To do list: Cram for statistics quiz. Compose English essay. Order bridesmaids' dresses that make groom's ex-girlfriend look like a bloated sea slug.

While most Penn State students stress over taking tests and making it to class on time, some are biting their nails over wedding preparations.

Megan Allen-Wagner (junior-biology) and Joel Richter (junior-aerospace engineering) are two such students who will be exchanging "I do's" after the end of this semester.

Allen-Wagner and Richter met the fall semester of their freshman year and embarked on the quest for the perfect engagement ring this summer.

"We used practicality reasons to make the decision, but the underlying reason is because we want to, because of whatever this whole love thing is," Allen-Wagner said, trailing off into a blushing grin.

When the couple announced their engagement, the general response was supportive, but critical.

"A lot of people think we're too young," Allen-Wagner said.

"But we know we will be together later, so we might as well grow up together and make all our decisions as a unit."

While the average age of first marriage hovered around 23 for men and 20-and-a-half for women in the 1960s, the average age of first marriage now has risen to 29 for men and 27 for women, said Robert Schoen, professor of sociology and demography.

Un-hitched friends of engaged college couples might be skeptical of the decision, said Eric Musselman (senior-civil engineering), who will wed Katie Dorn (senior-elementary education), his girlfriend of six years, in June.

Ignoring remarks from friends that engaged peers make them feel old, Musselman said marriage will allow him to spend even more time with the woman he already loves.

"It's nice to know where you're going to be, that your future is set," Musselman said.

"You don't have to wait until you're 30 or 35 to start a family."

Musselman's future-settling sentiment is common among engaged college students, said Lori Moyer, who helps brides-and-grooms-to-be scrutinize engagement rings at Moyer Jewelers, 100 E. College Ave.

"Most of them get engaged because they are on the verge of graduating and are getting jobs in separate places for the moment," Moyer said. "They want to make the commitment to each other."

Allen-Wagner and Richter, who eagerly anticipate fusing their relationship with their daily routines, plan on living in an on-campus apartment next year.

Before achieving such marital bliss, the couple must plan their May 24th wedding, which Allen-Wagner said is more of an exciting distraction than an unwelcome burden.

Little schemes, like collecting rose petals to be strewn at the ceremony, occupy almost as much of her mind as her 17-credit course load.

As for the dress? A sweetheart bodice with delicate embroidery and a four-foot-long train.

"Everybody looks like a princess in a dress like that," Allen-Wagner said.

Marriage is not for all college students, though, Richter warned.

"You have to really know you love the other person, that you would sacrifice almost anything for them -- friendships, future jobs," Richter said. "If the sacrifice is a burden, maybe the relationship is not right."

In addition to the stress of a serious collegiate relationship, Schoen said an individualistic college culture could pressure students into avoiding commitment.

"People are now interested in careers, particularly those with more education," Schoen said.

"So they stay geographically mobile when settling into a field."