In the midst of the stress of four final exams, two projects and three papers due at the end of first semester of your freshman year of college, you find yourself trapped in a heated argument with your long-distance significant other. With too many complications and restrictions, you have reached your limit and simply cannot continue to facilitate a relationship while managing to stay focused on yourself and your studies. College is stressful enough without the additional burden of a relationship continued from high school. While some may argue that love conquers all, in this case, you should take a page out of the practicality book, sever any ties with your girlfriend or boyfriend and hit your college campus single.
Dating in high school can turn your world upside-down. One minute, you are nervously decoding every word in your crush’s texts; the next, you are kissing in hallways and updating your status on Facebook to “in a relationship.” The feeling is thrilling while it lasts, but once graduation approaches, every couple is faced with a tough decision: whether or not to stay together. Although no one enjoys breakups –they run the gamut from sad to infuriating and awkward to embarrassing– in order to prevent months, or even years, of headaches and psychological trauma, a high school girlfriend and boyfriend must part ways. The transition to college is terrifying and exhilarating, and it can seriously strain a relationship. Although there are no official statistics, many people believe that less than 10 percent of high school sweethearts end up together in the end.
“I think high school couples should break up for college because we are just beginning our lives, and we need to experience new things,” said senior Darian Saidi. “If you end up going away and realize that you and your boyfriend or girlfriend are meant to be, you can always get back together after college.”
Long-distance relationships can be emotionally taxing and impractical. In addition, many couples are not dedicated to staying in contact. Between classes, clubs and friends, college life may allot zero time for long phone calls and Skype dates. Couples that attempt to stay in contact with each other when, in truth, they are too busy to even sleep or grab a bite to eat, are simply drawing out a lifeless relationship.
Moreover, meeting new people and making friends in college can seem daunting, but if you are still attached and dependent on your high school boyfriend or girlfriend, you may be even more reluctant to truly put yourself out there and connect with the rest of your class. This can ultimately hinder your overall college experience. Not to mention, trust and jealousy issues will inevitably arise if you choose to make your new friends a priority over your significant other.
Oftentimes, many couples do not have the same post-graduation plans. In high school, you essentially do the same activities as your peers; however, in college, people branch out and begin pursuing more specific goals. If both people in the relationship are in college and are heading toward radically different places, they would be holding each other back by staying together. Even if one person in the relationship is in high school and the other is in college, the two are at completely different points in their lives and may no longer share anything in common.
“I’m really excited to meet new people in college,” said senior Allie Wayne. “I feel like if I had a boyfriend he would hold me back. People change in college so there is no telling if your relationship will last.”
Unless you truly believe that you and your significant other will turn out to be high school sweethearts, save yourself the emotional turmoil and begin your college experience with a clean slate.
