When I comment that college is important because a person can find a good mate there, professors often disagree. The professors of dance tend to feel that studying dance is very important and the professors of physics tend to feel that way about learning physics. But my experience was of an all-male public high school (founded in 1839) followed by four years at a public teacher's college. I checked into attending that college when my mother suggested I look into that college after my homeroom high school teacher and my guidance counselor advised me to attend college. Nobody mentioned mates and marriage but every day of my life since meeting my wife in my junior year has been affected by her intelligence, personality and imagination. I think my science, math, English, history, geography and other professors did a fine job but I don't see their influence the intense way I see the effect of having been married to her for 62 years.
I am lucky to have snagged her when I had plenty of competition for her from a large number of other suitors. She had competition also but that can rather be assumed with a college where 80% of the students were women. There are plenty of people who aren't even 62 years old, and we, like others in our culture, didn't marry until we were of marriageable age, young adults. So, it has been a long, good time and it isn't over yet.
Colleges often have trained staff members that students can consult if they have problems selecting a major. I imagine counselors on a campus hear plenty about dating and related problems. I read many psychology and related books in high school and since and somewhere I read that one of the most important decisions a person can make is the selection of a marriage partner. I suspect that trying rigorously to be supportive matters as much as who the two people are. I found that working steadily to repair torn relations matters as much as anything else. Also, I am surprised at how little I considered cooking abilities and how lucky I have been in the department as well as many others.
