We spoke to three Penn couples who are totally making this long-distance thing work

Penn freshmen often get told that long-distance relationships are stressful, annoying, and impossible.

We used to think so too…until we met three freshmen long-distance couples who not only make it work, but may have also helped us regain faith in romance.

Tagan Lehr

Boyfriend: Cole Rohrbaugh, York College (York, PA)

Their beginnings: We were paired together in a group for some project like building a marshmallow and toothpick cube in third grade, and that’s how we met. But then we didn’t talk again until seventh grade German class, and then eighth grade German is where we hit it off. He thought I had a cool book, and wouldn’t stop talking to me about this book. He was super nice and a person I could always talk to, and so we texted more and more often. Then he finally asked me out…on Facebook… on April 12th, 2011. Actually, he asked me out on April 1st, 2011…still on Facebook…but after I didn’t reply for five minutes he said never mind April Fool’s. Ouch.

The should we/shouldn’t we conversation:  We never had one specific conversation about staying in a long distance relationship, but we have always known that we would always try to stay together because we’re for real best friends. However, we knew it would be a challenge to stay together since we went from seeing each other 8 hours a day to not seeing each other for weeks.

Their challenges: Definitely not being able to see each other everyday and hang out as often. He and I would do everything together back home, and now I feel like I should still be doing everything with him. However, now that we’re not together 24/7 I appreciate the time I do have with him so much more.

How they make it work: We definitely make it a point to call or FaceTime each other at least once a day. Sometimes it’s stressful to fit that in, but just catching up with one another helps to make the distance between us seem smaller. It’s been easier than expected just because I’ve had to go home more than I thought and he’s been out to Philly a couple times already. There hasn’t been a huge gap of time that’s passed between seeing each other. And FaceTime is a true relationship saver.

Her advice: Take time out of everyday, whether it’s five minutes or an hour, to talk and catch up on life. Tell each other everything! Hiding something definitely creates tension in the relationship that can lead to a break-up.

Her favorite thing about Cole: He has the ability to make me laugh whenever, wherever, about whatever.

Charles Hussey

Girlfriend: Lena Volpe, Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey)

How they met: She moved to Illinois from Philadelphia the summer before Freshman year of high school. We grew very close, and on March 3rd of that very same year, I asked her out.

The should we/shouldn’t we conversation: We didn’t really have much of a conversation as to whether we wanted to stay together. I think it was just something we both assumed would happen.

Their challenges:  Fortunately Lena and I don’t really have a long-distance relationship: it’s more of a mid-distance relationship. As such, we still get to see each other every so often, or for big events like birthdays or anniversaries. It can still be very tough only being able to see each other through a monitor, though.

How they make it work: We typically FaceTime each other at least once or twice a week. Other than that, we try to visit each other every second or third weekend, really whenever we have time.

His advice: Develop good communication habits. When you no longer get to see someone everyday, it becomes that much more important that you try to keep them informed on what’s going on in your life.

His favorite thing about Lena: Her laugh.

Colin Lodewick

Boyfriend: Jeremy Lee Wolin, Brown University-RISD (Providence, Rhode Island)

How they met: We met the summer after he graduated from high school (the summer after my junior year), and we’ve been together since the end of last November. He’s a sort of magnetic person who’s endlessly fascinating, one of the most authentic and effortlessly intelligent people I’ve ever encountered.

The should we/shouldn’t we conversation: We thought maybe an open relationship would work, but then that turned into a shitshow so now we are exclusive again.

Their challenges: There are a few challenges, most of which relate to lapses in trust and the occasional moment of jealousy. The reward is the constant support you know is always there, even if it’s from far away.

How they make it work: He’s visited me once so far, and I’ll probably visit him some time next semester. Other than that there are school breaks and FaceTiming. We also send each other care packages pretty often.

His favorite thing about Jeremy: I really like how he chews his multi-grain Cheerios like a wombat or other marsupial would probably chew multi-grain Cheerios.