University Guest Post: The Relationship Guide

The latest in my guest post series, here is Becky from Blogger & The Geek talking about being in a relationship at university. I found this a really interesting read as mine isn’t the usual university relationship (there’s not many who have kept up an LDR for three years!) – I’ll definitely be making sure I make the most of my girlfriends after reading this!

With everyone getting their A Level results recently and off to University soon, I must admit, I’m jealous. It will be six years ago this September when I started my degree at the University of Lincoln and I had the best 3 years of my life. I met my best friends, lived independently, made some good and bad memories and I met my boyfriend, Ant, who I’ve been with for five years.

It’s inevitable that you will meet a number of different people at University. I remember my freshers week being a haze of alcohol and meeting so many different people each night. As you get more and more settled, you may find yourself getting into a relationship and, because you’re away from home, it brings a whole game of the table. You can have them stay over, you’ve got a whole house/flat, a city homed to different bars and restaurants. It’s a sense of freedom that I personally never really had before.

With this new freedom and dynamic, there are pros and cons. Having been with Ant for the majority of my University life and living in a houseshare with different people. I balanced my friendships, relationship, a part time job and my degree whilst at University. It’s an achievement because it’s really difficult.. here are my top tips to keeping the balance of your relationship.

Remember you share a house with other people.

This one sounds a little ridiculous seeing as you live with other people. In my first year, I shared my flat with two other girls and then shared a house with 3 other people. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your relationship and forget about your housemates. If you’re having a cosy Netflix night in sprawled all over the sofa and taking over the living room with your Two for Tuesday, your housemate might be stuck in their bedroom and feels a bit awkward interrupting. Let them know what you’re doing in advance. They’d really appreciate it.

Schedule time to see your friends.

As exciting and loved up you may be, don’t forget to spend times with your friends. Remember to keep going on nights out, going on coffee dates and breakfast dates before lectures. If it all goes wrong, they’ll be the ones you will rely on and pick up the pieces.

Go to each others houses.

One bonus of being in a relationship at Uni is that you now have 2 bases. That 9am lecture on a Wednesday and the other half lives next door to the seminar room? Big, big bonus!

Keep being yourself.

If you’re part of a University society or a club, make sure you keep going! It’s good to have separate hobbies and building a life outside of your relationship. Even outside of Uni, it’s important to not live in each other’s pockets.

You have another brain to use.

One thing with my boyfriend and I, we could use each other’s brains to our advantage. My boyfriend is dyslexic and often missed words out of his essays so I always re-read his work to check for spelling and that it made sense. My boyfriend’s a creative which was amazing for bouncing ideas for my creative writing piece in my third year.

I found that this guide helped me with not only having a loving and balance relationship but it balanced my friendships and helped me achieve my degree. Always remember what you went to University for and what you set out to achieve.

What are your tips for managing relationships at university?