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I first noticed it in yoga class, then again at my Cal State Fullerton graduate school orientation during summer. As I looked around in both classes, I noticed the majority of young women had diamond rings on their left ring fingers. My first thought was: these women are about my age ? how are so many of them married?

At first I felt left out. I’m not ready to marry my boyfriend yet, but the rocks shining on those girls’ fingers looked appealing. My thoughts about my future were literally blinded by the light, but then my desire for education and travel reminded me there’s no need to jump into the deep end of a relationship at 22 years old.

Our generation will be the most educated yet. Our desire to attend college causes us to spend usually a four year minimum studying, but the recession and budget cuts might make our stay in school even longer. Spending so long with our noses buried in books makes most of us want to spend leisurely time burying our feet in the sand after college. After all, we spend so much time studying the world in school ? we owe it to ourselves to gain worldly experience through travel.

One of the first things you should do before traveling the world is rid yourself of obligations. If you’re in a relationship, this doesn’t mean you need to break up with your significant other. In fact, vagabond traveler Christopher McCandless wrote in his book Into the Wild, that happiness is only real when shared with others. However, before embarking on world travel, it’s best (or easiest) to free yourself of a mortgage and children ? obligations that might come with marriage.

Of course, there’s no right or wrong way to do things. If you feel the love, then why not feel the wedding ring on your finger? Just make sure you tie the knot when the time is right and for the right reasons. Also, take this into consideration: dating experts say many long term couples today behave like married couples, without the legal obligations accompanied by marriage. For example, many couples today live together (usually after only dating as little as a year). Cohabitation is ultimately a married couple’s trait, yet it’s an increasing trend among couples who are dating today. These couples still revel in the joy of spending time with their loved one every day, yet aren’t forced to deal with the legal obligations (and sometimes complications) that come with marriage.

If the thought of matrimony for you and your significant other has not crossed your mind and you think marriage is too serious a topic for college-aged students, trust me, the thought will come to you. No matter our relationship statuses, we are all relatively young and should enjoy life free of obligations that will come later. But as time progresses, so do thoughts about your future. Just like your thoughts of yourself as a student evolve to a career woman (or man), your thoughts of your boy- or girlfriend will turn into thoughts of your spouse as your love grows.

Remember that love (usually) comes with marriage; marriage doesn’t come with love. You shouldn’t feel that marriage is a requirement in your relationship, no matter how much society and young women in yoga class pressure you. It took time for you to develop love for your other half, so allow time to be the key in guiding your hand to take your partner's in marriage.