To some students, the commitment of turning a paper in on time can be terrifying, let alone the idea of a lifelong relationship. As unusual as it may seem, there are undergraduate students that get engaged and even walk down the aisle before marching across the stage at commencement; this community of married or engaged couples does exist and may even be growing more popular.

“Over the last ten years of my experience, we’ve seen more married college students and more students moving towards getting married before getting their undergraduate degree,” said R.J. McNicholl, a clinical social worker at the University Counseling Center.

Besides religious considerations, McNicholl said there are many reasons students may get married before graduating, including the benefits of access to community resources, financial assistance, and the strengthening of commitments that are already in place.

“Some of that is just people wanting to move their life along quicker,” McNicholl said.

Rosi Madrid, senior in AHS, is one of those people who just wants to get her life started. Madrid describes herself as “unofficially engaged” to her boyfriend. The couple has been together for a total of four years, and has lived together for the past two. Although her boyfriend attended Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and currently works in southern Illinois ­— the two kept their relationship strong and visited each other at least every other weekend. According to Madrid, they have been unofficially engaged for a year and a half. While their relationship does not currently include a ring, Madrid and her “fiance” began to seriously discuss marriage and their future together when their friends started to get married and build families.

After she graduates, Madrid says she and her boyfriend plan to get married and continue their life together while she attends medical school.

Sadie Steffen, senior in Social Work, has already breezed past the planning stages of marriage.

Steffen transferred to the University last year as a junior. She knew Quinn Steffen, senior in LAS, already from high school, and they began to spend time together as friends. Last Thanksgiving, Steffen asked her on a date, and two months after that the couple was engaged. Just two short months after he popped the question, the Steffens were married.

Though the Steffens only needed two months of dating to know they were ready for a lifelong commitment, many other couples are concerned about making their relationships last.

According to McNicholl, studies have shown that couples who marry at a younger age have a higher rate of divorce.

However, he points out that not all hope should be lost with that statistic.

“There are also studies out there that say that individuals who obtain college educations have a higher rate of successful marriages,” McNicholl said.

There are many stories about lasting marriages that began right on campus. Lauren Ford, a University alumna whose son also currently attends the University, met her husband here when she was a sophomore.

“(We) met in August 1982 when I lived on the same dorm floor as his sister. I was a sophomore living in the dorm, and he was a senior living in an off-campus house,” Ford said.

The couple was together for a year before getting engaged. Then, Ford’s husband graduated, and she remained at the University briefly before they married in September 1984. Their story remains an example of a lasting couple that married in their collegiate years.

As Ford discovered, however, marriage entails a lot more than a white dress and a ring.

“The biggest way being engaged affected life as a student was that I spent less time with my girl friends and roommates,” Ford said.

Madrid described a similar experience, saying that engagement has shown her a different concept of how to use her free time.

“It doesn’t bother me to not go to the bars. I have fun watching a movie on the couch (with my boyfriend) … I’m not as party-focused,” she said.

On the other hand, Sadie believes that marriage has not presented too many hardships for her.

“I think (being a student) is kind of a lonely life. I like being married … I think it makes life easier, it’s more enjoyable,” she said. “There are definitely obstacles, but I enjoy (overcoming) the obstacles.”

While the single University student may think that college marriages are not particularly common, the University sees enough married students to provide resources for those couples. The Counseling Center provides guidance about many topics, including marriage and relationships, to both individuals and couples, said McNicholl. The University also has financial support and housing available for married students, although that is limited.

These resources, as well as the support of friends and peers, are aimed to make the transition into married life easier for students. However, living in college can create a sort of “bubble” from the outside world.

“I don’t remember too many challenges while we were still in school,” said Ford. “The real challenges began when we transitioned from student life to the real world.”