“Princeton Mom” Susan Patton is back in the news after publishing a Valentine’s Day piece in the Wall Street Journal on advice for singles. A basic regurgitation of her now infamous March letter to Princeton University warning female students of the dangers of not “find[ing] a husband on campus before [they] graduate,” the WSJ piece reiterates Patton’s insistence that college is the best breeding ground for future mates.
Now, first things first. Patton’s absurd call to action is definitely not something we’re on the same page/want to straight-up puke a little about:
You should be spending far more time planning for your husband than for your career—and you should start doing so much sooner than you think. This is especially the case if you are a woman with exceptionally good academic credentials, aiming for corporate stardom.
That being said — she has made one valid point, both back in March and now. Patton reminds us that the circles of connections we make in our formative college days (should we choose and are subsequently fortunate enough to attend) are unique, irreplaceable and foundational — in effect, for better or worse, it's almost unavoidable they'll have a sizable impact on our later years.
The rest of Patton’s bullsh*t (don’t have sex before marriage; hook a man early or else you’ll be a useless hag by your thirties; hang on to your college contacts if you’re not ready for marriage right then — because, ya know, you might not find anyone else interesting in the universe at any point later in your life, so don’t rule anything out) — is pure and utter nonsense.
Can't lie though — she did make us stop and wonder about the undeniable intricacies of collegiate social dynamics. Many of us find our intellectual soul mates in lifelong friendships, and consequently we couldn’t help but wonder — do those of us who marry in or soon after college really have longer and happier relationships, or are we just drinking the Kool-aid of young adult euphoria?
Turns out, shockingly (!) that Patton’s wrong again (at least according to Knot Yet: The Benefits and Costs of Delayed Marriage in America, a well-sponsored totally real study, which basically argues that if women wait to get hitched, they'll end making more money in their career and it'll be less likely that they'll get divorced.
Which sounds a lot sweeter to our ears than chapel bells right now...
Image: Wikimedia
