The “College Experience” is an infamous aspect of young adulthood; partying every night, ingesting various, totally ‘legal’, substances, and sticking your tongue down the throat of any person in sight. It’s the experimental period, where you have complete and utter independence, with no connections or ties to anything from your past – unless, you’re in a relationship with your high-school sweetheart. 

This idea stems from our society’s emphasis on hook-up culture, which is defined by Scholarly Encyclopedia as a culture built on the approved practice of engaging in sexual encounters between two or more individuals where it is understood that commitment, relationships, and emotional feelings are not expected outcomes.

Media often romanticizes this dynamic, and encourages teenagers to ditch any kind of long-lasting connection and instead pursue a “situationship”. A situationship is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “a romantic relationship between two people who do not yet consider themselves a couple but who have more than a friendship”.

Most of the time, this alternative is chosen over a real relationship because one or both people are afraid of commitment, which only brews a toxic concoction of miscommunication, jealousy, and hurt. It also makes the ability to pursue other people far more accessible, as there is no official partner you would be being unfaithful towards. 

Our generation’s overall lack of labels has resulted in many people deciding to break up with their significant other before college in pursuit of a new romantic or sexual experience with other people. 

If your relationship feels like a burden that you have to carry past high school, then do yourself a favor now and break up with them. It’s not my intention to shame anyone who may be wishing to experiment and try new things, but your partner should not feel like an obligation, and you have to accept the consequences if your significant other does not feel the same way.

Furthermore, if you’re even considering breaking up with someone for this reason, it may indicate deeper problems in your relationship. It’s important to re-evaluate your standards, as well as decide whether you and your partner are heading in the same direction. 

Be honest with your significant other, and together you can both decide the direction that you guys want to take your relationship in. The worst road you can take is burying these feelings and ignoring them, as this could either cause you to resent your partner or result in you cheating on them.

I understand that being in a long-distance relationship is not an ideal situation, and I can sympathize with anyone who may not want to pursue this. It’s extremely difficult to maintain, especially when you’re used to seeing your partner constantly. 

However, if you decide to opt for this, it can be a truly fulfilling and wonderful experience. Being long-distance requires a lot of trust and communication, and it may take a while for you to get adjusted to such a huge change. You have to be fully committed, as well as be entirely honest about your feelings, which take a lot of time and maturity, but it’s absolutely possible for you to make it from move-in day to graduation with your high school sweetheart.