Doc Love

An anonymous writer once said, “Some day, after we have mastered the winds and the waves, the tides and gravity, we will harness the energies of love. And, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” We enter the college world to obtain a degree, find and grow friendships, and hopefully find the one you are meant to be with.

However, balancing love and college life can be stressful and perhaps result in heartbreak and misery. Although your college degree will stay with you forever, your heartbreak will not. I’m Doc Love, writing to my fellow classmates. I’ll be your outlet and your advice. I have no degree, but what I do have is experience. You have the ability to be successful in college and relationships simultaneously. Throughout this semester, I’ll help you through the heartbreaks, flourish your love life, and bring a fresh, new look to love. You are not alone in this journey. There were over 11,000 students in your shoes last year at SDSU.

Balancing love and college life does not have to be a permanent stressor. I have geared this article to answer to those that have just started a relationship, maintained a high school love life, or perhaps left someone behind. Below are tips to help you, the reader. You may find that you need to alter these tips to suit your situation.

Share

Sharing your class schedule with your significant other allows both of you to see when it is suitable to spend time together. You may have heard the line, “Well, I thought you were in class,” or, “didn’t you have lab this afternoon?” This avoids miscommunication at the basic level. You may find that you both share the same lunch or dinner period, opening up a possibility of time spent together.

Communicate

Although you may have shared your class schedule, communicate to your significant other the time you need to study and the time you need to spend with your friends. Everything here at SDSU can play a huge part in your success through college. Communication is one of the key factors in a breakup. Finding ways to spend time together, but still achieving your college and social goals, is what will make your time here valuable and well-spent.

Create Traditions

Find a time during the week to set aside specifically for your significant other. Creating traditions not only grow a relationship, they allow some downtime in between your schoolwork and friends. Traditions do not have to be repetitive, so be creative.

Be Supportive

The times you don’t spend together are the times your significant other may need you the most. Sending little notes via text or email, flowers, cards, and voicemail just to say “I’m thinking of you,” may relieve the stress in your significant other’s life. Remember, be creative.

Balancing love and college life does not have to be difficult. Using these four tips has helped me evaluate my time spent here at SDSU. Relationships do take work, but relationships do not have to be an “8-5” job. I hope that this semester each one of you can take something away from my columns. I’m not a journalism major or a counselor, but what I am is one of you. I’m Doc Love, and I’m here for you.

Keep sending your questions to [email protected]. This is Doc Love, and I am signing off.