“It’s true some students have ulterior motives for going to college,” said Dr. Peggy Hargis, Sociology Department Head at Georgia Southern University. “Most students come to college to earn B.S.’s, B.A.’s, but some come to earn their M-R-S. or M-R. Title.”

Ryan and Megan Dunst of Savannah State University (SSU) are one of many couples balancing collegiate study and marriage.

“When two people share an unbreakable bond, no matter the circumstances, they’re going to do whatever it takes to be together,” said Megan.

Nothing kept this senior SSU couple from wedding this past March. Even though their families were skeptical of the two making such a big commitment, the Dunst’s were confident that marriage was not a mistake.

“We’ve known each other for seven years, and we’ve been together for four of those seven years,” said Ryan. “We didn’t need to wait until after graduation to get married; we were more than ready to make our commitment to each other permanent.”

“I agree,” said Ryan’s newlywed. “I think people focus too much on the fact that we’re still in college, using our youth as a reason why we should’ve waited.”

The couple admits that being married while in school isn’t always peaches and cream. The Dunst’s are faced with balancing full school course loads, working, and spending time with each other all at once.

“Marriage is totally different from just dating,” said Ryan. “We have a shared responsibility to take care of each other and to take care of a household; we have to pay for rent and utilities, and now since we’re married we’re no longer under our parents’ insurance coverage—that’s another bill.”

Megan added that going out with friends isn’t how it was prior to saying ‘I do’.

“Well, before I got married I could out with my girlfriends and hang out as much as I liked,” said Megan. “But I have a husband now, so we have to look out for each other first; not saying that we don’t hang out with our friends, but my husband comes first.”

A recent report released by Cornell University states that tying the knot actually helps students, especially male students, succeed not only in undergraduate school, but also graduate school. The study gathered data on more than 11,000 students over a 20-year period in 100 academic departments. Researchers found that the married men were 75 percent more likely to finish their degrees within four years.

Not all statistics paint such a happy picture. The National Center for Health Statistics released a survey last May that revealed the duration of marriage is linked to a woman's age: The older the woman, the longer her marriage lasts. Also, 43% of first marriages end within 15 years.

“We’re not worried about national statistics, or about what research has found,” said Ryan. “I can’t base our marriage on statistics; I can only base our marriage on what we make it.”

In today’s society, it’s no surprise to find more married couples in college beating the odds of having unsuccessful marriages.

“College is an experience that comes and goes, but marriage whether you do it early in life or not lasts forever,” said Megan. “We’re best friends; I know we’ll last.”

Crystal Tyson