Leaving your hometown behind and moving to college can be a big adjustment, especially if you are used to seeing your friends in high school every day. One of my biggest fears when coming to college was that I would lose touch with my friends back at home. However, just because you can’t see each other in person doesn’t mean you have to lose contact with each other. Here are a few simple ways to keep in contact with your friends while you’re away at college.
- Give yourself weekly reminders to reach out to an old friend
With the stress of adjusting to college life and trying to meet new people, it can be easy to forget to text your friends back at home. An easy way to prevent this from happening is to set reminders to message or call your old friends. Whether you write a note in a planner or set weekly reminders in your phone, it is a great way to start up a conversation with the people who are important to you.
- Send each other posts on social media
If you find yourself having trouble starting up a conversation with an old friend, an easy solution is to send them a funny post on Instagram or your favorite TikTok. Although sending someone a meme may not be the same as having a deep conversation, it is still an easy way to keep in contact and show your friend that you were thinking of them.
- Make exciting plans for when you get together again
Although it may seem like a lifetime before you get to see your friends in person again, coming up with fun plans to do together when you are home during the break is a great way to have something to look forward to. Whether you plan to visit the city together or just spend the night and catch up, it keeps you and your friends excited to finally meet up again.
- Use Facetime to your advantage
Although texting is a great way to connect with old friends, being able to see their face while talking to each other can make it feel like you are in the same room. Whether you like to schedule Facetime calls or prefer to have them more spontaneously, it’s a great way to catch up. You can even watch movies or play games together while you’re on call to give you a fun activity to do together.
Although college is a great place to meet new people, it is important to strengthen connections with old friends as well. Making the effort to reach out to others and ask them about their day can show your friends how much they mean to you and keep your friendship strong.