There’s no doubt that college is an exciting time full of amazing people and experiences, but even when Dorothy made a bunch of new friends in the magical Land of Oz, she still knew there was “no place like home!” Because you’re meeting so many people and building so many fresh relationships, not to mention going to class, clubs, sports, and other activities, it definitely starts to get difficult to stay in touch with those old, steadfast friends from home. Maybe you just need a fresh approach to revamp your communication style with your buddies from home, like something besides just a text or Facebook wall post. Lucky for you, Her Campus has some creative tips for keeping your old and new friendships in perfect balance. With the following methods, you’ll keep your “homeslice” happy and pick up right where you left off next time you see her!
The Traveling Notebook
Think Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, mixed with the Mean Girls Burn Book (but not as mean!). Her Campus Contributing Writer Katie Sanders agrees that passing a notebook between your friends is a fun way to feel connected while you’re apart. You can write funny stories, glue in pictures and scraps, draw pictures, or fill out questionnaires – the possibilities are endless! Just mail it to your BFF when you’re done, or exchange it during breaks when you’re at home. And who doesn’t love getting mail that’s actually tangible and not in digital form?
Commercial Break Chats
A lot of your friends probably watch the same television shows, right? Well, why not use this scheduled programming to talk with them? Every commercial, you can chat about how horrible that audition just was on “American Idol” or how hilarious the boys are on MTV’s “The Buried Life.” Kim Ramos, a senior at James Madison University, says that she and her friends from home always text each other throughout every “One Tree Hill” episode. Try using three-way call if there’s more than two of you. Either way, you’ll have a guaranteed way of catching up once a week.
Facebook Threads
This is definitely a more personal way to use Facebook with your friends. You can start a “thread” that allows you and whomever you invite to share an ongoing conversation that everyone in the thread can see and update. This method is perfect if you have a larger group of friends, and you can upload pictures and videos, too! Her Campus Contributing Writers Heather Rinder and Marissa O’Connor both use this method to stay in touch. Try getting the thread going with a question for everyone, like “What’s the funniest high school memory you can remember?” or “Who’s your latest crush in school?”
University Road Trip Tour
Since a lot of your buddies probably ended up going to school at different places spread out all over the country, you should use it as an opportunity to do a little traveling! Book a weekend when you and your friend (or friends) are free, maybe when there’s a concert or a big party planned at your destination school, and drive up to see what your friend’s college world is like. Not only will it be fun to see her home away from home, but you’ll meet all her school friends and it’ll give you two more to talk about the next time you’re apart – because you’ll know all the people she’s referring to!
The CD Exchangers
This is a group I’m a part of with a bunch of my high school friends that love music just as much as I do. Here’s how it works: Each of us is assigned to a month, and sometime during my month I make a CD mix to send out to all of them. If you do it with 11 other friends, you end up getting a new mix every month for a year! It’s a really great way to not only learn about new bands, but to feel connected to each of the people in the group. Also, you can send along a little letter with the CD to let everyone know how you’re doing, or make it a private group on Facebook so you guys can talk about your favorite tracks on the latest mix!
Once Upon an Email
Get back in touch with your imagination and create a story with your friends through email. This one may sound kind of silly and childish, but it’s a fun thing to do when you’re really bored, snowed in, or taking a break from studying. Just start writing a story about anything you want, send it off to your friend (or friends), and keep on adding on to it on your own time. You’ll be surprised how relaxing and fun it is – not to mention how funny it’ll be to look back on years later.
Now that you have some ideas of how to keep your relationships with your “homeslices” feeling new and fresh, you can leave each other after each break knowing that you’ll stay closer than ever!
Sources: Marissa O’Connor, Her Campus Contributing Writer
Kim Ramos, senior at James Madison University
Heather Rinder, Her Campus Contributing Writer
Katie Sanders, Her Campus Contributing Writer