• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • 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
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • 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
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Dating / Homework Over Heartbreak: The Truth Behind College Relationships

Homework Over Heartbreak: The Truth Behind College Relationships

February 1, 2021 //  by Jake Tammara

FacebookTweet

College stands out as an important time in a student’s life. Students quickly learn that they can do whatever they please— whether you choose to stay up all night and party or explore the city, your school lies in with no adults to bother you. Going away and meeting brand new people remains another significant element that students benefit from while in college.

With this comes the opportunity to mingle and find yourself in a relationship. However, college relationships definitely do not always resemble the perfect ones that you find scripted on a television show. In order to make things work, it takes hard work on both ends. Finding time to hang out between classes and going out on dates to restaurants or other places in your school’s area could potentially hold a relationship together for some time, but it takes more than the bare minimum to make a relationship last.  

The ups and downs of being in a college relationship can teach lessons that no class ever could.

date
unsplash.com

During my freshman year of college, I attended more parties than I did classes, something that I came to regret years later. Despite failing most of my classes that year, something good did come out of it. During one of those many parties I attended, I met a girl a year older than me who seemed cold despite the amount of people at the house party. I offered her my jacket and she accepted, yet for some reason I did not talk to her for the rest of the night.  

A few weeks later as I hung out with one of my friends, who coincidentally dated her roommate, he messaged her that we were together with the idea to drop by so she could come over and return my jacket. When she arrived, I worked up the nerve to ask her for her number. It still took me a few weeks to text her, but eventually I built up the courage to do so. 

I messaged her expecting no response— so when my phone dinged with a text from her, my jaw dropped. We talked for the next few days about things like our majors and what we wanted to do with our lives after college.  

After talking some more, she invited me to her house party.

happy
unsplash.com

I never expected things to move that fast; I was ecstatic. When I arrived at her house, I found myself too nervous to even talk to her. I introduced myself to her roommates and the other guests at the party, trying my hardest to avoid looking awkward as I normally do. Throughout the night, we talked more about life and school, and that’s when things between us really began to spark. 

Fast forward three weeks and we labeled our relationship as that of boyfriend and girlfriend. We began to hang out every day— we would go out to eat in the nearby city or visit local attractions like the zoo. We spent a lot of our time with one another, which seemed to pass much quicker than normal when together. 

My freshman year came to an end, and since we didn’t live far from each other outside of school, we stayed together.

guy and girl college relationships
unsplash.com

The summer passed and sophomore year arrived. As the semesters went on and we continued our tradition of hanging out every day, we continued to enjoy each other’s company. That year I actually did well in all of my classes— I even ended up making the Dean’s List in my spring semester. I must say that my relationship motivated and pushed me to apply myself when it came to school.  

All good things don’t last forever though. By the time my junior year came around, things between us felt different. Though we still saw each every day, we slowly stopped going on our regular outings around town, opting to watch Netflix and walk to class together until that became all we did.  

After spending our winter break together, she decided that it would be best if we ended our relationship. With many factors behind this decision, a main one being that she was a senior and needed to plan her future, my uncertainty regarding my own future became “somewhat of a burden on her.” I could understand that.  

However, I believe that my lack of dedication to our relationship contributed to the main reason she ended things between us.

break up college relationships
unsplash.com

Towards the end of our relationship, she mentioned that she remembered the small ways I tried to impress her when we first started dating, and how she noticed that I completely stopped doing so. Looking back, I realized the mistakes made on both parts along the way, but mainly those made by me.  

Even though being broken up with by someone who I still had feelings for left me conflicted and lonely for some time, the lessons that came out of an almost two-year relationship absolutely made the experience worth it. What I learned overall would best be summarized by saying that a relationship is like college itself: you get out of it what you decide to put into it. 

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Dating

About Jake Tammara

Jake is a senior at Temple University. Some topics he enjoys writing about are sports, politics, technology, and entertainment/music.

You May Also Like

25 Relationship Memes That Will Make You Cry Laughing

meeting someone new

Stop Swiping: 10 Ways to Meet Someone Special Without Dating Apps

Halloween Isn’t the Only Time for Ghosting Anymore

You're My Person holding hands

“You’re My Person” and 21 Other Ways to Show Someone They’re Special

unsplash.com

Homework Over Heartbreak: The Truth Behind College Relationships

The Most Compatible Zodiac Signs for a Match Made in the Stars

dating

The Real Life Confessions of a Retired Online Dater

On Solitude in Cities

Romantic Couple

Advice That Everyone in a College Relationship Needs to Hear

5 Self Love Questions to Ask Yourself Before Entering a Relationship

talking stage

SOS: How to Navigate the Talking Stage in College

10 DIY Gifts Your Boyfriend Will Actually Appreciate

covid-19 dating

Your Ultimate Guide to Dating Safely During COVID-19

20 Date Ideas for Couples on a Budget

best pick up lines New Girl Schmidt and Cece

21 Best Pick Up Lines That Are So College

How to Get Sparks Flying with a Guy at a Party

Frat house from Neighbors

How I Ended Up Finding Love in a Fraternity Pregame

Couple in LDR video calling before they go to bed.

Navigating an LDR Amidst the Frat Parties and Casual Hook-ups

How Dating a POC Helped Me Accept Myself as an Asian-American

couple dressed as shaggy and Scooby

10 Crafty Halloween Costumes for You and Your “Boo”

Being a Queer Student Has Been Hard, But Not for the Reason You Think

being single in quarantine

Confessions of a Single Gal in Quarantine

dating

The Paradox of Choice

Modern Love

Previous Post: « Couple Goals: 10 Romantic Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Next Post: Unapologetically Christian: Standing Up for My Faith in the Classroom »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

97

10 St. John’s University Finals Activities to Help You De-Stress

mental health
81

Pandemic and Academic Blues: Being Aware of Your Mental Health

60

24 Ways My 2020 Survival Guide Turned into 2021 Lifestyle Habits

55

The Ultimate Auburn University Bucket List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating

best classes
25

10 Best Classes You Need to Take at Drake University

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

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
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.