Expose the truth about high school to college relationships

As a high school relationship veteran, I feel it is my prerogative to share some wisdom on the matter with those who are new to Seton Hill University (SHU), the class of 2015.  I’m going to start by telling you that most high school relationships do not survive college, whether you’re on the same campus or across the country. There are some that do, though, and there are concrete reasons for their sustainability.

College is a font of freedom and a source of self-discovery, and it requires a dose of maturity. When a relationship hits college, the maturity levels of the couple as individuals and as an entity are a huge factor. You are given freedom, and your maturity dictates how you take it.

A relationship will fail if the freedom of college is seen as a restriction on the relationship. Social events come up, and you’re the one texting your girlfriend the whole time because you feel guilty having fun without her.

Or maybe you’re the one who is beginning to feel like the relationship should move faster than you originally planned, and it’s causing tension.

College, no matter how much life experience you think you have, introduces a multitude of new encounters.

So, if you’re in a relationship and you think it can work, you need to have the maturity to treat your relationship with the respect it will desperately need.

First off, you’re both going to have to have massive trust in one another. You’re both having new experiences, and they’re molding you as people. You need to have trust that your significant other is taking this growth in a way that will be beneficial to your relationship.

The other key is to take time for each other. Time to be with, talk to and think about your significant other. Don’t think about him or her every waking second; you do need to be making college about you.

This is the most important lesson to take with you as you begin your college career.

College is about you, and only you.

You are studying biology, communications or art therapy because it’s what you believe that you want to do for the rest of your life.

You may have the maturity to make a relationship work, but college is not primarily about keeping or finding your significant other. Realize that people do change, for better and for worse. Realize that you may not be together forever. Realize that college is unlike anything you’ve ever done before. It is the most wonderfully selfish thing you will ever do.

Embrace it.