You’re at a university with over 50,000 people. There’s a good chance you’re going to meet people you like, and a good chance you’ll have at least one romantic encounter. Navigating relationships can be difficult when you’re at a new place full of new people, especially if you’ve never been in a relationship before. Here are a few wise words for relationships to get you through your university life and onward.

Understand what your relationship is

Are you casually seeing this person? Are you dating them? Are you friends with benefits? These are the questions you should bring up with someone once you start to feel like a relationship is forming, because it’s important to understand what the other person thinks about the relationship too. If you get a few months in and realize they thought your situation was casual while you thought it was more, you’re in for a lot of disappointment and hurt feelings.

Communicate your boundaries

Everyone has boundaries, and everyone has different boundaries. Bring up what your boundaries are with the other person: this includes physical, emotional and any other types of boundaries, and obviously ask about theirs too. What are the hard nos? What are they willing to explore? What do they enjoy?

On that note, communication is key

Open communication and trust are what build a healthy, strong relationship. Tell them how you’re feeling, tell them if something is wrong and tell them when things are great. Establishing strong communication will ensure that you are both on the same page and you can work through any issues together more smoothly than if you weren’t.