By Anna Aphrodesia

We’ve all heard the old adage “Never mix business with pleasure,” but is it ever okay to mix the two?

The college atmosphere seems to be a direct contradiction this rule. On the one hand, we’re all here to get an education, and on the other hand, we want to enjoy ourselves. The line between business and pleasure is a hard one to draw.

Lately, I have been trying to find the balance between the two. After developing a crush on a guy in one of my classes, I decided to examine the pros and cons of the situation in case anything ever happens.

The bright side of having a crush on someone in your class is that it makes class more worthwhile. You actually look forward to your 90-minute lecture. You might not learn as much from it, but at least you now have motivation to show up.

The downside to having class with your crush is that you may feel compelled to dress to impress. You wouldn’t want to see your crush when you’re looking less than your best. For some of us, this isn’t an issue. (You’ve all have seen the morning fashion show on the unispan.) But when you know you will see your crush, the time you would have spent sleeping you now spend primping for class.

If your crush progresses to a date or even a hookup, things can get complicated.

The ideal situation would be that you have an amazing first date, where you find the two of you are more compatible than you initially thought. This leads to an even better relationship, complete with the cute story of how you met in class.

Unfortunately, not everything can be this perfect. You may find that there is no chemistry between the two of you outside the classroom. The best step to take in this situation is to be completely honest. It may make things a little awkward, but avoidance isn’t exactly an option in this case.

If you are lucky enough to end up in a relationship with your crush, do not make the mistake of scheduling the rest of your classes together. Even if you have the same major, you are probably going to see enough of each other outside the classroom. When you spend all of your time with your significant other, the time you spend alone loses its value.

But be aware: if you hook up with your crush, things can get messy.

First of all, you have to be able to accept that it may be nothing more than a hookup. A relationship may not result. If you are fine with casually hooking up, then by all means continue. But, without defined boundaries, you may not be the only person that he is hooking up with every night.

Unlike a random hookup, you are connected with him, if only through a class. If you regret what you did with him, you still have to spend time with him each week.

It all boils down to being up front about what you want. If nothing comes of your crush, at least you have motivation to get to class.

After weighing my options, I hope that nothing results from my crush. In my situation, it would just be too complicated. No offence to the guy, but he is not the smartest guy around, and the attraction is nothing more than physical. At this point, I just need the motivation to get to class.