Everybody tells you how important it is to go into college single. How you can't have anything holding you back so that you can really get the "college experience." But what even is the "college experience?" Who's to say that that experience can't include your best friend, your biggest supporter and your greatest motivator.
To me, the "college experience" is about growing. You're growing as a person and as a scholar. It's possible to do both of these things with the love of your life by your side. When somebody means the world to you, why would you ever want to take the risk of saying goodbye? There are countless amounts of times when you fully rely on their words to pick you back up after a rough day. Nobody's words mean as much as theirs do. Anybody can tell you that "It's going to be okay," but it won't be until you hear it come out of their mouth that it really will be.
Experiencing college while in a fully committed relationship brings the both of you so much closer. Whether you're off on your own or doing things together, you're learning new things about yourself and your partner. You learn the importance of trust. You learn how to let the reins be a little bit looser than you're comfortable with, but that your love will never stray too far away. When you have no responsibility, you can't learn the significance of commitment.
Being in a relationship while in college doesn't mean that you can't do things on your own. It doesn't mean that you can't go off and make new friends because that is what the "college experience" really is about. You're finding out who you are as an individual through meeting new people that challenge you to new extremes.
Finding true friendships means so much more than finding a new love interest. If you have somebody that makes you happier than anything else, and he/she wants to experience your growth and transformation into a better version of yourself, then it just doesn't make sense to let them go. They're something special, and what you have is true.
College is an incredibly tough time. It's a time of transition when barely anything is a constant. Having that one person that you know will never leave is an amazingly comforting feeling. This article isn't just an opposition to those who say that being in a relationship while in school isn't a good idea, but a thank you letter to my person.
I don't know how I would have made it to where I am now without you. Your never ending support and optimism has helped me through so much to this point. You are the push I need when I lose my drive and my safety net when I fall hard. Through the good and the bad, you have never left my side. I know that, at some points, it's a little rough, but I know how much more we have learned about each other through this experience.
The trust that has been created is more important than anything else I've learned while at college. I love you more than I ever could have imagined, and I thank you for everything that you have done for me. I wouldn't trade our late night FaceTime dates and our long phone calls for anything. All of those nights I dedicated to you instead of going out, it's because I love you and I will always choose you first. Always.
