Using Robotics to get the girl

[Amanda Morrison]

I think Robotics actually encourages involvement with other people. After all, you're around these people 24 hours a day, seven days a week (save for showering, sleeping, etc.). If you find someone that you're compatible with on your team, I say go for it - you're going to be around that person a lot, and as long as you aren't all over each other in the stands or anything, you will have someone to eat lunch with and have a good time.

Last year, we ended up having five different 'couples' during the build season, and another after nats. One broke up immediately, one dragged on and made both miserable for a while, one is still semi-together, and three are still going strong.

I think one of the hardest thing about being in a relationship with someone on your team is that you have to realize that you're there to design, build, engineer, and have fun in the process... and that doesn't always give you a lot of time to hang out with your significant other. Because of this, some girls and guys get jealous, and things just don't work out (at all). I know some of the couples on our team worked out a night after robots where we would all just go bowling, or out to eat, or somewhere besides a team meeting where we could spend time together... (this is especially effective if your team is made up of different schools) and the couples that realized that robots and relationships are two different things are the couples that are still together, a year or more later.

Whatever you do, make sure that you can do both before you get in over your head.