Once you reach college age you’ll find that life begins to take you to all kinds of different places. Maybe it’s a university far from home, a summer internship in a new city, or a study abroad experience thousands of miles away. The possibilities are endless and exciting, but entering that new phase of life can make maintaining friendships a real challenge.
My freshman year of college I came to Purdue University all the way from Atlanta, GA. The day I moved in I knew exactly one person: my roommate, whom I met on Facebook a few months prior. I can attest to the fact that such a big life change can be scary and somewhat isolating, especially when you’re missing your go-to people. However, just because they’re far away doesn’t mean they won’t still be your besties. Here a few of my tried and true tips for keeping in touch with your long-distance friends.
1. Share life updates on social media
Being active on social media is an easy way to keep friends updated on major things going on in your life. Luckily, we live in an age where there are countless ways to share messages, pictures, and videos that document all the minor and major events in our lives. Using social media is especially helpful for long-distance friendships because it allows you both to catch up on the big events, and it’s convenient for you. Also, having a good idea of what kinds of things are going on while you’re apart gives you a good foundation for future conversations without the hassle of having to catch up on things that happened months ago.
2. Slide into their DM’s
An action as simple as forwarding a funny meme on Twitter or sending a direct message complimenting one of their recent posts on Instagram not only let’s your friend know you’re thinking of them, but can also be a good way to start a conversation or at least share a laugh.
3. Schedule Phone Calls or Video Chats
My favorite way to interact with friends from back home is over the phone or via video chat. Talking over social media and text is nice but no “haha” followed by a laughing face emoji is quite the same as actually hearing your friends laugh. Whether its while you’re walking to class, driving home from work, or just relaxing at home try sending your friend a quick text to see if they’re available to chat. Sometimes it can be hard to find a time you’re both available to chat, but taking the time do so is well worth it.
4. Snapchat
Snapchat gets its own paragraph because it has single-handedly held a countless number of my long distance friendships together. I know what you’re thinking – bold statement. But it’s true, college is crazy busy and sometimes trying to have full conversations over text or the phone is too time consuming! My solution: Snapchat. What’s so great about it is that you can use it to text, send pictures, video chat, and share updates with one person, a group of people, or a large audience of followers in a fun and casual way. I typically use it to send funny selfies and give people little updates about my day-to-day life.
5. Make In-Person Plans
If you’re an out-of-state student like me, the easiest time to schedule in-person meetings with your friends is over holiday breaks. Planning an in-person meeting not only means you get to hang out in person, but it also gives you and your friend something to talk about and look forward to! I recommend reaching out to friends a few weeks before you visit home to let them know when you’ll be in town so you can make plans to do whatever it is you enjoy doing together. It can be as simple as staying in and watching movies or getting dressed up and going out together. Using technology to stay in touch is nice, but nothing beats quality time with your besties.