Hey there! When you graduate high school, you and all your friends are going to be going in different directions. You all have your own lives and your own goals, and most of you will probably be moving away from your home town. This doesn’t have to mean, however, that you can’t be friends anymore! My three best friends and I all went in different directions, and we are still very close three years later. With these tips, you too can stay in contact and remain close with your high school friends!
Keep in mind that it is possible that you may grow apart and realize you simply aren’t the same people you were before – and that’s fine! These tips are focused on helping you stay in touch with those friends that you still feel connected to and want to maintain a relationship with!
1. Make a Facebook group chat with your best friends.
You can share anything strange and exciting that’s happening in your life, just like you would have in person! The Facebook group chat I have with my best friends is still used almost daily three years later!
2. Another fun way is through snapchat!
I make an effort to maintain a “snap streak” with my high school best friend, which means we each snap each other at least once a day! This lets you see a different side of each other’s lives through photos instead of words!
3. Call and text each other!
My advice is to strive to communicate with your friend at least once a day. Even just one text or snapchat! If you start to forget, you may suddenly realize it’s been two weeks before you talked last – and that is how friendships start to fall apart!
4. Snail Mail!
While this isn’t for everyone, I know most people love getting mail when they are in college! Exchange addresses and send each other letters every month or so – add a few stickers, or photos, and just share your lives! Handwriting letters to someone definitely makes you feel closer to one another!
5. Skype or other video chatting services!
Sometimes when you really need to talk to someone, texting or calling just isn’t enough. For me, I can more easily share personal things with my best friends from high school, because they have known me longest and I feel comfortable with them. I tell my best friends everything about my life, and when I really need to talk I know I can always turn to them!
6. Visit each other at school.
One of my favorite things to do is visit my friends on their campus, or have them visit me! Have them bring a sleeping bag (those dorm beds are not meant for sharing), and have a sleepover just like you did in middle school! Show them around your new home and introduce them to your new friends! College campuses almost always have fun, free things to do – my school for example has a gorgeous art museum and a free planetarium!
7. Make plans for holidays and breaks!
During your first few years at school, you will probably be spending your holidays and breaks in your home town, so coordinate with your friends and make plans to hang out while you are all home! Once you permanently live in your college town this may get more difficult, so enjoy it while it lasts!
8. Go on vacation together!
Make a plan with your best friend(s) to go on a road trip or go on vacation together over the summer. Last summer I went camping with my three best friends for a weekend – it wasn’t very expensive and we had so much fun! This summer I am going on a road trip with one of them – a bit more pricey, but definitely worth it! It’s important to make new memories with your friends, not just depend on your times together in high school!
So, with these tips, you should be ready to move away to college without worrying about losing any of your best friends! With just a bit of effort on both sides, it can be easy to stay close (and become closer), even from hours away! If you’ve gone through this before, what advice would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!
Guest Blogger: Alyssa Larsen
Alyssa Larsen is the writer behind Living in Full Bloom, a blog focused on helping collegiate and twenty-something girls thrive and live to their full potential in the years before, during, and after college. She is currently a junior at Ball State University, and loves history, reading, traveling, going to concerts, and late night dance parties.
You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!