I am an 18 year old bisexual female that has never been in a relationship or engaged in anything sexual. However, I’ve always been intrigued by polyamory and sexual freedom (including threesomes). Being that I have relatively no experience, how would you suggest I go about exploring polyamory? Is it something to wait until I gain some background with at least one monogamist relationship? I’m ready to be sexually adventurous in college but I’m afraid my virginity will be a hindrance.

Way, way, way more people will be headed off to college as virgins. That does not prevent you from being sexually adventurous in college. I was a virgin when I went off to college. I was quite sexually adventurous in college. That is really common. You are not at any disadvantage in this, trust me. 

Monogamy is not polyamory with training wheels on, and polyamory is not an advanced level of relationship that you need to complete prerequisites for. The best way to explore polyamory is…to explore polyamory. Do your homework on what it means for you to be poly, then be open with potential partners. You can start being actively poly in your own way. I learned about polyamory my freshman year, from a boy I was interested in. He was only a year older than me, and had come into his poly identity somehow. He lent me a copy of The Ethical Slut. He was very cute and into anarchist philosophy. Let’s just say we learned a lot from each other.

College is a place where many people are starting their sexual adventures, and everyone is unsupervised for the first time, and there is lots of flirting and partying and sleepovers and general sexual experimentation. Unless you’re going to a college with a culture known for being straight-laced and traditional, you will not lack willing partners for whatever you’d like to experiment with. Be safe, be healthy, and have fun.