Dear High School Couple,

I wish I had an article like this when I was a senior. I used to be just like you, in a high school relationship hoping to make it through the dreaded, infamous, and what seemed to be "inevitable" college break up.

As embarrassing as I am to admit this, I even asked a college tour guide at Iowa about college relationships. With my mother by my side, probably mortified, I walked up to my Iowa tour guide and asked her if she knew of anyone in relationships from high school that were still together and if it was hard to stay in a relationship in college. And do you want to know the worst part? She did an uncomfortable laugh and said, "Well actually, I'm not the person to ask. My high school boyfriend and I just broke up last week." So not only did it make me feel like a horrible person, but it also did not give me much confidence.

My cheer coach, too, was someone I constantly would ask questions. Her and her husband met at Iowa and dated throughout college and ended up getting married. So you can imagine how many questions the poor woman got. "Was it hard to stay together?" "Did you go out to parties together?" "Did you ever break up?" "Did you ever want to break up?" "Did girls like constantly hit on him?" The questions went on and on.

The fact wasn't that I didn't have confidence in my relationship, I did. I trusted my boyfriend and I trusted my feelings for him, too. However, if you don't question the unknown feeling of going from a high school relationship to a college relationship, you are very, very strong and I would like to meet you because I haven't met anyone like you yet.

So, now that I have embarrassed myself and probably scared half of my boyfriend's family away, I want to tell you why you should have nothing to worry about.

First of all, not only has transitioning from a high school relationship to a college relationship been an easy one, it has made my relationship a million times better and stronger. I'm not telling you that every obstacle will be a breeze, but I can tell you that if you love your significant other, than there shouldn't be a problem.

Both long distance and non-long distance conditions do bring new experiences to work with, but that's okay. Whether its not knowing the next time you will see your boy/girlfriend or trying to balance meeting new friends and keeping a healthy relationship, these are new things you will face. However, I found that having a boyfriend (and best friend) was only a plus side to new transitions.

I don't know why the stigma is that holding a relationship from high school to college is impossible and you shouldn't do it, because almost all my friends are still with their high school boyfriend and it is working out great for all of us.

If I am happy, why should I end a relationship just so I can "experience college" or "not be tied down?" because honestly, the best part of my college experiences have been with my boyfriend by my side and I think that my college times would have been half as fun without him.

So, if you're still worried about whether or not you should stay with your high school boyfriend when going off to school, or if you're worried that you will not make it together, just know that if you want to be together, you will. It's easy if you want it to be, and if it's meant to be, it will happen. I wouldn't change a second of my life that I've had with my boyfriend, and I don't wish for a second that things could be different. If you have that mindset as well, you will make it, I promise. So good luck to you in the future, and I will be rooting for you.