Keeping Friends While Away at College
We’ve all heard that the friends you make in college are the friends you’ll have for life. What about your friends from home? The friends you’ve grown up with. The friends who have been by your side time and time again. Friendship is complicated, and it can be difficult to keep these relationships strong while away at college, but it’s just as easy to keep these close friends just as long as all of your new college buddies as long as you put in the effort.
You need to keep in touch-
Talk often! Stay up to date with their lives and share what’s new with you. Don’t forget to ask questions. You need to show a genuine interest in what your friends are doing, and you should want to. After all, you became friends for a reason!
Don’t over share-
Of course, you’re friends back home want to know how you’re enjoying college. A big part of that is making new friends. Tell them about your new friends, but don’t brag.
Visit each other-
Plan a time for your friend(s) from home to visit you at school. They’ll get excited to see the campus and maybe meet a few new faces. This is the perfect opportunity for your friends to meet. If that doesn’t work, or even if it does, plan a long weekend to go home. Spend some time with family, of course, but cut out a good chunk of time to catch up with your friends and get some quality face-to-face time.
People change over time and college is one of those times. You will constantly be changing and so will you friends at home. If you grow apart, that’s okay, don’t beat yourself up about it, but if you are able to make it work, your friendship will be stronger than ever.