It’s now late July, school is going to start in about or less than a month. Which means you get to see all of your college friends again. But you may not have been keeping in touch as much as you like because let’s face it, we all get either lazy or busy in the summer. Here are a few tips on how to get your keeping in touch skills back on track and developing a better relationship even though you’re far apart.
1. Texting often
Texting is basically second nature to our generation. It’s a crucial part of keeping in touch with college friends that don’t live close enough to visit. A simple “Hey, I miss you” every now in then, when you truly do miss them (don’t be fake), will get the text ball rolling and could possibly brighten someone’s day. Also allowing you to strike up a conversation and learn about what they’re doing this summer.
2. Facetime
Face timing goes hand and hand with texting. Every now and then take one of your lazy days to actually see your friend's face. Texting can seem emotionless even if you're both trying to convey how happy you are to talk to each other it'd be nice to see that person"s facial expression as they tell you about their crazy day.
3. Road trips
If you're lucky enough to live close to at least one of your college friends why not make the trip to go see them. Take the weekend off to go see their hometown and their hometown friends. I personally took a trip to two of my college friends' hometown and got to meet all of their friends and now I'm able to put a face to people they talk about and also feel closer because I've seen where they came from.
4. Remember the good times
Instead of thinking about how much you can't wait to go back to school to see your friends or dwelling on the fact that you didn't grow up with them, remember the good times. Remembering all of those late night study sessions or watching The Bachelor every Monday is an easy way to keep in touch. Just bringing it up in conversation will open up a floodgate of all of the fun times you had. You can also bring up moments when you're doing something that reminds you of it. For example, when Luke got sent home might remind you of when Becca from the Bachelor got sent home even though you both know that she's perfect in every single way.
5. Send small mementos
You don't have to break the bank to send them something. You don't even have to physically send them anything. Sending/snapchatting something that reminds you of them is a nice way to keep in touch. If you and your friends are heavy travelers, you can all send each other a key chain or a postcard from your vacation.
6. Share favorites
Lastly, sharing favorites will help you keep in touch. It's almost "don't forget me" or "we'll always have (blank) type of thing. If you share your favorite movies, music books or whatever thing you both enjoy it'll grow your friendship. Simply suggest a movie/show you like if you know they're on a Netflix binge.
