Most college romances don’t last, and the ones that do, weather challenging storms.
To be fair, juggling schoolwork and your life is daunting. The pressure of assignments, projects, deadlines, and social life affects commitment to a love affair. But life is not designed to be lived alone.
According to research, 28% of married couples in the sample attended the same school. So, there is hope for you after all.
You will often see couples walking around in school, and it is natural for you to want that for yourself. But before you venture into the dating pool, pay attention to the following information to balance your education and love life.
Tips for Balancing College and a Relationship
One of the secrets to a smooth college life is to learn to balance. When it comes to a love affair, a student must first decide the nature he/she wants.
Do you want a remote or in-college bond? Long-distance love affairs take as much effort as college affairs, and the constant longing overshadows common sense. But regardless of the situation, our tips work equally in both cases. Take a look at them below:
Prioritize Communication
Communication is at the core of a love affair. There are 5 love languages, and communication is one of them.
It is vital to ensure you remain on the same page with your heartthrob. Communication helps you meet your needs and stay connected. It builds trust, lets your lover know what is happening, and helps avoid misunderstanding.
It also strengthens respect and eliminates the guesswork. Be clear with your significant other about your expectations for the relationship.
If you cannot hang out on Monday night, let him/her know why. It could be that the period is around paper deadlines, midterms, or exams. Whatever the case may be, talk it out together.
Manage Your Time
Couples who spend time together feel happier and experience more meaning. But time is not a luxury college lovers have. Therefore, you must take responsibility for where and how you are spending it.
For every two hours you spend strolling on Facebook, you can hang out with your better half. Likewise, every two hours with him/her is two hours from your academics.
One of the ways to get the best of both worlds is to use a schedule. A balanced schedule will help you organize your life and ensure you have space for your love and studies.
We recommend you use a scheduling application or old-fashioned paper planners. Allocate space for your coursework, extracurriculars, social life, and romance.
Spend Quality Time Together
Not everyone is big on quality time, but spending periods together improve a bond. It provides an opportunity to have fun and laugh, and the experience creates closeness and exclusivity.
If you’re stuck between completing an essay and having a date with your significant other, consider hiring an expository essay writing service.
A professional college writer like Edusson offers high-quality articles, essays, and other papers written by experts with a minimum of a Master’s degree or Ph.D. They craft them from scratch and are suitable for meeting last-minute deadlines.
Now that you have free periods attend date nights, cook delicious meals together, and pick a book to read. Study together and find a common hobby to improve your bonds further.
Respect Schedules
A love affair is a two-way traffic. It means you must receive what you dish out.
Do you want your lover to respect your schedule? Do the same for them. Understand that you are both hardworking students and cannot always spend periods together.
By implication, you won’t get upset if they’re not available on your day off, as they could be completing assignments.
Give Gifts and Surprises
A gift is a simple way to re-confirm and re-establish connections with your lover. It reflects the giver, receiver, and bond. Giving beautiful gifts to the one you love also shows appreciation. There is no template besides giving as you’d like to receive.
Set Boundaries Early and Stick to Them
A boundary is another aspect you must consider in a love affair. Boundaries create trust and build healthy bonds. They help maintain focus, avoid conflicts, and set an example of what you both expect from each other.
Some examples include expecting mature communication during an argument, asking for quiet when you’re working, and choosing prep over a date night.
Set physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual, and financial boundaries, and respect your partner’s wishes too.
Set Goals
Power couples set goals to ensure they remain on the same page. It is one of the ways to plan the future and how you’ll get there.
Goals allow both partners to communicate their desires and determine whether their relationship is healthy. They highlight areas of improvement and potential red flags.
While keeping up with your academics, you ought to plan a huge trip with your lover after hitting a certain milestone together.
In a way, your goals serve as a light at the end of the tunnel. Beyond setting goals, support each other. When things feel overwhelming, reassure your love to calm them down and show you’ll be there no matter what.
More importantly, reciprocate affirmation and assurance.
The Positive and Negative Impact of Relationships on Learning
Dating in college does not necessarily hurt academic performance. But since resources are finite, you must make a compromise. Lovers must decide where to invest their time and effort. But generally, romantic affairs between undergraduates positively affect academic achievements. Some of the advantages include:
- Companionship.
- Feelings of happiness.
- Feelings of being loved or loving another.
- Intimacy.
- Self-growth and self-understanding, etc.
Students in healthy affairs push themselves to become better. They study harder, motivate, and provide constant support and encouragement.
You become your partner’s greatest motivator and learn new things. But college affairs are not without their ups and downs, especially if you ignore the tips above.
The lack of boundaries, goals, and schedules influences academic performance.
Couples pay less attention to academic work, allocate more periods to dating activities, and leave a small space for learning. This affects their course attendance and grades, distracts them during studying, and conflicts cause anxiety and drain their mental health.
The only way to get the best from a college love life is to manage your schedule and remain committed to your better half.
Conclusion
You are in school to learn; hence, other activities, including your love life, are secondary. When you are in a relationship, you must be smart with your academic tasks.
Interestingly, you can now do it with a lover. Organize your academic week and stay focused. Although exciting, don’t pressure yourself.
Find periods to be together during everyday life, but not to the detriment of your studies. When you are together, engage in activities that help your academics and relationship. Read and play, attend events, set goals and boundaries, and respect your significant other.
