Breaking up is hard to do -- and even with the excitement of college in the air, parting ways with your high school sweetheart because you're both heading your separate ways doesn't make it any easier. When it comes time to leave your high school life behind and start a new chapter of your life, choosing whether to stay with your boyfriend or girlfriend can be one of the biggest decisions you make.
Of course, choosing whether to stay with someone is a complicated decision that involves a number of factors, and at the end of the day, only you can know what's right for your relationship. But if you do decide to call it quits during your senior year or the summer before college, there are a lot of reasons that you may benefit from making that decision -- even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Scroll through the list below for a little comfort if you're dealing with some pre-college heartbreak.
1. Staying Together Can Make The Transition More Difficult.
Holding onto you high school BF or GF may make the transition to college life a little easier at first (you'll have someone to call when you're feeling lonely or overwhelmed), but ultimately, it can be a crutch that prevents you from getting out there and meeting new people. And turning a relationship into a long-distance affair can also create a lot of work, tension and potentially frustration. Before you make that commitment, you'll have to ask yourself some important questions: Do you trust your siggo? Do you think you'll be tempted when you meet other people that you're attracted to? Can you put in the time commitment to Skype often enough to keep the relationship alive? Many couples who try to stay together through their first year of college find that their relationship is unable to withstand the pressure.
Although some relationships do survive the college transition and go on to thrive throughout the university years and beyond, it can be incredibly difficult to maintain a relationship when life takes the two of you in different directions. Long-distance relationships can get ugly -- fast -- and you may find yourself growing apart, and wishing that you had the freedom to see other people.
“A LDR is also 98 percent about trust. If there's no trust, on either, or both ends, you're setting yourself up for many ugly phone conversations,” a Syracuse University freshman, who broke up with her boyfriend after a little over a semester, told Her Campus.
2. You Can End Your Relationship On A High Note.
One benefit of breaking things off before you leave for college -- if you and you siggo decide that's what you want to do -- is that you can try to end things on a positive, amicable note. Making a mutual decision to part ways but stay friends is easier to do when life circumstances -- rather than anger, jealousy or resentment -- are the cause of breakup. Unless you really think your relationship is strong enough to survive and you're willing to put in the time and effort to make it work, it could save the two of you a lot of heartache to part ways pre-college and try to maintain a friendship.
3. Moving On May Be Easier Than You Think.
If you're preparing for a breakup or just went through one, the summer before you leave for college will be a tough one. But once you get to college, don't expect to be filled with regrets and pining over your ex for too long. With all the distractions of freshman life -- new roommates, friends, classes, parties and crushes -- you likely won't continue missing them for too long. It may turn out that both of you find that you're ready to change and grow on your own. One student told USA Today College that once she and her boyfriend got to college and allowed themselves to have new experiences, they realized that they weren't ready for a long-term commitment.
“We werenʼt mature enough and hadnʼt had enough life experiences to have the kind of relationship we were trying to foster,” St. Maryʼs College of Maryland student Kat Eisenberg told USA Today College of her high school-turned-college relationship. “I think we both met new people and really discovered who we were and that we werenʼt really happy. College is full of the ‘new’ and sometimes that makes a person different.”
4. Being Single Is Awesome -- Especially In College.
When you're first getting out of a serious relationship and experiencing being on your own again, being single can seem like the most terrible fate that could be befall you. But in college, the freedom that comes with being on your own is maybe the best thing that you could hope for. During those four years, there are opportunities around ever corner, and you're constantly being exposed to new people, experiences and ideas. And from all these experiences, you'll be going through a lot of personal growth. If you find someone to grow with you, great. But don't accept anything short of that -- you have too many other awesome things to focus on.
5. College Is Time To Focus On YOU.
You've probably been told a thousand times already that college is a time to learn and explore and discover who you are -- and it's 100 percent true. Again, college should be a time that you focus on developing your own intellectual interests, passions, and new friendships and relationships, rather than focusing on an old relationship that maybe should have stayed in the past. It's going to be tough at first, yes, but once you get adjusted, you'll be happy to be on your own, open to all the amazing possibilities that the next four years will present to you.
Tell us: How did you get through your pre-college breakup? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below, or tweet @HuffPostTeen.
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