Being in school can be one of the most fun times in one’s life as well as hectic. For most people, it is the optimum foundation of their future and for the lot, it is a time to have fun, make memories, and live their best lives while preparing for their future of course. It is very normal that while in school, you’d be attracted to someone and would like to start something, especially while in university and at this age. Being in a relationship in school can be exciting and not.
Yet for many, it is a dilemma because in as much as they’d like to have a “thing” while in school, they also would like to be committed to their books diligently after all that’s what school is for. Being in a relationship while in school is an individual decision one makes. These days, it is common to see students all coupled up.
It is almost like the new norm. Although being in a relationship while in school could be fun for the most part, it is not entirely rosy considering the fact that one has to deal with academic stress, time management and not being able to see each other on a daily basis.
While acing your grades and keeping your academic work in check, it is easy to be carried away by the couples you see and hear of in school. And it can be especially tempting if there’s someone that has the potential of being more than a friend. There are varieties of relationships that you’ll experience throughout school. Be it, friends, with benefits, long-distance, monogamous or committed, and the single.
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Benefits of being in a relationship in school
Getting into a relationship while in school could be a fun and interesting prospect. Not only is it fun but it also offers a nice experience and sort of prepares you for your future relationships.
At this age, there is a heightened pressure to establish yourself and dating at this point might come off as a distraction. A relationship however can be a great source of strength and support once you do it right. You’ll have a helping hand whenever you need one and someone cheering you on through hard times and lifting you up whenever you’re down. Aside from that, you’ll learn how to effectively balance responsibilities in your social and personal life and that of your career in the future. Also, a relationship offers you great companionship. Having someone to spend quality time with after a hard day’s work could be quite helpful. You get to have a good laugh and great conversations and this could be a vital tool that’ll help you deal with the stress from the tedious school work. In addition to that, you get someone you can plan your future with and also someone to talk to about your ambitions and deepest fear that you can’t share with your friends.
Aside from that, a relationship could help you grow as a person. Despite the fact that you’d prefer to be single for independence sake and putting yourself first, a relationship can help you grow as an individual. A great skill that you gain from a relationship is being able to compromise and it is also beneficial to have someone point out shortcomings that you might overlook.
Disadvantages Of being in a relationship in school
While being in a relationship may seem like the best option, it has its demerits particularly because you’d be coupling that with your academic work. More often than not, a relationship at this time is seen as a big distraction. And rightly so especially if it’s not handled well. When you’re in school you want to stay focused and have the right attitude towards your studies, your surroundings and people around you really have an effect on your performance.
There is no sure guarantee that the relationship will be a perfect, drama-free one and so it is important that you avoid being in situations that wouldn’t give you the right atmosphere and state of mind.
Aside from that, being in a relationship at this point might hold you back from something that you’d like to do. While in school you’ll probably like to explore and do things that your partner might not agree or be comfortable with and that could cause problems in the relationship and even for you as an individual.
In some cases, making friends or having study mates becomes difficult because your partner might tend to be insecure or jealous. Moreover, the question of maturity is something you should think about not just in terms of age but also your mindset, objectives, and what you’re aiming at.
Both dimensions require a lot of time and commitment and to be able to build a successful relationship as well as keep your grades up, you need to ensure that your mind and attitude is built for the two because there will be moments where you’d have irregular school and class hours, intense academic demands and changes in priorities. And you’d have to ensure that both you and your partner are mature enough to understand that both things are demanding and one would require more attention than the other in order to not just succeed academically but also have a healthy and well-built relationship.
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What you should know
Only you can decide if you want to be in a relationship or not but as you ponder on it, you should assess yourself and question yourself on whether you are ready, willing, and capable of balancing both dimensions such that one does not suffer in the end. You should assess your level of maturity in handling difficult situations and stress. And if you decide that you want to be in a relationship at all cost, you should lookout for a partner who shares your vision and goals and will encourage you to be diligent with your studies. Not only that, he or she should be on the same page as you in terms of maturity or even better. You should also learn to set boundaries between your relationship and your education, as well as between you and your partner. With this, you’ll be able to live with the demands of both things.
Conclusively, the prospect of being in a relationship may tickle your fantasies and you may want to have fun but the smart thing to do would be to focus on studying. However, it does not mean that you should totally rule out the chance of you being in a relationship once you have assessed yourself carefully and are sure that you’ll be able to manage a relationship while in school then you’re good to go!
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