Returning back to college can be a bittersweet moment for students who have to say goodbye to their significant other.

With students focusing on school and extracurricular activities, it can be difficult for them to maintain a healthy relationship with their partner.

Although it isn’t impossible to have a long distance relationship in college, the communication between one another is key.

Associate professor in sociology Hui Liu has an expertise in health and relationships.

“Communication is really important, one struggle is how to keep the emotional closeness,” Liu said.

With the technology there is today, communication between couples has become slightly easier.

Video chat applications such as FaceTime and Skype have made it so people miles away from each other can have the opportunity to see each other virtually face to face.

The Apple Watch even lets users send their heartbeat in a message. This might not be the same as physically being around someone, but it comes close to it.

While communication is one thing, taking the time out to make visits to one another is also an important aspect of maintaining a long distance relationship.

Being a college student is overwhelming for students who have a constant flow of homework, projects and studying. This can pose an issue for those in long distance relationships that can’t see their partner often enough.

“It is important for people to get together,” Liu said. “Long distance relationships have more challenges and people need to work harder.”

A stigma that continues to spread about long distance relationships is that they just don’t work. This may be true for some couples, but if the time and effort is put in, it can work.

Mathematics junior Dan Thibodeau has been long distance with his girlfriend for the past two years, though they have been together for three.

He said to maintain a long distance relationship, both parties have to want to be in the relationship and work together.

“Don’t get in (a long distance relationship) if you don’t plan on maintaining it,” Thibodeu said.

Above all, the reason for a relationship is to work towards building a future together. Students may lose sight of that with the everyday issues that they face while being in a relationship.

Erik Lauchiè, a media and information and advertising freshman, has been in a relationship with his girlfriend for seven months, four of which they were long distance.

“Think about the big picture, I’m dating my girlfriend because she may be the person that I marry,” Lauchiè said.