It’s practically over. Senior year is coming to a close and while the Class of 2010 can’t fix their relationship mistakes, it’s only fair that we give those of you about to embark on your senior year some much needed advice: Don’t start a relationship towards the end of your senior year. If the relationship is any good you will only be setting yourself up for tears and goodbyes when summer ends.

Many people choose to leave Maryland and go to various parts of the country or go abroad for college, and it stands to reason that few of these people will end up going to the same place. So what is the chance that two people who have been dating since the second half of senior year are going to go to the same college the following year? The chances are slim, therefore begging the question, what will happen to the relationship when college starts? More than likely there will not be a relationship to stress over.

Of course couples who have been together since before the second half of senior year are a different situation. They have had time to understand each other in a relationship’s context and figure out whether they are a serious couple, but without this time to grow, young relationships already start off on the wrong foot. Instead, couples have just about exited their “honeymoon” phase when they are separated by institutes of higher education.

Plus, who wants the drama of scheduling your summer in such a way that will allow you and you recently labeled significant other to spend as much time together as possible? Your summer before senior year should be filled with pre-college experiences such as orientations, last minute family visits and tanning by the pool. But if you decide to venture into the hazardous area of a senior year relationship you can kiss most of that goodbye.

So for those of you who are currently juniors and are not in a relationship, think long and hard about how you want to spend your senior year. Instead of looking for a girlfriend or boyfriend to spend senior year with, look to your friends to enjoy your final year in high school. Relationships are not a necessity and therefore they should be approached with a certain amount of trepidation in the first place, but by the middle of your senior year, if you have not already found someone, don’t worry, your friends are more than enough.