What does it matter to you if I’m with my school-sweetheart at uni?

After seeing a UCAS guide that suggested you shouldn’t take a ‘school boyfriend or girlfriend’ to university, I was pretty offended. Mainly because I had been with my boyfriend for three and a half years and wasn’t aware that I should just dump him at the drop of a hat when starting uni.

It seems that there’s a general consensus within university life that students are supposed to be single. I would never judge someone on their love life, and all I ask is that UCAS doesn’t judge me on mine.

I started my relationship at the age of 15. I can safely say now, at the age of 19, I don’t regret it. It didn’t stop me having fun in my first year – I still lived in halls, I still went out clubbing, I still made loads of friends, and I’m still in my relationship now. You can have fun and be monogamous – not everybody’s idea of a fun night out is the same.

Being with someone from home is comforting. I know I will always have a support unit when I need it, and being with somebody outside of uni life gives me a break. Studying and assessments can often get overwhelming, and having someone to go to when I’m feeling stressed out is a welcome distraction.

Like many of us, I get homesick. Being with someone since school means we have memories together, so when I’m feeling a bit down and am flicking through my old Facebook photos he can be there with me, reminding me that home isn’t as far away as it sometimes feels.

Couples Halloween costumes are another plus

I don’t have to worry about not pulling on a night out. Instead of stressing about not getting with anyone for the third time in a row, I can focus on having a good time and trying not to be sick when I’m on the bus home. However, it’s really annoying when blokes at the bar don’t understand that my “I have a boyfriend” excuse is genuine.

I would appreciate it if the myth of having to be single at uni would disappear. When I look back at my time at university, I’ll be grateful for my boyfriend to have been there to support me throughout, just like other people have support from friends and family when they’re stressing out about studying, bills and being constantly poor. I’m just as sure other people will be happy to look back at their time during university and feel happy having been single, making different types of memories compared to me.

If someone’s happy being single and someone else is happy being in a relationship, leave them to it.