By Alexandra Schilling and Kelly Kasulis, News Staff
Reeling in a college degree and magna cum laude honors should only be part of a college woman’s master plan, according to “Princeton Mom” Susan Patton.
Backlash emerged all over the Internet, including on Forbes and NBC Today, when the ivy-league graduate published her new book, “Marry Smart,” which pushes heterosexual females to spend “75 percent of their time in college looking for a man,” according to an interview with CNN’s Kelly Wallace.
“If you delay starting a family and finding a husband until your mid-30s, a few things will happen. One, from the perspective of your fertility, you’re out of luck,” Patton said in the interview.
Patton argued that “personal happiness” will last longer than the emotional benefits of a strong hero, which she noted women can work on later in their lives. The notion of a biological clock, although not a myth, didn’t conjure the same reactions from students when The News asked them about what’s more important – a husband and family or a career.
“Women are just as capable as men at becoming sophisticated and successful individuals. College is a place where we go to grow and better ourselves through education and your first priority should not be to get a husband,” Merlinda Xharda, a sophomore economics and international affairs major, said. Frankly, it is infuriating that women are still viewed in this light.”
Jessica Young, a middler business administration major, said that her “greater purpose” in life has nothing to do with a romantic partner.
“I want to have something that motivates me to wake up every morning [and] that impacts society in some way. For me, that’s going out and having a job,” she said.
But other Huskies can see traces of validity in Patton’s statements, especially in terms of college as a dating pool. Adenike John, a junior business administration major, said that marriage isn’t exactly high on her list of priorities a priority at the moment, but that college does offer a larger, more concentrated pool of educated men.
“Her views on marriage and courtship sound extreme, but I bet there is something to be said about marrying someone who is your intellectual equal,” she said. “Even if it would benefit the relationship, that goal shouldn’t make you close-minded.”
College-aged men still have room to mature and are not always promising mates, said Maggie Hark, a sophomore behavioral neuroscience major. But at least they are easy to meet.
“I mean, I can understand her perspective,” Hark said. “It’s hard to date once you leave college, since guys aren’t really at your fingertips necessarily, but I didn’t come to college to find a man – I came to college to get an education and better myself.”
Despite the advice that students should start window shopping now, Patton warned viewers during her interview on CNN that marriage is not the definition of happiness – only a part of it.
“Don’t expect to only be happy because of your marriage. Happiness comes from within, clearly,” Patton said in the interview.
To freshman journalism major Courtney Rebello, these four years are about a search for something else.
“I think college is about finding yourself rather than finding a guy,” she said.
