While in school you’ll see your friends everyday, making it super easy to keep up with everyone! But this means that graduating and moving onto college can seem daunting. You all of a sudden won’t be seeing everyone everyday and it’s natural to feel like you’re drifting apart. College can be super busy, meeting new people, having new classes and trying new things. As a result, it can feel like you don’t get to see your school friends at all! But I promise you that there are ways to keep those friendships going.
Don’t Be Shy, Write a Letter!
Sometimes (a lot of the time) I struggle to send someone a text out of the blue. When you ask someone ‘How are you?’ there is a general script that usually follows. I feel like this script isn’t always the best for fully opening up the conversation. Generally reaching out over text would lead to a proper catch up over coffee or a drink but when people are in college in different countries this doesn’t quite work the same!
In the past year that I’ve spent in college, I’ve sent cards to some of my friends who are abroad for college. I think that in writing a letter I’ve been able to put aside the time to properly think about what I want to say and to wish them all the best. Personally, I’ve kept every birthday card with a nice message from a friend. I think that they are a cute thing to keep! On top of this, in today’s world filled with technology, receiving a letter in the post is rare and a nice surprise. They show a lot of effort and can be made pretty through a nice card or adding things in the envelope like stickers or pictures.
A Weekend Getaway??
With friends in different universities, it could be super fun to go and visit them! If their college is in the same country as yours you could easily head for the day. If your friend lives abroad then that gives you a great opportunity to visit somewhere new!
A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine came to one of my lectures. While the lecture ended up being on the slower side of things, I still really enjoyed having her there. I was able to show her around and introduce her to my friends. What I need to do next is go to one of hers!
Visiting friends in other countries can be a little trickier, getting on a bus versus getting on a plane are very different things. Going abroad takes a bit more initiative and planning. I’ve had friends say that I need to go and visit them and yet somehow time has gotten away from me.
If hopping on a plane to visit somewhere your friend knows everyone and everywhere feels a bit scary, there are other things you can do! Making the most of your holidays is one option. When everyone is back home for college is a fantastic time to catch up. Or if you’re feeling particularly adventurous you could plan a group holiday.
Plan, Plan, Plan!
Once everyone has a free slot to meet up, what are you going to do? Finding events or holidays are a fantastic excuse to hang out. Galentine’s Day has gained popularity online in recent years. My friends and I met up and decided to celebrate it too! One person hosting meant that this was a cheap event too. I’ve got to admit that it’s becoming increasingly hard to find places to just hang out.
A friend and I were making our way from college so we even stopped in a shop to buy flowers and some treats! Sitting around the table was a fantastic opportunity to just chat and catch up. There was no pressure to pay the bill and leave the table, we didn’t have to spend ungodly amounts on a drink and there was no stress about finding a bus home.
Get Some Visual Aids!
Galentine’s Day is just one of many fun activities. PowerPoint nights have also been gaining popularity. The good thing about PowerPoints is that they are super versatile with loads of potential. You could delve into a niche interest, speculate the future of your friends, or use them to catch up!
I haven’t seen some of my friends since starting college and I reckon the best way for me to update them on my life would be through a PowerPoint. It would allow me to put everything in chronological order while still making it good fun! Having photographs will also allow me to point out my new friends!
This can work both ways though. My college friends and I only met last semester and we get along great. But because we’ve only met each other relatively recently, there’s so much about each other’s pasts that we don’t know! As a result, we’ve decided that a PowerPoint night of ‘Pre-College Lore’ is in order.
Reach Out!!!!
The most important thing you can do is just reach out to your friends! There’s a reason why you became friends in the first place. Send texts, invite each other out for coffee and tell each other when you’re back in the country. It’s important not to be shy about this, the effort to reach out shows a lot. With true friends the time spent apart won’t matter, you’ll click back together!
