People say distance makes the heart grow fonder, but that idea doesn’t always hold true for high school relationships. Juggling academics, athletics, and mental health can strain couples who are still learning to balance their own lives. Furthermore, graduation is less than six months away. Students are facing the decision of keeping their relationship strong through distance or letting it fizzle out.
Having brought up the college “talk” vaguely, Kate George ’26 and her boyfriend. For now, they want to enjoy the time they have left together before they have to worry about being separated by college, having been dating since the beginning of sophomore year With faith in their relationship, George believes their relationship can thrive.
“Over these past few years dating our relationship has matured together,” George said. “We have created an amazing relationship built on trust, communication and support. I don’t think these values are necessarily going to change once we go to college. I actually think it will make them stronger.”
While some high school relationships thrive throughout college and even lead to serious relationships outside of college, a lot don’t because people might outgrow each other, leading to breakups. Trulyn Doyle ’25, currently a student at Michigan State University, went into college in a relationship but ended up thinking it was more beneficial for her and him to break up.
“Not going to the same school as my boyfriend made me realize we had different priorities,” Doyle said. “Having a roommate creates boundaries, which makes it difficult for my boyfriend to visit. It took so much more effort to balance a relationship with the school and the social aspect of college, which led us to break up.”
With college decisions starting to come out, relationships are feeling the tension of whether they need to have the infamous “talk” or try to postpone it. A senior at South, who wishes to remain anonymous, doesn’t really know how to plan for this change or how to even bring it up to talk about.
“Both of my parents tried to keep relationships going into college, and it did not work out,” Anonymous said. “I think it seems common for couples to break up before college, but I wouldn’t be against staying together. I think my relationship could definitely work out; it would just take a lot of effort and communication. I just haven’t had that talk yet because I don’t want to put that stress on my relationship.”
For some relationships, college becomes the breaking point. But for others, it becomes proof that their relationship is built to last.
“While my relationship didn’t last, I feel like, depending on how strong a couple is, they can,” Doyle said. “If you’ve been dating for a while and feel comfortable with each other and want to make the sacrifices to continue your relationship, it’s definitely possible. I think people just need to communicate and trust each other.”
