Ah, young love! Just like Heidi Klum says before she nixes a Project Runway contestant: "One day you're in, and the next you're out." Although Klum is referring to the changing trends of fashion when she says this, she might as well be talking about the uncertainty of the college relationship.

Most relationships begin as any generic romantic comedy would: boy meets girl, boy and girl begin dating. Suddenly boy and girl fall into the same routine of texting each other between classes, getting lunch with a side of giggles, and having nightly snuggle sessions. Before they know it, boy and girl have been together for two years, and that's when things start to get messy.

Maybe boy realizes that he wants his freedom. Maybe girl decides to study abroad for a semester. Or maybe, like the Ashton Kutchers and Ben Stillers who star in these movies, they break the girl's trust.

This is where our lives stray from the scripts of romantic comedies. This is the part that hurts.

Once a relationship is over, we wait for that grand gesture, that profession of love. It is sometimes even the simple, "I'm sorry," or "I miss you." But it doesn't come, because as cliché as it sounds, life isn't like a movie.

This is the point were we have two choices: sulk and wallow in our sorrows with Ben & Jerry's and The Notebook or fall into a rut ... a slut rut.

The Slut Rut |the-sluht-ruht | (n): 1 the participation in sexual encounters with random people in hopes that one will regain confidence and/or recover from the damaging side effects of an unexpected or difficult breakup 2 usually resulting in itching, burning, trips to health services, excessive drama and low self-esteem.

After ending a serious relationship, it is hard to get back into the swing of things. It's usually a tsunami of unwanted feelings and confusion. Regardless of the reasons for the breakup, or who dumped whom, most of us don't remember how to be single for at least the first week.

Monday through Thursday we may slump around in sweat pants and messy buns, but as soon as the classes are over, the buzz of weekend adventures sets in, where there is a possibility of new flings with no strings.

Friday, 11:18 p.m. – You go to a party. Gradually you regain confidence in your flirting skills. You become this coy, sexy person that you didn't realize you could be. As you regain the confidence of a strong, independent woman, you loose the guilt that you used to have melting into your consonscience when talking to a cute guy.

Then as the nigt begins to dwindle, and the Solo cups are empty, the music stops, the party is over, you end up in his room and cut! Scene break… Nighty night single gal!

Saturday, 10:34 a.m. – Eyes flutter open, and for a moment you don't even know where you are. You turn your head to the left, only to see a kid you barely know snoring in his boxers. What seemed like such a solid, liberating idea, looks completely different in the brutal light of a Saturday morning. As you make your way home, your mind can't help but wonder why that felt so different from hanging out with your ex-boyfriend.

Well, it feels different because it is different. When we hook up with someone that we don't have an emotional connection with, it's like going to the gym without water. We still get a workout, but there is no refreshing relief waiting for us afterwards. And although females have a sex drive, we also have a thirst for emotional closeness. Generally there isn't going to be any deep conversation while cuddling, or sweet "when can I see you again" texts the next day. For some girls, this is enough of a wake up call. They realize that they need some time to cope with the loss of their relationship and work on themselves. They bond with friends and pick up new hobbies, recreating a healthy lifestyle. Other girls will immediately try to get back together with their ex because they think that they have seen the horrors of the dating world and that they won't find anyone better. Then there is the third option. The next few weekends are the days that define whether or not you are in a rut. If you have done two or more of these in the last month, then you have succumbed to the inevitable pattern of promiscuity: – made out with someone before knowing his first name – hooked up with three or more guys in the past month – booty called guys consecutively until one has agreed to come over. Bottom line: being single can be fun and there is nothing wrong with exploring how compatible you are with other guys, but if you fall into a rut like this, it can make the physical aspect of a relationship seem trivial, when it should be special. If random hookups become a habit, then it usually will assist you in building walls up so high that you will be too emotionally unavailable to be in a healthy, functional relationship for a long time, which would be the real rut. Hooking up without feelings may seem like a good idea for a little while, but it can also leave you feeling unworthy, unwanted, and cheap.

At the end of the day, guys are going to treat you the way you let them. If you demand respect by showing that you think you are a valuable human being, then guys will think so too. Usually, in life, the easy way out is tempting, but the more challenging obstacles are the most rewarding. So while it might be scary to face your broken heart and stand on your own, or invest your affection in the bud of a brand new relationship, it's better than getting stuck on the merry-go-round of meaningless hanky-panky.