Every week, I sit at my computer and ponder what to write. I have a boundary on what I can discuss and I try to make the column open to most students. I write my columns with you in mind, trying to relate to as many people as possible.

This week, I realized I’ve been ignoring a group. Not because I chose the wrong adjective, but because I let the title of this column shape who I addressed. I left you out, and I’m sorry.

With the 2009 Princeton Review ranking the University of Georgia as the No. 4 American Party School, you’d think a sex column would involve most students. I mean, what goes better with drinking, football and skipping classes better than sex, right?

For those of you who cannot personally relate to my previous columns, this one’s for you. So, you haven’t hit a home run, gone all the way, you know. had sex. You’re not the only one, believe me.

I’m not going to say you have a special gift or congratulate you on your abstinence because that would put a stigma on those of us who are sexually active. I will tell you, however, that you have a special choice.

It’s a choice you only get to make once in your life. Majors, pregnancy, marriage can all be changed, terminated, re-done, but “losing your virginity” only happens once.

Do I have advice for the transition? Absolutely not. Nobody should. It’s the ultimate personal choice where only you can decide what is right.

Although we have advisers for classes, doctors for tips on healthier lives and lawyers to get us out of uncomfortable situations, there is no one who can, or should, advise you on this one. It’s completely up to you.

Although I’m not going to handout straight-up advice, I will provide a few guidelines:

1. Think about it. What are your expectations? What are the reasons you haven’t so far?

2. Talk about it. Voice the hypothetical scenario to the person you would want to share it with (just remember, talking about sex in NO WAY obligates you to do it).

3. Wait. Not until you are married . Not until you’re in a serious relationship . But after you have decided. You’ve thought about it, talked about it, picked up the free condoms on campus, that’s when you should wait.

Just like you proofread a paper right before you turn it in, proofread your decision. Just to make sure it’s really what you want, because you can’t take it back.

There isn’t some universal “right way” to have sex for the first time . and more importantly, there isn’t a “right time” to hit your first home run. Candlelight, rose petals, the football game in the background, style it to fit your collective interests and shape the experience to your needs.

Just keep in mind that it’s not the end of the world if it’s not exactly how you planned or didn’t last as long as you anticipated. That’s just life.

It’s never going to be a James Cameron directed moment, with a James Horner score and Oscar winning cinematography. It’s going to be real, there will be some unrehearsed scenes and that’s how it’s always going to be.

You will never go from kissing on the doorstep to twisting beneath red, satin sheets. Clothes must come off, condoms must go on, and afterward, if you’re a woman, you have to pee just to make sure you don’t get a urinary tract infection (sexy).

However, unless you’re canoodling with Jack Dawson or Rose DeWitt-whatever-her-last-name-was, have realistic expectations. It will save you the disappointment of normal imperfections when you do decide to go all the way.

- Samantha Shelton is a senior from Auburn majoring in newspapers and women’s studies.