I know we *just* finished Thanksgiving break and are slowly recovering from the food-coma that took place less than 5 hours after seeing Santa in the Macy’s Day Parade, but I, personally, cannot wait for winter break. Winter break is a god-send to Drexel kids because it’s pretty much the only break that lines up with those of semester schools, giving us an opportunity to meet our high school buddies at the mall to catch up and spend money. For the other 11 months of the year, though, it can be a serious struggle to stay in touch. We’ve provided you with some ways to keep the laughs rolling and the friendship alive.
1. Skype!!
Sure you can text each other throughout the day or whenever something funny happens on your way to class, but a great way to keep a friendship going is to have a conversation face to face. This way you can share silly faces and really experience what it used to be like catching up in the halls or at the local coffee shop.
2. Visit Whenever Possible
If your friends went to college close to home, visit them during short breaks. Most of my friends went to colleges less than 3 hours from our home town, making it really easy to hop on a bus for a quick visit. Since Drexel has weird breaks and we never line up with semester colleges, visiting friends when they’re on campus is a great way to hang out at different colleges and see what they have going on. You get the flexibility of college life and you get to hang out with all your friends away from home. Win, win!
3. Â Send Silly Packages
Whenever I get a care-package from my mom, it instantly makes my day better. I know mail’s old fashioned, but getting a card or something in the mail is always exciting and is an awesome way to show someone you care. If you and your friend had a favorite candy or something small you can easily send, do it! You get major points around midterm and finals weeks when pick me ups are much appreciated.
4. Make Phone DatesÂ
If you’re a really organized set of friends, arrange for a set time to call or chat online. It can be comforting knowing you’re going to talk to your friend soon, and it gives you something to look forward to as the weeks drag on. For an organized person like me, I enjoy knowing people have set aside time to chat. Schedules get way too busy and on the whim hour-long gab sessions aren’t always possible with midterms every other week. Â
5. Be Active on Social Media
BuzzFeed, StumbleUpon, reddit, and so many other websites have great things to share with friends far away to remind them of “that one time” or something that’s always brought laughs to your adventures. If you stumble across a Vine eerily similar to what you & your friend would do, share it with her! She’ll appreciate how you still remember your past adventures and experiences.
6. Don’t Alienate/annoy Them
No matter what, don’t brag about your college too much or insist your friend transfer. You all made your own decisions based on life goals and what felt better during campus visits. Not having your friend attend school with you just means awesome stories when you catch up and a very minimal risk of getting sick of each other. I remember when I wished my high school was a boarding school so I could see my friends all the time. College definitely brought me back to reality. Some of those people I only want to see twice a year, not every day.
7. Know When It’s Over
If you keep reaching out in attempts to remain close to your friends from high school and they aren’t responding with anything more than a “like,” move on and focus on the friends you have now. A lot of people don’t realize who they are until they reach college, so they might not even be the type of person you want to be friends with. Make new friends every chance you get as you grow as a person!
Do you have any tips for keeping close? Tell us in the comments below!