I have spent some time examining my current boyfriend-less predicament and have come up with this: having a boyfriend would take time—a lot of time. And I, being a Marlborough girl, do not have that kind of time. Time for phone calls and texting and dinner dates? Nope! I’m not saying I don’t want a boyfriend, but I am saying that I’m completely okay with not having one.

I needn’t bore you with my day-to-day responsibilities, but they exist. Tell me how, in between AP Euro reading, learning a whole page of piano music, and practicing cradling for lacrosse, I’m supposed to leave my house for hours on end and go spend time with someone who expects me to be witty and charming? If I did have a boyfriend, our conversations would probably revolve around such things as this: “I have a Euro test tomorrow and I can’t remember who Jan Hus, so I don’t think I can hang out today. Sorry!” or “Hey, do you remember the major themes from Beowulf?” I don’t want to put anyone through listening to my nervous rantings about school, so, in this hypothetical situation where I can’t go hang out due to an already-late French essay (realistic, I know), the whole dating thing isn’t doing me or my boyfriend any favors.

I don’t want to be a hypocrite: if a boy asked me out, I would probably say, “YES!,” but I’m not going to beat myself up when one doesn’t. And neither should you. You are a high-achieving, intelligent young girl who has more than enough on her plate!

No one should feel bad if she doesn’t have a date every weekend. Your dateless-ness leaves you with enough time to study for APES, which is a good thing. We go to school to learn, and I’m glad you’re taking your duties as a student seriously. Be honest now: how many of you actually think you could fit a boyfriend into your life? It would be like joining another interest group or club and from past experience I know that I consistently sign up for more than I can actually handle. In theory I would love to be able to meet with a different club every day, but I physically can’t! I need to save time for eating lunch, meeting with teachers, and talking to my friends.

I love extracurricular activities, I really do, but, for the time being, I don’t really need one more.