Commitments: Who's the stupid cupid on campus? - It's hard to generalize about relationship tendencies when talking about a school like Hopkins, but here's what some students think:

College is said to be the best four years of your life. No matter where you are, there are those classic experiences that we're all expected to have: the Road Trip, the Party, the Relationship.

The relationship, you say? Yup, the Relationship. And not the one with your Orgo textbook, either - yeah, we know we're at Hopkins, but really! This relationship is the one with your "significant other," the relationship that's elusive both in being hard to get and hard to define. And, yet, it's still seen as being so invaluable. So, what is it about these college relationships that makes them such an important experience, anyway?

Although the general consensus is that Hopkins is far from a representative college campus, students here have their own ideas of what's hot and what's not about relationships. Here, we take a peek into the Hopkins perspective on the relationship: what guys want, what girls want and whether a "Relationship" is even desirable.

In general, it seems that whether guys or girls want relationships more begins with stereotypes. The "typical" college male and freshman girl wants fun, with no strings attached. College is party time, after all.

"The stereotype is that guys in general are 'commitment-phobic," sophomore Ali Fenwick says. "And freshman girls just want to get around." While Hopkins is hardly the classic, wild and crazy state school, even here, we have those who can still represent a bit of "typical" college population.

"The frat guys are definitely into being single. They all pressure each other to stay single," sophomore Stephanie Sun says. "Freshman girls are the same everywhere. They definitely don't want relationships."

The thing is, though, that Hopkins isn't a representative school. It's not huge. You see many of the same faces every day. Many students can barely make time for a textbook, much less a boyfriend. But, the major difference? That the girl to guy ratio here is about two guys per girl.

"Amen, reverend," sophomore Steve Zampieri says. He thinks that's the main reason why guys here show a lot more interest in relationships than they would at another school is that there are a lot less girls to go around. Guys here tend to cling to the girls they get, because "women are outnumbered here. They're a scarce commodity."

Ratio seems to be a big factor, because it's the same view from the girl's perspective. "I think guys on this campus are looking for relationships because there isn't a plethora of girls to hook up with. At state schools, guys don't want relationships because they have options," Sun says. No, it's not a bad to be a woman at Hopkins.

So, Hopkins girls have it easier and the guys have it harder, but it seems there's more to the issue than just numbers. Once you think you've found that special person, what are guys and girls looking for before they link up? Not surprisingly, for someone who seems amazingly worth it, all-around.

"You want someone you can be totally comfortable around and laugh around, and someone who makes a really significant presence in your life," Fenwick says. Once you've found that person, though, it takes more than just a gender analysis to decide who wants to commit to a relationship first. Take it on a case-by-case basis.

"Guys are a little less eager to dive in [to a relationship] because they don't like to show their emotions as much," Zampieri says. (Hey, an honest guy! Ladies, grab him while he's hot.)

Plus, there's an appeal in freedom. "The thought of not being a player scares them [guys]," sophomore Jon Post says. That said, it seems it might take a real man to be in a relationship. Post, for example, is in one himself. What a stud!

Then again, there are some other considerations that can factor in. "Random hooking up is fun and all, but even guys start to feel dirty at a point," senior Tony Law says, and making someone your girlfriend or boyfriend acknowledges the importance of their presence in your life.

Past experiences in relationships play a major part in entering new relationships, too.

"People who've been hurt are generally more afraid," sophomore Mary Akchurin says.

Above all, though, a couple's feelings for each other can override doubt. Take it from a success story itself. "[Both my boyfriend and I] were pretty cautious with relationships before [we got together,]" says Akchurin, who has been seeing her boyfriend for two years already. "But once we met, it was just so natural. My relationship now is like none I've ever been in before."

The key factor comes in maintaining a relationship. In the "classic" college picture, both guys and girls are having the flings of their lives. No one's committed, but if they are, it's the sappy girls who end up crying and the guys who never really cared and still don't.

At Hopkins, though, since relationships seem to carry a little more significance and a little more weight, the argument that comes more often is who is more likely to want to maintain a relationship once it's started. Opinions differ, but it's ultimately an issue of flippancy, freedom or faith.

On one hand, guys think guys like to keep their eyes and options open. "Guys have a harder time staying in a relationship," junior Shahab says. "They're always looking around, checking things out, keeping their eyes open."

Law agrees, saying that long-term relationships are tough to maintain. "They tend to fall into the same routine, which is really, really comfortable, but eventually [the guy] is going to want to meet new people, be around new people, do new things."

What do girls think about what it takes to keep a guy close? Sophomore Anne Barber says it's pretty simple. "They'll stay if there's good sex," she says. "If not, they won't." Hey, that's not hard. However, it might just be that the female gender is the one that's more wary of these long-term relationships.

From a guy's perspective, once guys are in a relationship, they want to stick it out. "They're vulnerable," Zampieri says. "They've opened up." Fenwick agrees, saying she feels that "it's harder for guys to start a relationship, so they stay in it." Plus, women are appreciating the freedom of the times. They might have a better sense of their youth, too.

"I always thought it was the opposite, that guys were totally not into relationships, but now I think that guys in college are the ones who want the relationships," sophomore Yoogin Kim says. And not just short flings, either. "Suddenly, all my guy friends are saying that they want to get married," she says. "Women are more about the independence, now. The want freedom before they settle down."

And even if girls stick it out for a long-time, they are more prone to constantly reevaluate the relationship than guys are. "Girls initially want to be more committed, but after a while, it's the guys who are prone to long-term commitment," senior Kirstin Abel says. She herself was in a relationship for two years early in college before deciding to break off. She says that, although it's easy to become comfortable, sometimes one has to consider whether the couple has similar enough expectations and emotional states to carry them through an increasingly serious relationship. She says girls are the ones more prone to look down the road: "Guys are more 'what's here, what's now.' Girls tend to look ahead to the future and what might happen."

But, men, don't despair that the ladies won't ever want to settle down. They're looking for stability, too, but just not yet. We're all still young, you know.

"Girls want to enjoy their freedom first. They know they'll commit later," Sun says. Practice isn't bad, though. Sun has had boyfriends for the past three years. It's just not time to think about marriage, yet.

So, is "the Relationship" really worth it? Can it even be found? That might just be up to you. Pass up that Orgo textbook one night and take a look around. You could be seeing hearts before you know it.