We’ve all been in that moment when it is finally time to say goodbye to our hometown friends as we depart for our first semester at college, the sad but exciting time where your childhood memories are evidently in the past and must come to an end as you enter a new chapter of your life. This leaves you with the question: how does one maintain friendships while beginning this new journey?
There are obviously many obstacles to the solution, such as making new friends, conflicting class schedules, or even the physical distance between your friend group. However, it is not impossible to keep in touch with pre-college friends. A few tips to maintain these friendships might be to keep up with your group chat, make time to call, and even keep up with them on the many social media platforms that exist today. Despite the challenges you may face keeping in contact with hometown friends, it is important to recognize that these relationships helped you become the person you are today.
Staying active in the group chat
Keeping up with friends in a group chat might be the single most important part of maintaining these relationships. Whether it is sending updates along the way or just having a conversation during free time, it could show your dedication to maintaining involvement in peoples’ lives. It is also useful to understand that you may all have your own lives with classes, clubs, Greek life, or new friendships, so evidently, the group chat may not be as lively and active as it used to be. However, staying in touch with friends can have many benefits like reducing stress, allowing for different viewpoints on certain topics, and, with close friendships, they might understand you better or on another level than your close circle at college.
Calling your friends
Other than spamming your hometown friend group chat, voice calling or video calling has proven to be a beneficial way to maintain these friendships. As we all know, texting can get tiring, and sometimes it’s easier to vocally communicate. Hearing your friend’s voice or even seeing their face on the screen serves as the closest thing to talking in person. So if there happens to be a chance to use this form of communication, it may be more satisfying than texting.
Engaging on social media
Other than communicating with the basics like texting, calling, or video calling, social media is another great way to keep in touch with hometown friends. Many platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, or even TikTok can be used as a medium to share content or communicate with friends. Snapchat in particular proves to be a great platform for keeping in touch with friends due to its continuous circle of communication through pictures and texting. It even provokes people to keep in touch with the everlasting “streak” created with the purpose of maintaining contact.
It is also important to note that losing or falling out with friends is completely normal too. Sometimes friendships do not last forever, which is completely standard. Given the circumstances of moving to schools far apart, it can be hard keeping friendships with the new exciting experiences that present themselves. Most importantly, it is essential to understand that new friendships will also blossom, some of which could last for the rest of your life.