32.5% of current college relationships are considered long-distance, according to a study done by iVillage, a British online magazine. That means almost 1 out of 3 college students that are in a relationship are in a long-distance relationship. And approximately 75% of college students will be in a long-distance relationship at one point during college.
These relationships can be extremely difficult and, according to iVillage, 40% of them are doomed to failure. This happens on average within the first 4 moths.
I myself, like one third of other college students in a relationship, am in a long-distance relationship. My girlfriend and I have been dating for 2 years and 4 months and so this is the start of our second school year apart from one another.
My girlfriend and I, at this point, have become an exception to the statistics that suggest long-distance relationships are unable to work. It’s my opinion that the key to keeping a relationship going, despite only being able to talk on the phone or see each other once or twice a month, is to keep talking to each other. Long-distance relationships aren’t much different from normal relationships in that communication is the key!
In fact, long-distance communication may actually improve the quality of long-distance relationships. According to a study published in the Journal of Communication “LD [Long Distance] romantic relationships are of equal or even more trust and satisfaction than their geographically close (GC) counterparts”. This is because long-distance relationships rely on communication, which drives intimacy between the couple.
So whether you’re just starting a long distance relationship or you’re a couple years in like my girlfriend and I, remember that they can work if both partners want them to. Bottom your significant other about their day, whether they’re a thousand miles away or holding your hand.