My column is really supposed to be about The Commons, but I can't think of anything and it's the last week of the semester, so I'll instead try my hand at a topic every great writer has to tackle at some point: college relationships and studying abroad.

For a year now, I've listened to classmates talk about how they couldn't get involved with this girl or that guy or anybody altogether because they were studying abroad in the near future. Everyone knows there's no reason to start something for 10 weeks if you're not going to see each other for three to six months, right? Now that almost everyone I know is past that awkward pre-abroad semester, (so no, I'm not trying to win the heart of some globetrotting girl.) here's my opinion on it, and in the spirit of Christmas, it's piled high with cheese:

What does it matter if you're going away in a few months? In 100 years, you'll be dead. Every relationship has an expiration date. Some will last decades, some will last a summer, some will spark at the first coffee date, some won't get off the ground for four years. My point is, relationships will never be on your time. So make the best of what you can. It's crushing to think of how many kisses are missed out on just because plane rides are already booked. And who said you can't be in a relationship with someone who's abroad, anyway?

It's now easier than ever before to communicate with people back home, making it much easier to keep a long-distance relationship going. Just ask anyone who goes to a different school than their significant other. I'm sure it's a challenge but not unprecedented. It's at least a better option than the always terrible, awkwardly-hook-up-for-the-last-two-months-of-the-semester plan or the lame, acknowledge-you're-interested-in-each-other-but-do-nothing-about it strategy.

I don't get the people who actively avoid getting into relationships before they go abroad. You're not going away forever, so do you like them or not? Are you expecting them to wait for you while you go off skydiving in South Africa or touring Amsterdam? And if you're hoping to start something with them when you get back, why don't you want to be in a relationship with them before you go? "DTR" that shit!

So, the person you like is going away for a while. It's not a perfect situation, but it's ok. If we could choose who we love and who loved us back, the world would be a very uninteresting place. "Love" might be too strong a word, but you get what I'm trying to say. You still have right now.

—Sean Tierney is a junior in the College of Arts and Science and editor in chief of The Slant.