Dating is hard. Relationships always take work, and it’s hard enough to manage the stresses and responsibilities of being a student without worrying about if you’re doing a decent job as a boyfriend/girlfriend. But it’s not impossible to make schoolyard romances work, as that couple you know who’s been together since secondary school can attest to. It just takes a lot of effort, commitment, and precise scheduling; just like everything else in school. Here are three handy tips on how to combine school with your love life.
Go on Study dates
Academics are undoubtedly a student’s priority, so when exams begin to loom over the horizon you might find yourself locked away in the library studying alone, isolating yourself from all manner of distractions… including your partner. While grades are definitely important, some couples might find that the gulf created between them while both parties are cramming for assessments is impossible to bridge even after exam season ends.
A possible solution for this is to go on dates where you study within proximity of your partner before going out for a short meal. You don’t even have to talk if you’re not studying the same topics, but the act alone of inviting your partner out to study shows him or her that you want to spend time with them in spite of your busy schedules. This way, you can get your studying done before taking a brief break to de-stress with your partner.
Prepare small tokens of appreciation
Sometimes it’s hard to even remember that there’s a world out there besides your school and home, because you haven’t been out in so long. It’s hard to find the time for gift shopping, but it’s easy to use some construction paper or post-its to write encouraging or romantic cards for your partner to make them smile during stressful periods. Couple the card with some sweets or chocolate to turn it into a care package for extra brownie points. This is a sure-fire way to make your partner feel like they’re being appreciated instead of being taken for granted. You can make care packages for your other friends, too. Why not? It’s a sweet gesture (literally and metaphorically) and you’ll make someone’s day a little better.
Photo: Giphy
Send her home
As a student, your timetable is more often than not filled to the brim with lessons, consultations and extra-curricular activities, leaving little time for your partner during school hours. Even after the school day ends, completing your tutorials, finishing up your project work and studying for the next assessment means that sometimes you might not have time to text or call your partner some days.
But if you can’t spend time with each other in school or at home, maybe you could be together on the way home from school. Even if you live far from each other, it’s a good gesture for the guy to send his girlfriend home halfway, or at the very least wait for the train or bus together. This way, you get some alone time together to talk about what happened at school while perking each other up in preparation for the work waiting for you at home.
Communicate on the Phone
Being with each other in person is, of course, the best. However, the rigours of student life often keep us from spending as much time with our partners as we would like to and sometimes it could seem like there’s so much you want to tell him/her but you simply don’t have the time to. Well if you can’t say it, text it. While words on a phone screen probably aren’t the most romantic or personal way to describe what you’re feeling, some communication is better than none at all. A simple “I miss you” over Whatsapp can speak volumes to your partner, and it’s important to let them know that you haven’t taken them for granted through gestures like texting. If you have the time during a study break, you can even try calling, Skyping or Facetiming them for a while. It’s not the same as being together in person but it’ll help tide you over until that last paper is over.
