Going away for college can be a very exciting yet very scary. It is a lot of firsts for most people, one of those firsts being away from the friends you’ve grown up with. It can be very nerve-racking as well as sad, thinking about parting ways with these people for such long periods of time. You go from seeing them every day in the hallways of high school and spending all your weekends together, to not seeing them until Thanksgiving or Christmas break. However long you may be apart though, there are many ways you can make an effort to stay in touch with them.
Text Them a Few Times a Week
Granted we all get busy and caught up with classes, extracurriculars and spending time with our new friends at college, there can always be time to send our “home” friends a text. Sometimes you might have time to have a full on conversation and fill them in on all the juicy gossip, and sometimes you might just have the time to send them a quick “thinking of you” text. Either way, the effort is shown and they know you care.
FaceTime Them
Almost the same as texting, however FaceTiming can be an even more personal way to communicate with our friends who are states away. FaceTime allows us to see our friends familiar faces and expressions as though we are right there in the room with them. You may need to set aside some extra time for a FaceTime call, so text your friend ahead of time and see when they are free to talk! Short or long, FaceTime calls are always my favorite.
Invite Them to Visit Your College for a Weekend
Some of us are lucky enough to be a bus or train ride away from our friends at college. If this applies to you, make it a point to visit your friends or have them visit you once every few months. It never hurts to take a break from your college life/friends and spend time with your friends from home. Even better, your two worlds can collide when your college best friends get to meet your “home” best friends whom I bet you always talk about.
Communicate via Social Media
We are fortunate that at this day and age we are blessed with technology and social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. If you aren’t able to send a text or call your friends, at least show them some love by liking or leaving a quick comment on their pictures. Snapchat can also be an easy way to stay in touch by just sending a few fun pictures of your day!
Send Letters
I know, I know… you probably just looked at this heading and laughed at the thought of writing a letter. However, when our parents were in college, this was their main way of keeping in touch with their friends! Crazy, right? As crazy as it may sound, I bet we all have those friends who are horrible at texting or picking up their phone, which leads us with no better option but getting their address and sending them a quick letter or two. It will probably come as a surprise, but who doesn’t love getting mail in college?
Branching off from your long time friends after high school is without a doubt, very hard, especially if you’re lucky enough to have such great home friendships like I have. But trust me, there will be time to talk to each other and stay up to date with each others lives. Keep in mind, it is all the amount of effort you and your friends put into it. So, if you’re really true friends at heart, staying in touch will be simple!