Generations of high school sweethearts have stayed together into college, but the connection tends to unravel amid the charms of a new campus, often during the rite known as the Thanksgiving Break-up, or Turkey Drop.

That tradition — and college dating over all — is being tweaked, thanks to today’s ability to communicate easily long distance. Relationships begun in high school and over summer vacations are continuing. Studying abroad isn’t a deal-breaker. As long as they can Skype, text, send a BlackBerry message, post on Facebook and call at will, distance is no obstacle to love, or to long-distance sexual play.

“I used to hear a lot more that ‘I don’t want to deal with a long-distance relationship,’ ” says Mike Malmon, a psychologist and counselor at the College of Wooster in Ohio. “But there’s been a transformation.”

Take Ms. Welp and Mr. Sorensen. Last year, they Skyped for an hour or longer nearly every night. They texted constantly, talked on the phone and wrote letters (yes, snail-mail letters). Now, more confident in their relationship and squeezed by busy schedules, they Skype twice weekly and call a bit more than that. They send a stream of daily texts and see each other at home on break. For the past two Thanksgivings, Mr. Sorensen has flown to Boston, and later this year they plan to study abroad together in New Zealand. “I’m so reliant on being able to just check in with him and do video Skype conversations,” Ms. Welp says.

Skype and similar technology figure large in this trend. “I don’t know if we would be together without Skype,” says Lisa Hoeynck, a University of Notre Dame junior, committed for the past three-plus years to Dusty Weber, a senior at St. Louis University. “Seeing his face makes our relationship even stronger,” she says.

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