I come from middle-of-nowhere Sandhills, Neb., a town of 93 people to be exact. You may think dating at Creighton is hard, try dating in a town where 75 percent of the population is over the age of 65.

I immediately learned a valuable lesson growing up in a small town: I needed to branch out my dating spectrum to surrounding towns, and my tip for all you fellow Creightones is to branch out to other colleges.

Let’s face it; Creighton University is like a small town. Everyone knows everyone or at least knows someone that knows someone. The grapevine is always running and all you have to do to find out if the attractive person next to you is taken is ask approximately three people.

There is no such thing as the six degrees of separation here; let’s go with two.

Just like a small town, nothing stays a secret here. Everyone knows everyone, and thus, everyone talks to everyone and about everyone. Hard as one may try, nothing stays a secret in a small town and in our case, Creighton’s campus. Trying to keep a relationship under wraps is next to impossible.

Everyone has an opinion about everyone. You will never get an unbiased opinion of the dating prospect you have in mind. This could go both ways, though; the person could be a heartbreaker and that reputation has stuck with them even though they have changed. On the other hand, maybe they haven’t changed and you are really into them, but the girl on the mall (small town little old lady in a coffee shop) saw them holding hands with someone else.

As in small towns, it goes the same for Creighton, there is no such thing as casually dating. You can’t “talk” to two or more people at once for fear of being labeled a player. Once word gets out that you and so-and-so have been seen at Skutt eating Blimpies together, you are basically off the market and claimed by the person on the opposite side of the table.

To make things worse, if you really aren’t that interested in them and were just trying to get to know them and move on to someone else, there is a waiting period. If you move on too soon, yell for a life raft, because, honey, you are in some deep water.

Just like a small town, the places to go on dates are limited and, more than likely, if you have moved on to someone else, the entire campus will know in a matter of four days. Word spreads like wildfire. Worse yet, while you are out on a date with a new someone, there is a fifty-fifty chance you will run into the previous one, his or her friends or family. You’ve got to stay gracious and strong, because you’ve got nothing to hide.

You’ve all heard the phrase “there are plenty of fish in the sea.” Well, in a small town and Creighton, it is more comparable to a puddle. Most of the good catches have already been caught or may just be your good friends or your best friend’s ex. The dating pool is pretty small, and you are left with questions like “What’s wrong with them?” and “Why haven’t they been taken by someone else yet?” and worst of all “Have they dated someone I know and that person would freak out about us getting together?”

Like it or not, the person you have in mind has been talked about, and you may as well use it to your advantage. Use Facebook and your friend groups to your advantage and do a bit of recon.

All in all, I wish you the best of luck. Dating in a small town and at Creighton is quite a challenge. You may luck out and the friend of a friend is looking for a fresh start and someone to start it with.