“A girl who hasn’t a man in sight by the time she is 20 is not altogether wrong in fearing that she may never get married.”

This quote from a psychiatrist in the 1950s might be shocking to some students who don’t share the sentiment of marriage as a prerequisite to adulthood.

But with the Facebook newsfeed chock full of new “engaged” relationship statuses, it may seem like the pressure’s on to head down the aisle – this is the South, isn’t everyone here to get her MRS degree?

Well, yes and no, according to a poll from the U.S. Census Bureau from the years 2000 to 2003. Although the marriage age has been rising since 1970, there is still a marked difference between the South and Midwest versus the Northeast and West.

While the average age for marriage in the Northeast is 29 for men and around 26.5 for women, that number is lower in the South – about 25.8 for men and 25.2 for women.

That still gives most college seniors about three years between graduation and marital association. So why are so many left ring fingers adorned with rocks all of the sudden?

It could be the time of year – December is the most popular month for engagements. Fifteen percent of engagements take place in December, according to the New York Times.

But that still doesn’t answer the questions of why in college?

For Savannah Ashley and her friends, it’s a combination of growing up in a small-town and the military.

“It’s a like a vortex,” she said of her small town. “It sucks you in.”

Ashley, a senior sociology major from Perry, sees more of her friends from her town getting married, or planning on it, than people from metro Atlanta.

Ashley will be married in May to her high school sweetheart, but doesn’t plan on moving back to her hometown. She will travel and work on her Master’s for a few years with her fianc� as he completes his military duty.

Anna McKee, a sophomore English major from Pinetop, Ariz., thinks the most important factor in her town is religion.

“I come from a Mormon town, and a lot of my friends got married right after high school,” she said. “They’re really excited about it so far.”

“But I don’t plan on getting married for a long time,” she said.

But won’t couples who get married now be divorced in a few years anyway?

Not necessarily.

The statistics show that in first marriages, several factors can increase the probability of success in a marriage, including:

- Growing up in a two parent home.

- Being over 20 when married.

- Having no children when married.

- Having a college education.

According to the statistics, the couples engaged to be married after graduation have a high probability of success.

But students should not jump into a relationship without having figured out how to communicate, said David Wright, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Before students take the plunge, he said, make sure it’s for the right reasons.

“I’ve seen plenty of students who are engaged or plan to be engaged who are pretty level-headed,” he said.

But, he said, “I’m sure there are some who aren’t quite sure what they’re going to do with their lives, so they see marriage as a sign of adulthood.”

“As good as it feels to be in love,” he said, “it really takes a lot of work to make it really work and last.”