UNIVERSITY relationships are oftentimes fleeting, but students at Reading are proving that true love still outs – for a year at least.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, a survey has revealed that 81.3 percent of those who met a romantic partner at Reading enjoyed a relationship of over one year, the highest rate of the UK’s top 30 universities.
The Knowledge Academy asked 3,500 current and former students about the nature of their university romances, documenting the lengths of relationships and whether they led to marriage or children.
Despite enjoying admirable longevity once in a relationship, only 13.2 percent of Reading students met a romantic partner during their time at university, well below the 35.6 percent national average.
Only in Glasgow and Aberdeen did love prove harder to come by.
York proved to be the UK’s city of love, with 63.3 percent of students saying they had met a romantic partner there. Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and Southampton completed the top five.
Two Reading alumni who didn’t struggle to find their special someone on campus were Hazel and Andrew Coleman, whose relationship has prevailed since meeting at the freshers’ disco on their very first night on campus in 1973.
Hazel explained: “Andrew was in Mansfield studying Psychology and I was in Bridges studying English. We didn’t go out with each other for ages, but it felt inevitable, somehow.
“We moved in together in our second year, quite shocking to our parents at that time, and married in 1977. I had polio as a child, and am quite severely disabled now. Andrew has been the most wonderful partner, caring for me and making me laugh for most of my life.
“We both really enjoyed our time at Reading and revisited it a few years ago at an Open Doors event. Strange to feel so old yet so young at the same time.”
According to the study, the likelihood of marrying a university partner is relatively low, with 12.2 percent revealing they tied the knot with their university love.
Only 11.6 percent of those who met someone at Reading went on to marry that person, with 8.3 percent having children together.
Queen’s University Belfast proved the most successful in converting university romances into marriages, with just over one fifth of participants marrying someone they’d met on campus.
Ed and Andree Church, former Masters students at Reading, are also now married having met in a wildlife management and conservation lecture in 2013.
Of their first meeting, Ed explained: “I went to sit in my own row in the middle of the Harborne Lecture Theatre, behind some other students who had also arrived early. Having nervously introduced myself to my new peers, I couldn’t help but notice that one had an interesting accent.
“Further chatting found out that Andree, my now wife, was an international student from Canada on a temporary student visa. Trying to be funny, I asked, “Do you know Justin Beiber?”. Without hesitation she clapped back “Do you know Prince Harry?” giving the other students within earshot a giggle at my expense. She was quick, fiery and intimidatingly beautiful.”
The pair grew closer and began officially dating in January 2014, deciding to work on their thesis research project together over the summer.
But with the end of the academic year looming and Andree’s temporary student visa expiring, it was decided she could not stay in the UK.
Ed said: “A long distance relationship was an option, but what was the end game? Standing just before security at Heathrow departures, Andrée assured me that she would do all that she could to return to the UK.
“I was understandably sad when she left. I knew it would be very difficult and costly to secure another UK visa, let alone actually go through the process of picking up and moving one’s life to another country. I feared that once home in Canada, the burden of returning to the UK would be too great.”
But love prevailed once again, and in December, Andree returned to the UK on a new visa, armed with nothing but two suitcases.
Ed described the embrace at Heathrow arrivals as one that will stay with him for the rest of this life.
The pair went from strength to strength and, despite multiple postponements due to Covid-19, got married in 2021. They welcomed their daughter Elodie last November.
They have established careers in the environmental sector, live in a home in rural Oxfordshire with Andree being awarded British citizenship.
Ed said: “We both look back fondly at our time at the University of Reading and often joke that Andrée’s year abroad to study really got out of hand.”
To find out more, visit the University of Reading’s alumni page: sites.reading.ac.uk/connected
