By Morgan Gibson

Dating in college can be one of the best experiences of the four years, but going through a break up can be one of the worst. The close quarters of a college campus put you and your former significant other in a multitude of uncomfortable situations. You probably live on the same campus, maybe even in the same dorm, and have the same group of friends; bumping into each other is inevitable, which can be awkward and sad. Some techniques for getting over break ups can sound a little drastic, but they work. So, to ensure a clean break up with the least amount of tears and drama possible, here are a few tips for surviving a heartbreak in college:

1. Gain as much distance as possible
While you might live in the same little bubble of a college campus, it doesn’t mean you have to see or think about your ex all the time. If you normally walk past their dorm or bump into each other between classes, switch your routine up a little bit. Doing something as small as taking a different route to class can help minimize the awkward run-ins. Also, don’t text, call or communicate in other ways, and don’t hesitate to remove their number from your phone. This will be hard since the two of you were so close, but talking to your ex will most of the time just make you feel worse.

2. Beware of Facebook
With the rise of social media, break ups have gotten a whole lot more difficult. Facebook stalking his or her recent photo tags and wall posts for an hour a day will make your break up 100 times worse. If you find yourself creeping on their page, don’t hesitate to either remove them as a friend or block them (under “privacy” settings). I know this sounds dramatic, but the awkward ending of a Facebook friendship is better than drunkenly sending your ex a text like “Who was that guy you were tagged in those pictures with? Did you cheat on me with him when we were together? I miss you.” Not okay. So, to avoid all of this kind of bad behavior, just remove the temptation.

3. Surround yourself with friends
Chances are if you’re like any other college student, you let your friendships go a little bit when you were in love. Fix this as soon as possible and really lean on your friends for support and distraction as you’re going through the rough time. Chances are your friends won’t want to hear you rant about your ex, so it’ll force you to remove him or her from your mind and start thinking about other parts of your life.

4. Get busy
With this new extra time on your hands, you need to get out and do something fun and productive. Join clubs, organizations, intramural sports—anything that you have an interest in that will keep you busy. You’ll make new friends and it’ll keep you from moping and Facebook stalking.

5. It’s too soon for friendship
One of the most important thing you need to realize when you’re going through a break up is that no matter how close your ex and you were, the two of you can’t be friends for a while. Accept that you need to send time apart. Forcing friendship will make things harder, and it will keep you from enjoying the single life and learning to be by yourself.

6. Live it up
Being single in college is one of the most fun experiences someone can have. There are hundreds, or at some schools thousands, of new people and a multitude of ways to meet them. Sitting around in your PJs and spooning Ben & Jerry’s into your mouth is the proper remedy for only so long. Once you feel that you’re ready, you should get back on that horse, have fun and go a little crazy.

What about you? How did you get through a college break up and live to tell the tale? Add your own tips to the comments so that heart broken souls can move past their former relationships and learn to be single in college.

Morgan Gibson is a junior magazine journalism major at the University of Maryland and a regular contributor to the USA TODAY College blog.

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The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY.