Going into my freshman year of college I was faced with a lot of anxiety about my new life. Would I make friends like the ones I have at home? Would I excel in my classes? Would I like the place I chose as home for the next four years? Luckily, one thing I didn’t have to start all over with was worrying about a new relationship.
I met my boyfriend when I was in 10th grade and he was in 9th. We started going out the following year and now over two years later we are still happily together. When I got into Syracuse I realized that our relationship wouldn’t be the same the following year.
We wouldn’t see each other at school everyday and we wouldn’t be able to easily hang out on the weekends. I often worried about how hard it would be to keep everything the same and how we would be able to make it work being so far away from each other. But I was determined not to get discouraged.
For the first few weeks of the semester I was busy. Busy trying to make new friends, busy trying to figure out campus and busy trying to adjust to this new experience. I will admit for me personally it was not easy.
But a big part of what comforted me was the support and constant presence of my boyfriend. Even though he was not physically there with me, whenever I needed reassurance that everything was going to work out or an ear to listen or a smile to cheer me up, he was always there.
Once I started getting into my new routine, I will admit it was sometimes (and still is) difficult to relate to the daily experiences we were each having, as I was relishing my new life at college and he was home enjoying senior year. But at the same time, not seeing each other daily and not always knowing what the other person was doing gave us more to talk about and made us closer because we genuinely cared about what was going on in the other person’s life.
Sometimes when I see my friends happy with new people they meet at college it is hard for me because I wish my boyfriend was there too, to share in the unforgettable nights and the excitement of tailgates. But I also see the other side of it. The side where people wish for something as special as what I have with my boyfriend: how comfortable we are with each other and how happy we make each other. I am constantly asked by my friends, “Where can I find my own Matt?”
Trust and honesty are both big parts of being in a long distance relationship. Of course there are times on both ends when the other person is in a situation where trust is key. Out at a party drinking isn’t something you want your SO to do alone, but it’s an unavoidable part of high school and college socializing for most students. Trusting one another and always being honest have not only kept me and my boyfriend together, but has made our relationship stronger as well.
Going into college with a boyfriend has allowed me to be completely myself. I don’t have to act a certain way to attract guys or worry about that aspect of college. To me, being in a long distance relationship is so worth it because you get all of the happiness from your relationship while also feeling less self conscience around new people, because you are able to be yourself without fear of rejection. Being apart also makes the time my boyfriend and I spend together that is much more special.
Before college, I was constantly told, “It isn’t worth it to be in a long distance relationship.” I was asked over and over again my personal (least) favorite question, “Don’t you want to have a real college experience?” This question bothered me so much. Who was the judge of a “real college experience.”
Isn’t college supposed to be a time when you do things that make you happy and live your life the way you want? A real college experience to me is one where you do what makes you happy and for me, being in my long distance relationship is just that.