Why miss out on experiencing the amazing things that love has to offer just because you’re at a different school than your significant other? I promise, you can make it work.

Although it may be difficult at times to maintain a healthy long distance relationship, there are measures that you can take in order to stay on the right track.

First and foremost, you must fully embrace your life at college. It’s extremely important to have a social life while you are at school.

It won’t make things any easier if all you do is sit in your dorm room and text your partner. Go on an adventure, get a meal with friends, attend a sporting event — do anything that will keep you happy and distracted.

Nonetheless, communication is key. This doesn’t mean that you have to be in contact 24/7, but it’s always nice to hear from one another throughout the day.

However, communicating via text message can lead to problems every once in a while, so talking on the phone or FaceTiming is a must. While it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of work and extracurriculars, it’s not hard to plan to take time out of your day to talk on the phone, even for just a few minutes.

Even though being honest and open is necessary for any solid relationship, it is extremely important when you are dating long distance.

Since you and your partner are not together all the time, it is very easy to become suspicious of what they are doing while you’re not there.

However, if you are honest about everything you do, you will find that your significant other will trust you.

Mistrusting your partner will not end well for a long distance relationship.

That  said, it is also important to confront your feelings and express them to the other person.

The more open you are about your feelings, the better, because if you bury them deep down, they are bound to resurface and create bigger issues.

Last but not least, plan trips to see each other. This may seem obvious, but it is important.

Take out a calendar, coordinate which weekends work for the both of you and schedule dates to visit one another. It can be stressful and lead to relationship problems if you are unsure of when you are going to see each other next.

If you plan ahead of time, you are decreasing a lot of the anxiety that comes along with dating long distance.

Not only does it reduce the amount of stress, it also gets you excited since you have something to look forward to.

Nothing will guarantee a flawless relationship, not even this column, but these tips will help guide you in the right direction if you are wondering how to make long distance work.

It may be tough at times, like any relationship is, but the time that you do spend together outweighs the hardships that come along with dating long distance.