This is a collaboration article with Her Campus Cal Lutheran. To see Rosie Baker’s article, click this link: https://www.hercampus.com/school/cal-lutheran/high-school-college-long-distance-friendship
The summer before heading off to college, I tried really hard to spend as much time as possible with my high school friends. My story is different than many people’s. My family moved away from my hometown of Los Angeles by the time I started college. I was about to move 3,000 miles away from an environment I had grown comfortable in, and I was really scared of the change. In my heart, I knew that this would be the last time we would all properly be together. I wouldn’t be visiting my family over breaks in the city I grew up in. Therefore, I wanted to make sure I was very present that summer and living in the moment, making memories with my friends.
When you go away to college, friendship dynamics change. Big friend groups that came together towards the end of senior year often begin to fall apart. As time away from my high school environment continued, I realized that certain friendships were mentally unhealthy for me and hindered my personal growth. I was so focused that summer before college on making sure I could keep a quantity of high school friendships in my life, but all I needed was just my few closest friends who I still am very close to today. I haven’t been home to LA in over two years, and I miss the city I grew up in and the friends I made there. Here are some tips on how I’ve maintained my close friendships back home while being 3,000 miles away.
- Maintain Snapchat streaks.
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I know Snapchat is dying out in popularity, but I’m still a huge proponent of streaks. I think my longest streak, at the time I am writing this, is 707 days with Rosie, who this article is in collaboration with at her Her Campus chapter at Cal Lutheran. Realistically, texting daily check-ins is not going to happen. Snapstreaks allow you to see into your friends’ lives daily. I love seeing my friend Amy’s snow days at Boulder and Rosie’s beautiful sunshine in California.
- Send each other memes, articles, and funny videos.
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Friendships form because you have similar interests and senses of humor. If you see a meme, article, or YouTube video that reminds you of your friend, send it! I always love receiving texts out of the blue from friends to discuss something we both enjoy.
- Actually text about life.
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Sometimes, just a “hey, how are you?” text can go a long way. If you know they had a huge midterm they were nervous about, ask them how it went. I think sending funny memes and snaps can maintain a superficial relationship, but it’s important to show that you care about what’s going on in their lives at a deeper level.
- FaceTime!
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Scheduling a FaceTime can be difficult. I wasn’t the best at it last semester, and I need to do better. That’s why texting is important, so you can be communicating regularly at some level during your busy schedules. Over winter break, though, I had calls with all of my three closest friends and they went on for hours because we had so much to talk and laugh about. Point being, call your friends!
Since this article is in collaboration with Rosie, I just wanted to end with saying how amazing of a friend she has been to me over the years. We met on the first day of our junior year of high school, at a time where we both were experiencing a great deal of transition in our lives. Rosie had just moved all the way from England, and my family was about to move cross country. I really leaned on her for support because I felt we could understand each other’s experiences so well. We also were neighbors during senior year, and we spent so much time together. It’s even more special that we both write and have important leadership roles in the Her Campus chapters at our respective schools. I think the best part of staying in touch with home friends is watching them grow into the amazing adults they were always destined to become. I am so proud of all you have accomplished Rosie, and I am so excited for all the amazing memories of the future and seeing all that achieve!