Being away at college can be hard at times. Let’s face it, no matter how much you “love” your independence, there will be times when you miss home more than ever before. Along with missing home comes missing your family pet, parents, siblings, friends, and, if this applies to you, your boyfriend or girlfriend who is back at home. The most commonly heard statement about your love life in college is that you should never, ever do long distance. Why though? What’s so bad about it? Honestly, having a long distance relationship can ultimately have more benefits than having your significant other being on the same campus as you for the most difficult and important academic years of your life.

To be brutally honest, the last thing you need is to have a pile of distractions sitting there waiting for you the second you get out of class. This certainly does not mean that having a boyfriend or girlfriend is a distraction; however, they surely wouldn’t help when you have five midterms coming up and a speech. This is where long distance is glorious – all you have to do is simply text them saying you need some time to study. It definitely helps your focus in the end.

Depending on how far away you go to school from your significant other, you may or may not get to see them very often. At this point, relationships get hard because there are always going to be those times where you need love and support from your boyfriend or girlfriend. Or maybe you simply miss being with them. I can say from a school year of experience that the long distance is unquestionably worth all of days spent without them. Nothing is better than the moment you first see them after two months of being gone. Nothing compares. If anything, it makes your relationship stronger in the end because it proves that you can stand the test of time and distance and still come out stronger than ever.

Long distance may not work for every couple; however, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work for anybody. People shouldn’t be shamed for wanting to continue being with the one they love, willing to go through several school years that are without a doubt not going to be easy for the two at times. It’s a tough conversation to have with your significant other when you are a senior in high school who is on the brink of entering legal adulthood, but it’s one that needs to be had if you truly want to make things work. It’s a struggle, but I promise you that it’s worth it.