Taking your relationship to college

Go-To Girl

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By Jenna Gibbs

College can change a lot about you and your preexisting relationships and even new ones that may come along. Considering that this is our Freshman Guide, I decided to write up a few rules that every freshman should know about starting college and having a relationship. Follow these rules, and you can stress out more about school and less about relationships.

1. Give your girlfriend/boyfriend a chance. A lot of people break up as soon as they get to college so that they can “meet other people” and see what else is out there. While you may find someone better, you should never throw away a good relationship when you don’t know if something better is even coming. While your high school sweetheart may not be the one, they at least deserve a chance to try and grow with you.

2. Don’t be afraid to break up. On the other end of the spectrum, if you feel yourself drifting away from your high school sweetheart, don’t feel obligated to stay with them. People change when they go to college. Most people grow into the type of person they intend to be for the rest of their lives, and if someone is not compatible with that, don’t force the relationship to work.

3. Meet people. If you are single, don’t be afraid to talk to people. College is not high school where you’ll have a friend who knows some cute guy or girl from another circle to introduce you to. You need to make your own new friends. Talk to people in class, go out with friends and meet new people. It’s the only way you can get your foot in the door of a new relationship, and at least you’ll be able to make a few new friends.

4. Don’t let relationships consume you. The last rule is probably the most important. In high school, there’s a lot of petty gossip and fighting and your social life consumes most of your time. In college that should not be the case. While you should be able to have fun and have a social life, please remember that you are going to college for a reason. That reason is to get all of the information you will need to start your adult life and your career. Don’t throw away your future for anyone.

If you can manage to follow these basic rules, you have the foundation for crossing relationships and college. Remember, relationships should make you happy, and you should not have to spend so much time stressing out over them that you miss out on the other things in life. Good luck!

Originally Published: Issue 701 - August 19, 2008

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