to take a better look at her profile first.
“My friend went to a girl's house from an app. She lived in absolute filth and he was gonna leave, but then got snowed in for three days straight and was stranded there. She was also a catfish and gained like 50 lbs since her pics online. She also had a kid and lived with her parents so he had to spend three days with that family,” a senior pre-law major said.
Bringing up the conversation
Whether you think it shouldn't be discussed at all, or spoken about more, there are many different takes when it comes to the taboo.
Some people think sex should be a private affair, while others put it on blast.
“I wish people weren’t so open about their sex life. That should be private. Keep it to yourself,” a senior biochemistry major said.
Many students believe there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
“I think sex can be funny, but some people are scared or too shy to talk about it. We all do it. I don’t see why it should be frowned upon to talk about it,” a senior psychology major said.
No matter how you feel about sex talk, everyone has opinions on what goes on in the bedroom. Sometimes sex isn't one and done. Learning about your preferences means exploring, and there’s no shame in that game.
“It’s okay to try out multiple partners to learn what you like,” a sophomore communications major said.
Whether you’re experimenting, or getting it on with a stable partner, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
“It’s more normal to not use a condom than to use one. It should be the other way around,” a senior business major said.
Sex in college doesn’t come with a syllabus. At the end of the day, whether you’re racking up a roster or keeping it locked down, what matters is feeling good about your choices. So stay safe, stay confident, and remember: the best sex is the kind you don’t regret the next morning, or at the very least, the kind that makes for a really good story.
The features desk can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com
