Long Distance Relationship Tips For College Students | Make It Feel Like You Never Left!

Today, we’ve asked Sarah to give us some long distance relationship tips for those of you that will be separated from your close friends, or girlfriend/boyfriend when you go away to college.

After graduation, lifelong friends separate for the first time. One goes to school on the east coast while the other goes to the west coast. They promise each other to stay in touch that during breaks they will make up for lost time.

The transition is difficult in regards to leaving old friends, but leaving a significant other behind can be outright heart wrenching. The possibility of staying together is statistically minimal, however it is possible. So, my aim here is to provide you with some long distance relationship tips.  But more specifically, how do you make long distance friendships and relationships last?

Long Distance Relationship Tips For Staying Close In College

In high school, it is common to have a group of friends. What happens to this group after you go away to school? It’s up to you. There will be a handful of acquaintance friends that you will not talk to much, if at all, after you leave for school, but your good friends will stick with you for a lifetime.  The level of commitment you give to the friendship will constitute the longevity and the meaning of any relationship. The outcome is your discretion. If you want and try to make a friendship last, it will.

It’s hard to leave a best friend when you spent almost every day together in high school, but one of the biggest long distance relationship tips for college students is not to feel forced into talking every single day.  My best friend goes to school in New Hampshire, over 17 hours away, while I stayed at the University of Illinois. When first separated it was hard not to have that confidant right by my side through thick and thin. As time went on, we were unable to talk as much as we would like, she was busy with softball while I had work.

Whenever I had free time, she would have to study for a test and vice versa. It seemed like we were starting to drift. However, we quickly realized that we did not have to talk everyday to remain best friends. We still know each other well enough that our separation is not a big deal.  We still tell each other the important events of our lives, but we don’t hang out or talk 24/7. When we see each other on breaks, it’s like nothing changed.

One of the best long distance friendship tips lies in the random sweet/funny/encouraging texts, calls, and/or Facebook messages. Even if I haven’t heard from my best friend in a month, a text with an inside joke or a simple, “hope you’re day is awesome!” makes my day. Simple reminders of why you became friends keep the friendship strong.

Making Long Distance Relationships Work With A Significant Other

Hand in hand, but extensively different, are romantic long distance relationships. Everything that applies to keep a best friend applies to keep a significant other. (I strongly believe your boyfriend/girlfriend should be one of you best friends). However, making a relationship last is much harder than making a friendship last. Whereas you do not have to talk to your friends every day, you should talk to your boyfriend every day, even multiple times.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to call each other every hour, but texting, Facebook chat, and Skype are amazing technological advances elemental in keeping a relationship strong. If you don’t like calling or Skyping, then make sure to find another form of communication. If you do not talk to each other, the relationship will not last. In all likelihood, you will lose interest.

My boyfriend and I went to different colleges. We went from hanging out every day to maybe once or twice a month. The transition has been anything but easy, and there have been times when I felt like quitting, but I could not bear the thought of losing my best friend. Communication saved our relationship. We would talk about what was wrong and what we needed to fix. It’s not easy only texting with the occasional call, but we both want it to last so we make it work.

If you got nothing else out of this post, just remember: distance is an excuse not a reason. Inevitably, the conclusion of any relationship, friend or otherwise, has to deal with the desire (by both parties) to stay together, which happens to be #1 of our long distance relationship tips.

Desire to keep things close has to be your focus, and that of your partner.  You have to put forth effort to reap any benefits. If it doesn’t work out, it was not meant to be. You may still love or care about each other, but in the end breaking up because of distance is only an excuse because you do not want to try to make it work. This does not make it a bad thing. If you can’t make it work, move on and find that person you would do anything for. 

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