Relationships are a whirlwind to begin with. Pack that on to AP classes, clubs, part-time jobs, sports, and for some, college applications. Magnet students are naturally busy, anxious creatures, and free time is often a luxury. When it comes to communication, the obligations of the day tend to become priority, and under all this pressure, even the smallest disagreements can be blown out of proportion. Friendships shift, dating is complicated, and Magnet is Magnet. I took it upon myself to survey these victims, about how they stay connected despite it all – or what ultimately makes these relationships crumble.

To understand what students are really going through, I asked 59 Magnet students about the relationships in their lives: friendships, dating, situationships, sibling dynamics, and even commentary on “other people’s drama.” The results paint a surprisingly honest portrait of what it takes to stay connected when your life is scheduled down to the minute.

Friendships Come First-but Not So Fast

Asked to identify what kind of relationship they were responding to, 39% said friendships, 34% said dating, and 22% said some of both. A few responses fell into categories like “siblings,” “it’s a messy situation,” or “I’m commenting on someone else’s relationship,” proof that high school social life is nothing if not complicated.

That friendships came in first isn’t a shock; for many students, friends are the people who help them survive the chaos that is Magnet. But the data reflects that keeping those connections is getting tougher as students get older, and busier.

Busy Schedules Are the #1 Relationship Killer

Asked what was the biggest challenge in maintaining relationships during the school year, and the answer was crystal clear: 42.4% responded with busy schedules. With AP classes, extracurriculars, and trying to get at least a little sleep, students simply don’t have the hours to spare.

The second-biggest challenge was stress and homework at 15.3%, followed by sports/extracurriculars, miscommunication, and long-distance separation. A few admitted they naturally “lose touch” as the year goes on. One even checked “all of the above.”

In short, time is limited, energy is low, and high school relationships require more effort than ever. Most students have only a few hours a week with their favorite people.

Another telling question asked students to estimate how many hours per week they spend with friends or partners during the school year.

27.1% spend 0–2 hours per week

30.5% spend 3–5 hours

28.8% spend 6–10 hours

Only 13.6% receive 10+ hours

This means more than half of the students (57.6%) see their loved ones for five hours or less each week. That’s less than the length of a school day. And when even lunch is swallowed up by studying, club meetings, and last-minute homework, those hours dwindle even further.

The Biggest After-School Relationship Drain? Homework

I also asked students to identify which after-school activity puts the greatest strain on their relationship. And the winner is: homework, at 40.7%. Sports came in second, at 23.7%, followed by family responsibilities, at 20.3%, and work, at 11.9%. Clubs barely registered, at 1.7%, probably because lots of students do clubs with their friends.

That homework would dominate here is no surprise-regular late-nighters, Magnet students often spend hours completing assignments, studying for tests, or trying to catch up on reading. But it illustrates a central theme of the survey: academic pressure competes directly with students’ social needs.

What Actually Keeps Relationships Strong

Despite the challenges, students also identified what helps their relationships survive the school-year chaos. The most helpful strategies were incredibly consistent:

Constant communication — 74.6%

Planning ahead — 72.9%

Understanding each other’s schedules — 72.9%

Spending weekends together — 55.9%

Having similar commitments — 40.7%

Giving each other space — 35.6%

Only 11.9% of students checked “nothing really helps,” which suggests that even if relationships struggle, most students believe something can be done to improve them.

The three most popular strategies (communication, planning, and mutual understanding) show a clear pattern: students value predictability and effort. Relationships don’t survive at Magnet by accident; they survive because someone intentionally keeps them alive.

Students Share Their Best Advice

The open-ended responses were one of the most insightful parts of the survey. Students gave honest, realistic, and sometimes funny advice about keeping relationships healthy. Some highlights:

“Keeping communication is key whether it’s just saying hi in the halls or texting.”

“Don’t make friendships/relationships your biggest priority. Make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be.”

“Actually make plans and don’t just say when you’re free.”

“If you want to, you will.”

“Relationships take work.”

“Don’t try too hard. Whatever happens will happen and people are busy.”

“Calls before or after school really help. Effort is the glue to a relationship.”

“Men aren’t mind readers. Some of them aren’t even book readers.”

And the most chaotic piece of advice:

“Don’t get into an online relationship with a 30-year-old woman from Europe that may or not be real.”

Communicate, plan ahead, make time for those people who matter, and balance your priorities so that you don’t lose yourself along the way.

So… How Do Relationships Really Survive the School Year?

These results paint a realistic, yet hopeful, picture from the survey.

Yes, Magnet students have a busy schedule. Yes, relationships suffer as a result. Yes, students are stressed out, overwhelmed, and stretched too thin. Yet the data also reveal that students are devoted to their relationships, and will put in the work. Even if the students can only get a couple hours a week together, they make it count. They find little moments: passing in the hallway, sharing lunch, calling while doing homework, planning weekend hangouts, or grabbing coffee before school. The relationships that survive aren’t the ones with the most time, they’re the ones with the most intention. In the end, the truth is really straightforward: Relationships do not survive the school year by accident. They survive because students choose them, protect them, and work for them-even when everything else gets overwhelming. And maybe that’s the biggest lesson from this survey: Even during those months of the year that are most busy and stressful, people still find ways to show up for one another. And that might be the strongest sign of all that these are relationships worth keeping.