The Turkey Dump: Why So Many College Couples Break Up Over Thanksgiving - Part 1
The Turkey Dump, as it is affectionately called, refers to the phenomenon in which college students return home for Thanksgiving break, only to then break up with their high school sweethearts. With the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaching, we here at Her Campus want to make sure you're nursing a full stomach, rather than a broken heart – the only things we like mashed are potatoes!
According to InformationIsBeautiful.net, there are peak times throughout the year when breakups are most likely to occur. According to Facebook status updates, you are most likely to be dumped just before spring break (around mid-March) and about two weeks before the winter holidays. "Thanksgiving break is kind of the last point at which a reasonable human being can drop a significant other until February, and many take advantage of the small window of time," says Dan Savage, sex and relationship columnist. Why, you ask? Read on, ladies!
If you follow the trend, then you probably entered college with a long-distance boyfriend. Unfortunately, long-distance relationships are a ton of work. They require trust, communication, and loyalty. At this point in our lives, who has the time to dedicate to a high school sweetheart? Many of us are often unwilling, or even unable, to sacrifice time with new friends for a marathon session with the boyfriend from home.
Freshman year is stressful – trust me, I have been there. We must learn to balance academics, campus organizations and a busy social calendar. Even if your calendar is a little more "Margarita Night with the Girls!!!!" than "Study for Calculus Test", that is okay. It's college, remember? As such, long-distance relationships often fall to the end of the list of priorities, and who can blame us? If not, though, the stress can be overwhelming. "It was so hard for me to make time for my high school boyfriend," says Rachel, a University of Missouri student. "After awhile, I just couldn't take it anymore." So, if your relationship ends this Thanksgiving, do not blame yourself. Sometimes, we all just need a little time to relax.
Freshman year of college is an exciting time – it is the start of a new chapter in your lives, ladies! ENJOY IT. At this time, you begin a journey of self-discovery, which often leads to the realization that you are not the same person you were in high school, and that is okay. In addition, college life is fun and exciting, which makes the old high school days seem relatively boring, in comparison. The new beginning presents an opportunity to become someone completely new. But, for those of us stuck with a ball and chain at home, long-distance relationships tend to hold us back. If we are tightly bound by commitment, we cannot fully embrace college the way that our friends seem to… you know, the girl who is always stumbling in at 4 a.m. gushing about the gorgeous guy she just spent the better half of the night with. "My girlfriend told me that she needed to 'explore other options' before she could commit to me," says Tommy, a University of Illinois student. "I was really bummed until I realized that tons of other couples were breaking up too, so there were lots of newly single people to meet!" Sometimes, it is better to allow yourself to change. So, after weeks of eyeing the cutie in your class, you realize that maybe it is not the right time for a long-distance relationship. "Go home, hook up and break up is pretty much the pattern," Washington University student, Carly says. Clearly, many other girls realize this, too!
