Whether you’re graduating in 2022 or are a freshman in college, keeping the friends you make throughout the academic year can be a struggle when summer rolls around. Trips across the country, study abroad experiences and internships, or simply the distance from friends when you’re an out-of-state student can put a strain on many college friendships. It makes many connections difficult to maintain, and oftentimes people fear that the lack of communication will lead to growing distant when returning to campus. However, there are many small and major ways to stay connected with your college best friends, even 500 miles apart!
1. that one summer trip
Whether you take a trip to the Jersey Shore, meet halfway at a cozy cafe or restaurant, or just come up to visit for the weekend, allotting time during a long, hot summer to visit college friends at least once can end up being one of your highlights of the season. Everyone has busy summers, but reaching out to your college bestie or friend circle for a daytime adventure couldn’t hurt. Try to set up a casual summer activity- aquarium trips, beach adventures, picnics in the park, camping, or a day at a theme park. Even an activity like dinner and Icees at 7-Eleven can make an unforgettable memory!
2. keep that group chat active
The most difficult part of summer is maintaining communication, especially when you are all so far-removed from something you once all had in common. Try to text your college friends, or the group chat if one already exists, a few times a week! Text about your week, summer plans, or even daily life updates that are just too funny not to share. Even casually sending that oddly specific and relatable TikTok at 2 a.m. can spark lively conversation when you least expect it. FaceTime and call your friends too, if comfortable. Show off that summer tan or a new haircut, have your pets FaceTime each other, or just have each other on call while baking or cleaning your room! The quiet company can help your relationship just as much as a three-hour conversation.
3. Online shenanigans
With the long-term effects of COVID-19, people began to heavily rely on the Internet to keep in touch with their favorite people. There are plenty of services that allow people to stream shows and movies with their friends, and many gaming consoles have online co-op modes to verse others in real time. Planning movie nights, binging sessions on Netflix, HBO Max, or Disney+, or even PowerPoint presentation nights with screen sharing applications can get friends to catch up and laugh a little in a creative, easy way. If you and your friends share devices, try to play games together if you’re all available! People can go into Mario Kart as strangers and leave playing as newfound friends. Even if you’re all caught up and are simply playing online Cup Pong or 8-Ball, any online activity can keep friends connected (and incite a few arguments from sore losers too)!
4. letters/gifts
Summer birthdays may be lonely, especially if your primary friends are from college and are miles away on the big day. Prioritize each other’s birthdays! Send letters or gifts through mail to be delivered before their celebrations, and try to plan a special activity (Netflix Party, UNO Online, surprise visit) around or on their birthday. Services like Edible Arrangements and Insomnia Cookies are in business for special events like this, so make sure to give your close friend a sweet sign of affection for their special day!
At the end of the day, communication is a two-way street. It’s really up to you to make the effort to keep in touch with the people you want to stay friends with over the summer in whichever way suits your friendship best! However, not all the friends you make in college will stay your friends forever. College is an ever-changing, experimental, social experience where you meet new people every semester and every day. Your friend group from spring semester may not be the same as your group in fall semester, and that’s okay! Friends can come and go depending on your classes, social availability, and living situation. However, it’s the friends you really care about that will stick by your side and continue to reach out, regardless of the circumstances. Those are the real friends you want to keep in contact with over the summer, and even if there’s difficulty communicating with your best efforts, you know there will be plenty to talk about and reminisce on when you rekindle your relationship in the fall.