End-of-Year Goodbyes Don’t Have to Be Tough

As I live out the final days of my sophomore spring, I feel both unbelievably excited and unexpectedly sad. A part of me is happy and relieved to get a break, but the other part doesn’t want this semester to end (mainly because it was, by far, my best semester yet). True, I still have two more years here and don’t have to dive into the real world. I do, however, have to say a number of goodbyes that I really don’t want to. Whether they’re going abroad, going home, or heading across the country for the summer, bidding adieu to the people I have spent all of my time with at Penn, the people who have made this semester incredible, is going to be hard.

 

This isn’t meant to be a damper; exciting things lie ahead for all of us, and the worst part about change is the uncertainty we feel leading up to it. This is meant to be a few words of advice on how to deal with parting ways for the summer, in the form of my last HerCampus post of the year.

 

This is contingent on where you and your friends are, but I would venture a guess that at least one of your friends will be somewhere that you can visit. Make plans to meet up between both of you or plan to visit one another. Even seeing someone once can make 3 months feel shorter, and you’re probably more likely to keep in touch after seeing each other in person.

 

One of my best friends and I have written letters back and forth for over 4 years now. I’m not saying that you have to write letters; we have Skype, phone calls, texts, Snapchat, Facebook, email, and plenty of other ways that make communicating across countries and time zones easy. Regardless of how you do it, checking in with friends every now and again prevents you from losing touch in the long-term. 

 

It’s like that cliché: goodbyes are more like see-you-laters. When you get back to Penn, you pretty much forget you were ever apart from your friends. Even if you are a senior, you’re probably going to come back to campus for something, whether it’s homecoming, Fling, Alumni weekend, etc. Stressing out about all of this really isn’t productive, and doesn’t change the fact that you won’t see your friends until you return to school. Do your best to enjoy the break for what it is, and you’ll come back to Penn ready to reunite and tell everyone about your awesome summer.

 

Your friends, significant others, and classmates are going to miss you too, so have some faith! If you put in even the smallest effort, the sting of any goodbye will dissipate the second you text each other on the car ride home from Penn.