Long distance relationships are tough. Whether you’re fifty or five hundred miles away, nothing compares to seeing and hanging out with your significant other in person. But, just because something is hard doesn’t mean that it’s impossible!
I started my first year at San Diego State University while my boyfriend was at UCLA. The first semester was a big adjustment for the both of us. A lot of effort goes into communicating with each other and making time to talk or see one another.
Here is everything that I’ve learned while continuing to navigate a long distance relationship in college!
Communication is key
The first few weeks of college are hectic. You are introduced to so many new people while trying to adjust to your new home as quickly as possible. It can also be emotional because it might be the first time you and your significant other have been away from each other for a long period of time. While you are both going through the same adjustment, it’s important to communicate and share your life. Planning Facetime calls in advance is a good idea to keep up communicating with each other. With school, homework, rushing and your new social scene at school, you still have to balance your relationship and make sure that you are honest with each other.
Trust is everything
Without trust, a long distance relationship can become stressful, and even ugly. Your partner should trust that you are making the right decisions at school and not being shady about anyone or anything. Trust and communication go hand in hand with each other. College is about having fun and you shouldn’t have to worry about when your partner goes out, and vice versa. You and your partner should have equal trust in another.
Beware of your phone
Your phone is your only source of communication when in a long distance relationship. While this is awesome in terms of always being able to contact your partner, it can also fuel negativity and insecurity. You might start comparing yourself to people at your partner’s school, which just breeds insecurity for no reason. Or, you can see how much fun your partner is having and become upset that your experience isn’t the same. You also don’t want to be tracking your partner on Find My Friends every second of the day, which ties back into trusting your partner!
Plan a visit
Nothing is more fun than visiting your partner at school! Picking a weekend to drive or come up is a special event to look forward to. Visiting during football season is especially great if you have a football team, because tailgating and going to a game is super fun! Going to each other’s Greek formals is something you can plan out in advance as well.