Internships are single-handedly the most important opportunities in college, and you should take advantage of one ASAP! If you do your research, you’ll find that your school typically offers them locally, nationally and sometimes even globally. The problem with an internship on the national or global scale is that it might mean trouble in paradise for your relationship.

If you or your guy has accepted an internship out-of-state (or the country), it’s important to discuss whether or not you want to stay together and ‘go the distance.’ When making this decision, it’s crucial to remember that college is a place to grow and develop yourself as a person and not only for your future career, but also for life in general. Internships allow you to learn about potential career opportunities within your field of study while discovering who you are as a person.

With that in mind, ask yourself, “Is dating this guy during my internship going to be a negative distraction?” If yes, then you know what you need to do because this is the time in your life when you can’t afford to sell yourself short. If the answer is no, then stay together and make it work (we have FaceTime and Skype for a reason!). Now, if the roles are reversed and he’s the one who is leaving, the situation gets a little trickier. If he gives you no choice and is headstrong about breaking up, I’m sorry to say that there isn’t a whole lot you can do.

Long distance relationships take trust with not only the person you’re dating, but also with yourself. It takes maturity and the confidence that you believe in each other enough to know that your relationship is worth the commitment. If one of you isn’t ready for that, it’s probably better that you break up now instead of waiting for that dreaded phone call (or worse a text) saying they cheated on you.

Whatever your situation may be, before one of you leave, make sure you’re both clear on where you stand as a couple. Distance can result in a communication breakdown, especially if you’re texting. But if you clearly establish where your head is at, it will make things a lot easier for everyone involved.

Breakups are never fun, especially when you’re crazy about the person, but sometimes they’re necessary. Just make sure that if one of you decides to break up, you’re doing it for the right reasons and not just because it’s the easy way out. You never know...distance could make the heart grow fonder or you could find a new hottie who makes your heart flutter and head spin all over again.

By: Emily Garbutt | Image: Source