• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » From High School Sweethearts to Single and Independent
Relationships

From High School Sweethearts to Single and Independent

Facebook Tweet
53
couple at sunset
unsplash.com
Sierra Cucciardi   August 17, 2022

The process of transitioning from high school to college is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal parts of a young adult’s life. Leaving the relationships you formed during your high school years feels heartbreaking for some, but liberating for others. If you start off this new chapter in your life while in a committed relationship with your high school significant other, it makes this transition much more difficult.

I am no stranger to this scenario. In fact, the second I got my acceptance letter to Penn State, my high school boyfriend of four years and I began the conversation about our plans for the long haul. 

unsplash.com

He attended Navy bootcamp, and I headed to Penn State University, so we began doing very different things at very different places. We came to an agreement to keep each other updated on everything going on in our lives and to Facetime every night while apart. This seemed like an easy act for a power couple like us. Despite this big curveball in both of our lives, we made sure that no matter where we ended up, it would work out. At 17, I thought I knew what love looked and felt like, but in reality, I didn’t. I also went to a Catholic school of 800 students, so we remained in our own little bubble. I thought saw it all, but I only witnessed the interactions, drama and banter of a very small community of people. 

Leading up to the first day of class, I said all my farewells to family, friends and of course my boyfriend. The goodbye was emotional as we hugged one last time before he went off to bootcamp. We needed to communicate through letters for two months, which I was dreading. I had hope though and felt ready to take on the next steps in life and love. 

My first day on campus finally arrived and… Penn State’s campus overwhelmed me straight away.

unsplash.com

The second I got there; I got a wakeup call: This was going to be nothing like Holy Trinity Diocesan High School. The large population of 40,000 students at Penn State felt overwhelming and not knowing every person you walk past in the halls was something I haven’t been used to. I learned to love it right away though. 


trending

493

10 Student Organizations Breaking the Mold at Berkeley

201

Top 10 Spots Around Emerson College to Get Inspired

169

Top 10 Ways to Spot a UT Austin Alum


Independence came as another foreign concept to me that I instantly fell in love with. In my relationship, we had to always be in constant communication, but not having this at the beginning of college was refreshing? Initially, I felt guilty for feeling this way and I beat myself up over it. Enjoying independence made me feel like a bad girlfriend at first because I wasn’t craving his attention. Eventually, I brushed the feeling off.

After months of barely any communication, he was back. When we reunited for the first time, I could tell that he changed but so did I. Even though he got back from camp, he remained stationed in South Carolina. A whopping 11 hours away meaning long distance. 

Long distance can work in any relationship, though it presents a challenge no matter what. This was not our case. We knew different definitions of communication. His idea of communication contained constant phone calls and words of affirmation. My idea of communication contained just updating each other on the interesting parts of our day and the occasional good morning or goodnight call.

The bottom line: we wanted very different things. Not only in our relationship, but also in most aspects of our lives. Obviously there remains a lot more to this, but four years of complications equals a lot to unpack. The shift in our lives became apparent and this caused a lot of miscommunication and fights. The relationship was no longer viable. By spring semester, we broke it off.

At first, it felt hard to let go of all the good times we had, but eventually, it felt right.

unsplash.com

College changes you and sometimes, it also changes your relationships. College helps you grow and mature, and weak relationships usually slip through the cracks during this period. You also become a different person when you reach your young adult years. I can confidently say that I am a very different person than when I first started college. You might not realize this now and you might be that 17-year-old girl going through what I went through. Despite what happens, find your independence and don’t lose sight of that for anybody.

About Sierra Cucciardi

“Yeah, no thanks.” Ranking Seven Deadly Dating App Sins by How Much They Make Me Swipe Left

From Mother to Student to Stepmother: Who Am I?

10 Reasons Why People Ghost and How to Deal With it

Healing From Heartbreak in College

How I Got Over My Ex This Summer

Wait… You Met on Tinder?

https://unsplash.com/photos/Y3L_ZQaw9Wo?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

How to Survive Introducing Your Partner to Your Parents

Previous Post:Top 10 Clubs at NYU to Satisfy Your Performance Itch
Next Post:Top 10 Summer Haunts for George Washington University Students

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding