The Challenging Love Landscape of Your College Campus

Going to college changes just about everything in your life and that includes romantic relationships. You may be trying to figure out how to navigate your new college life while your heart remains with your high school sweetheart back home. You may be looking forward to mixing and mingling with new people and be focused on schoolwork and having fun rather than a serious relationship. But no matter what kind of romantic relationship you have or want, the landscape of love changes when you get to college.   Here are some tips to help you navigate this new landscape.

1. Long Term Love Will Be Harder Here

College life can be a little crazy at times. You are dealing with hectic class schedules, extracurricular activities, new friendships, and learning to live on your own. This can make serious dating and long-term relationships more challenging than they were in high school. Unlike the high school years, you and your romantic prospects will have varied schedules and may come from significantly different backgrounds. Add in the stress of starting school, homesickness, and the availability of new and different experiences, and you might wonder if having a serious relationship in the first few years of college is even possible.

2. Time Management Really Matters

In high school, much of your schedule and the way you spent your time was dictated by other people or outside factors. You went to school according to the school schedule, you had sports practices or other activities after school, if you had a job your work schedule fit in around these things and whatever was left of your time was likely governed to some degree by your parents. In college, with the exception of your classes, your time is yours to manage. This can be a challenge when it comes to relationships. You may find it challenging to devote enough time to develop or maintain a long-term relationship without your schoolwork suffering.

3. Go Slow When Getting Serious

One of the biggest problems many college students experience with their romantic relationships is that things move really fast. Unfortunately, it is rare that a healthy relationship results when things are moving at light speed. The primary problem is that it can be more challenging to take things slowly in college than at most other times in life. You are likely to be living in close proximity, eating in the same dining hall, doing your laundry in the same place and all this together time can make it a challenge to take things slowly. Just remember it is important to take time to get to know each other and to spend time apart if you want a healthy relationship.

4. Making Love Work Long Distance

If you are committed to the relationship you had when you came to college, you can make it work if you are both willing to work on keeping your bond strong. You will need to set ground rules, make time to see each other once or twice a month, and find ways to share your experiences with each other.

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