Learning to prioritize connection

Friendships, romantic relationships and familial relationships shape college students as they become adults. When asked if they could tell their past selves one thing about maintaining healthy relationships in college, students had a variety of advice.

“It’s worth it,” Bentele says. “You just have to be open to the communication being a little difficult and inconsistent with your schedules at first.”

Morris says in the past, she has avoided situations with unclear outcomes. She has since learned that just because the possibility of a budding relationship is confusing does not mean she should avoid them altogether.

“Lean into things that are scary. [Prince] initially scared me, but he’s now a very positive thing in my life,” Morris says. “So leaning into things that are scary is probably going to benefit me more than it’s going to hurt me.”

While learning ways to navigate new relationships, Gardner says her idea of friendships has evolved. With all the work it takes to maintain connections in college, she’s not afraid to take a step back if someone isn’t reciprocating that effort.

“If it’s not meant to happen, it’s not meant to happen,” Gardner says.