It’s hard moving to a new place with new people and having to start again. In my personal experience, this happened exactly. Once I graduated from highschool, my hometown friends and I moved away to different cities or states for college. I moved into a new apartment with new people, and it was scary at first. Even four years later, we still stay in touch and are able to continue our friendship even if we are far apart. How did we manage to do that? Well, we….
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Check In With Each Other: You can do this by texting, calling, or Facetiming. Make sure to ask them how they are feeling, what they are up to, and anything else that would make them feel heard and cared about.
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Use Social Media: We live in a wonderful time that we don’t always have to talk face to face to say ‘Hi’. Like and comment on that new Instagram post, send a quick Snapchat, send a TikTok, or share a memory on Facebook. It shows them that you are thinking about them and that funny video might bring a smile to their face.
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Don’t Forget To Share: Sometimes it can feel like you are bothering them with your problems, but that’s what friends are for. They are there to vent to and vice versa. Friends support each other and will always be there to lend a helping hand or ear.
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Send A Letter: Letters can be very personal vs. a text that can read weirdly. Both are great, but sometimes a nice card can add more of a personal touch with maybe a cute drawing or mini gift inside. Trader Joe’s or even the Dollar Tree have great cards for under $2 or even better, DIY a card and send it!
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If You Can, Visit Them: If you live in the same state or semi-close, try to plan a time when you both are free and see them. Facetime is great, but in person is always nicer. Maybe if they have an important event going on, try to see if you can make it there to support them and cheer them on. This can be pricey, so just make sure it’s reasonable for both of you, and know that sometimes it’s not always possible to visit and that’s okay.
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Don’t Get Jealous: It happens to the best of us. We get jealous or start to feel left out when they do the same things you guys used to do, but with different people. If they post about it, make a comment saying, “Awe memories” or “I miss going there with you!”. Try to share the memory with them. If you can, maybe try to get to know their new roommate, so that if you visit you all can do something together.
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Understand That Sometimes Life Gets In The Way: Remember that everyone is busy with school, personal matters, etc. It’s okay if they don’t respond right away. They still care and want to connect. Maybe set a time and date that you guys can really catch up and don’t have to worry about anything else.
This doesn’t just pertain to freshmen leaving their hometown friends. This also can be for the college student who had to transfer to a new school or had to move to another place for a different opportunity. I was that transfer student who graduated from one school and went on to get my BFA at another school. The roommates I left behind became really good friends of mine and we knew we had to stay in touch. Now, we use these same tips, so we don’t lose the special bond that we created in that one apartment. These are also good tips to use during Covid times. Hopefully, these can help you too!