Lauren Weisinger, freshman environmental science major, has been dating her boyfriend Kevin Smith since last November. They went to the same high school, Conroe (north of Houston), and reunited at UTSA, living across the street from each other in University Oaks. They have known each other since the 5th grade. “He actually lives in my hometown so we go pretty far back,” Lauren said. Their relationship is entering a new phase, since after this semester Kevin plans to leave her.
They will go from living across the street to an 84.4 mile stretch-the distance between San Antonio and Austin. Kevin plans to fulfill his CAP requirements this Spring and transfer to Austin by August.
For Weisinger, the plan is straightforward: get good grades in her sophomore year at UTSA and reunite with Kevin at UT Austin before her third year.
The UT Austin’s Coordinated Admission Program (CAP), is a program that allows students to begin undergraduate study at a UT system university and guarantees admission to UT Austin, should the students complete all CAP requirements.
According to UT Austin’s website for incoming students, “Many, but not all, students are well served by CAP.
Each year more than a thousand students participate in the program; about a third of them complete the CAP requirements and come to UT Austin for their sophomore year.”
With an average of 1,500 freshmen in the CAP program each year at UTSA. Weisinger’s and Smith’s romance is far from unusual.
Lucia Martinelli knows this story very well. In fact, three years after his boyfriend left for Austin in 2009, they are still in a relationship and “somehow manage,” Martinelli said.
“It all comes down to having a good head over your shoulders. You wouldn’t do anything the other person wouldn’t do. Period.”
“For the other cap-enamorados out there I could only recommend what I’d recommend (to) anybody: Choose your partner wisely and everything else should work out,” Martinelli said.
“But it’s also important to mention that sometimes the relationship wouldn’t work, come what may. Which means that not because you are in a long-distance relationship you should forego small details that would anyhow damage the relationship.”
Lauren Weisinger was asked what she expects from a long-distance relationship. “They can work if you have the patience and you have a lot of endurance as well,” Weisinger said.
“You can’t give into the temptation of other people. You have to really keep your eye on the prize and know that you will see each other. On top of that, distance can make the heart grow fonder in a lot of occasions. When you get back together you like each other more than ever before.”
Weising and her boyfriend plan to meet during holiday breaks and with periodic trips to see each other.
“You value your time together so much more because you know you won’t be able to see each other as often as you usually do, so you really put your heart into all of it. In one weekend together, you do as many things as you can. And you spend every second of the day finding something fun to do with each other.
“I’m going to drive to Austin as much as I can, maybe once every two weeks or every other weekend. I could drive there and he could drive to San Antonio so we can switch off for gas money. And then definitely use Skype, and talk on the phone.”
An hour-and-a-half trip to Austin every other weekend does not sound that difficult. In fact, it is a proven method to keep updated with your loved one, Martinelli assured.
“This is not nuclear science; these type of relationships have existed since the beginning of the interstate highway system and long before that” Martinelli said. None of the students we spoke with who were formerly in a long-distance relationship with a Longhorn agreed to be interviewed.
Although an hour-and-a-half trip every other weekend might seem simple, to some, that is far from being truth.