What it’s like staying with your high school sweetheart throughout college

Chances are, if you’re a college student currently in a relationship, that relationship didn’t start in high school. The odds of a high school relationship continuing on into college are very low, especially in a society based on hookup culture.

My boyfriend and I have been dating since the final months of our senior year in high school – almost two and a half years now – and I can officially say we broke the stereotype of “breaking up before Thanksgiving of freshman year.”
That’s something I’ve heard always happens.

And here’s the thing – I know plenty of couples who did just that. College broke them apart. Maybe it was distance, maybe it was the college lifestyle they wanted. Either way, it is a pretty true stereotype.

But again, it isn’t for me. I wanted to ask other high school sweethearts about how people react to their longterm, often long-distance, relationships continuing into college.

Faith & CS

I spoke to a student at Watts School of Nursing named Faith. She’s now engaged – yes, you heard that right – to her high school boyfriend, CS. They are pretty adorable, but there were people who assumed they wouldn’t work in college.

Faith said: “A lot of people told me that it wasn’t worth it to try and stay together and that I had all my ‘college years’ ahead. It bothered me a little, but I knew CS was my best friend and truly felt that God had brought us together for a reason.”

“Everyone’s story has a different plot. And yes, it is odd to find ‘the one’ in high school, but it’s such a blessing. It just means you have the opportunity to grow up together through crucial years. You have more time together and more memories.”

Kayley & Kyle

Kayley, a rising junior at UNC, has been with her boyfriend since high school as well.

She said: “I’ve heard people say stuff about needing variety, like, ‘How do you know what you want if you haven’t dated around?’ or ‘Have you really only ever kissed one guy?’ Also, it’s awkward when people I know who have been dating shorter than I have get engaged.” True that.

In the end, Faith said it best. There is a plan for everyone, and just because your plan involves being with multiple guys in college and having a blast doing so, doesn’t mean we can’t have a blast being with the same person we’ve had a blast with since we were young-ins in high school.