How To Survive College Long Distance Relationships

If you are trying to figure out how to survive college long distance relationships, you are not alone. Statistics suggest that between 25 and 50 percent of college students are in one of these relationships at any given time; in fact, 75 percent of students most likely will have been in this kind of love match at some point of their college careers. Although ferreting out how to survive college long distance relationships differs from student to student, there is hope for success.

Get started by setting up the relationship for success with these items:

• Token of commitment (i.e. a ring, necklace or engraved bracelet)
• E-mail address
• Cell phone and financially sound texting plan
• Instant messenger service
• Webcam

Once all the tangibles are in place, it is time to get down to the nuts and bolts of how to survive college long distance relationships:

1. Discuss the ground rules of the relationship. What makes a long distance love match insufferable are doubt and fear of misunderstanding. Both parties must be on the same page with respect to the relationship’s being monogamous, open or casual while apart but serious when together.
2. Exchange tokens of commitment to the relationship. Discovering how to survive college long distance relationships underscores the need for tangible proof of the other person’s presence. An engraved ring or bracelet is best, but other symbolic objects work fine as well.
3. Set up virtual and phone dates. Chat via instant messenger software while doing homework, play multi-player games together online, arrange and keep phone dates, and use the webcam to show off the new student digs.
4. Respect a partner’s independence. It is a common pitfall to set up a virtual date schedule, which is so rigid that before long one partner cannot keep in step with it. As resentment builds and dates are missed, insecurity also builds. Try to mimic a dating schedule that would be in place if both partners were living near one another. In other words, don’t insist on a nightly webcam chat/date if this is not something that normally takes place in the relationship.
5. Engage fully in available social activities outside of the relationship. Obsessing over the object of love and desire can stifle any romance, but even more so a long distance relationship. Both parties must seek involvement in social activities, clubs and study groups to maintain a healthy social life while apart. If the aforementioned commitment discussion has taken place, there is no reason to feel guilty for wanting this freedom or insecure about granting it.

Learning how to survive college long distance relationships is a difficult step for young lovers who may not only have to deal with the (perhaps first-time) separation from the parental home, but now also must encounter the very adult aspect of maintaining a healthy love match. Remember that it is entirely possible to keep the spark alive, as long as there is good communication in the process.