By Sabrina • 2 Comments
Romantic relationships aren’t the only ones that suffer when one person moves away to college; distance takes a toll on friendships, too. Friendships are often more meaningful and longer-lasting than romantic relationships, which is why you should make your best effort to preserve them if you’re moving away. So here’s how to make sure your long-distance friendships last through college and beyond!
I make schedules for everything! It’s the only way I can keep myself from going crazy. But schedules aren’t just for day to day life; you can use a schedule to make sure your long-distance friendships don’t fizzle out. Make a commitment with your friend to Skype or FaceTime once a week so that you don’t have a chance to forget about one another.
Some things are easier said than done—think about all of the “Let’s hang out this summer”s that never happened! Once you make a schedule, stick to it! Don’t let new friends or dates get in the way, at least not without proper warning. Otherwise, your friend will feel like you’re choosing your new life over an old friend, which is a horrible feeling! Just set aside ten minutes or more a week to catch up, and do your best to never miss it!
You moved away to college, not Mars, which means you will see your friend again some day! Make plans for winter or summer break, whether it’s a staycation, day trip, or traveling abroad together, make sure you have plans for the future so that you both have something to look forward to and keep you connected throughout the school year.
Uhh… duh! The best part about living in this era is the presence of social media. Well, indoor plumbing may also be a plus… Regardless, with social media there’s no reason your friendship should fizzle out! With all the #TBT’s on Instagram, shout outs on Twitter, and funny-faced Snapchats, it will feel like you aren’t even apart!
The OG social media: snail mail! It takes a lot longer to update one another than more modern forms of communication, but it will keep you both excited to receive the next letter! Plus, letters are a much more personal way to converse; her handwriting will remind you of when you used to pass notes about gossip and crushes in class, or, most likely, when you’d copy her notes. It takes commitment and constant self-reminding, but communicating via snail mail is totally worth it!
If my friends could somehow manage to mail me an In-N-Out milkshake from California to Boston, I’d be forever grateful! But until then, I am more than happy with other types of more easily transported care packages. If you send your friend cute items you’ve picked up in your college town and she does the same, you won’t be able to forget about one another because you’ll constantly be thinking about what to put in the next care package.
Don’t become the old married couple of friendships, where all you ever do is text about the weather and decent Netflix shows from time to time. Tell your friend everything you’d tell her if she were right next to you! Embrace your weirdness as well as your developing maturity, and you’ll notice that you grow together instead of apart.
Nothing beats a good girl friend who’s there when you need her! So don't let something as trivial as distance end your friendship. How will you maintain your friendship while away at college?