We’ve all been through it going to university; the first few weeks are a blur with fancy dress nights out and excruciating hangovers becoming the norm. Living in such close quarters with flat mates also means people who were perfect strangers a few weeks ago are now your best friends and it’s hard to remember a time without them. But before the times of Moustache Tuesdays at The Fav and chilling out between lectures in the Terrace there were some other people you used to hang out with…Yep, that’s right, your friends from home. They may not be by your side, but they still exist. So whether you’re a fresher or a returning student to Leeds, here are some simple tips to make sure your friendships last all the way to next summer.
Become Pen Pals
Ok, so we don’t live in the dark ages anymore and the post can be a little slow, but a little thing called the internet was created and along came emails! By spending time to write a paragraph to each other every week means your conversation can carry on over a long period of time. Divulging all your gossip about that lad you pulled the other night, or the new society you’ve joined means your friends still feel up to date with your life and you still know what’s going on in theirs.
Social Networking
This might sound simple, but for those friends you’re not as comfortable having a one on one long email conversation with, Facebook and Twitter can be perfect. When me and my friendswent to uni I found it especially difficult to maintain friendships with the boys in our group. We were used to all hanging out together on nights out and at house parties , so when we all went our separate ways, we had to focus on our individual relationships. Facebook was my saviour! Liking photos of friends during fresher’s week and commenting on their drunken status’s showed I was still missing them and interested in what they were getting up to, without having to write a long email telling them so.
Visiting one another
Finding the time in your busy schedule and visiting your mates is a great way to keep your friendships alive. Not only that, you get to see some great cities, and how fantastic the nightlife is! Train fares to Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool are fairly cheap from Leeds and if you book early enough you can get some great deals. www.thetrainline.com is a good site to book tickets on and by doing it online you can often get 1/3 off train fares. Visiting one another can turn into a fantastic weekend, especially if a few of your friends from home manage to make it. One of my best friends turned twenty at the beginning of this year and we all headed up to Newcastle for an army themed fancy dress birthday. Around ten of us made the effort to go up and it was a really fab, and messy, night out! Inviting friends to visit is also a great way for your home friends and uni friends to meet and mingle.
Don’t forget their special occasions
Speaking of birthday nights out, don’t forget to send them a card on their special day. You’d expect one if you were back home so there shouldn’t be any difference when you move away.
And finally, just be there for them
Whether it’s using the internet, sending the odd text or a weekly phone call it’ll be greatly appreciated. I’ve had friends disappear off the face of the earth during university, and making a comeback near Christmas with a text asking “what’s the plan for New Years Eve babe?”. As much as you’re happy to see them, you still can’t forget they haven’t spoken to you for three months straight! Being there through term time is really important. I was having a really hard time in my first term, and the amazing surprise of two friends driving one hundred miles just to come and see me made me realise just what true friends they really are!
At the end of the day these are just tips that me and my friends have used over the last three years. If your friendships are strong enough they’ll survive university anyway and you can look forward to spending the summer together like old times with BBQ’s and road trips and generally just having fun, after all that’s what friends are for!