I'm a Student at Yale. My Classmates Are Doing Exactly What Charlie Kirk Wanted Them To.

"I expected this from my friends in the SEC—it's how many of us were raised. I thought Yale, where I go to college, would be different. I imagined some of my peers in the Ivies would meet our first serious romantic partners while others sent 'Hook up?' Google Calendar invites for casual sex. Those types of relationships do exist here. But I also have classmates who came back from summer vacation married."

"This is different from the story usually told about the Ivy League. In 2018, the New York Times reported we're some of the least likely to get married, even after graduation, and the stereotype is that high achievers are romantically stunted. But Ivy Leaguers are chasing marriage with the same intensity they would approach any status symbol—high school book awards, college likely letters, six-figure jobs after graduation."

The author reflects on childhood concerns about becoming overly focused on weddings, then observes that many Ivy League peers are getting married or engaged shortly after college, defying the stereotype that elite university students are romantically delayed. Social media reveals numerous engagements and weddings among classmates, particularly those from the SEC region where early marriage is culturally normalized. While the 2018 New York Times reported Ivy Leaguers as least likely to marry, current trends show students pursuing marriage with the same competitive drive they apply to academic and professional achievements. This phenomenon challenges assumptions about high achievers' romantic lives and suggests changing patterns among elite university populations.

Read at Slate Magazine