To break up or not to break up. This pivotal question haunts many a Dartmouth couple as one or the other (or both) will travel to London on a History FSP this Fall or spend the Winter in New York slaving for Morgan Stanley. And (gasp) it's almost our JUNIOR year. That means we go off to the big, bad real world in two years, and out there it's a whole different ball game -- as evidenced by the disappearance of our Blitzmail accounts.
But there's a reason 40 percent of Dartmouth alums marry other Dartmouth alums (yes, the statistic really is that high). It's because relationships can work, despite the dysfunctional D-plan. Take it from someone who's been there: my older beau jetted off to New Zealand during my freshman winter, leaving me lovestruck and with an 18-hour time difference to get over. Yet we managed to make it work, and here's how you can too.
First off, don't freak out if you don't get a call every two hours. That doesn't mean that he/she has found someone else and is currently comparing how the two of you look naked. And don't text obsessively. There's not THAT much that you need to talk about 24/7 (I don't care how interesting your new job is).
That doesn't mean you can't fill your partner in on what's going on in your life. Just try to keep your life a bit mysterious so things stay exciting and there's always something to talk about during the next convo. Oh yeah, and try to tone down the amount of pong you're playing with that brother in Theta Delt or the number of hot Spanish girls you're meeting.
Patrolling your lover's Facebook is another no-no. "The Art of Facebook" goes beyond Matthew Ritger's guide to sophomore summer: it applies to relationships too. Yes, the other person will meet people of the opposite sex while away from the Dartmouth bubble. I'm sorry, but it's inevitable. Don't let a wall post or two from one of these new friends upset you. Even a poking war between them does not mean that they're aching to get under any covers together in the near future.
Last, but not least, sexual frustration is certainly an issue. But there are plenty of inventions out there for both sexes, making this no excuse to say farewell, whatever country you're in. So get creative.
Bottom line: try to stick it out. The three (or six) month separation will go quicker than you think, especially if the two of you Skype on a semi-frequent basis. And since you're 40 percent likely to be staring at the face of a fellow Dartmouth grad when you hear the wedding bells ringing, this relationship has a good shot at working out.
