The summer before college is a tough time for many reasons. You’re nervous about leaving home, making friends, college classes, etc. But the biggest issue at hand is what to do about your high school relationship. Try an open relationship? Or long-distance? Or maybe just let it crash and burn? Most times couples opt for long-distance. And then you’re dealing with the nightly facetime calls, the biweekly visits and the all-day-every-day texting. All is going well until about late October. One person forgets to text the other back, communication falls apart, effort decreases and before you know it you’re arguing every day and only sending one-word answers. It’s a classic story, everyone knows how it goes. 

Thanksgiving break rolls around and it is a complete gamble. You agreed to meet up with your boyfriend, you’re both “excited to see each other,” things have been okay, but not what they used to be. You hope that you guys will talk and work things out and it’ll all go back to normal when BAM! You get hit with the “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore,” or “maybe we should do our own things.” All ways to phrase the proposition are equally as painful to hear. Plans to spend the holiday at your boyfriend’s house have fallen through and you find yourself instead of eating your weight in apple pie while crying on the floor next to your dog. As tough as it is, nearly every freshman goes through it, and trust me, you’re better off this way. And here’s why.

Before you know it you’re back at school. And interestingly enough, your ability to focus in class gets better, and your grades get higher. Probably because you’re actually able to pay attention since you’re not texting heart emojis and “I love you babe!” throughout the entire 50-minute lecture. Now that you’re not on facetime 25 hours 8 days a week you’ve been able to grow closer to your friends. You’ve started going out more, meeting more people and having more fun than you ever did hanging out in your ex’s basement. And just like that, you forget that that high school relationship even existed. Congrats on your newfound freedom, freshmen!