As I’m reaching about the two-month mark since moving out and going to college, I can verify that your high school friendships won’t change much in the time spent apart.
I was fortunate enough to see one of my high school friends for a while a few days ago, when she just so happened to be in the LA area for a family event. Her parents dropped her off here at LMU, so I got to show her around my new home and tell her all about the crazy adventures I’ve been on so far. She was able to tell me about her own new college experiences as well. We laughed and exchanged memes as always. It felt like nothing had changed.
Similarly, after my best friend and I spent a few weeks with zero communication between us because of some technological difficulties and someone’s inability to respond to texts in a timely manner (I’m not saying it was her, but…), we’ve finally reconnected and have FaceTimed several times in the last week or so. Once again, I’ve found nothing between us has changed! Of course, I miss her dearly, just as I do my other good friends who have all gone their respective ways since graduation, but when I talk to her everything feels natural. It’s almost as if we haven’t spent two months apart, even though, obviously, we have.
I’m sure not everyone has been having a similar experience to this with their own friends from high school, but that’s okay. It’s hard to find the time to keep one another “in” on what’s going on in your lives (especially if there’s a major time difference now!). Sometimes your friends just want some space to navigate their way through making new friends without feeling as if they’re just falling back to you before putting 100% effort into socializing with their new classmates. That’s okay, too.
In the end, most of your old friendships will probably just pick up where they left off whenever you talk to or see each other again. I don’t miss high school, to be quite honest; I just miss the people, all the friends I’d see every day just walking around campus. But then I have to remember that being in college means I’ve only increased the number of great friends I have in my life. Quantity versus quality in friends is an ever-changing preference among individuals; going to college has enabled me to acquire both.
So, to all my pre-college friends out there reading this: I love you and I miss you! I hope you’re doing well with whatever you’re doing right now!
And to all my college friends: I love you as well! Thanks for being my friend and embarking on this wayward journey of transitions and adulthood with me!
To anyone else who may be reading this for whatever reason: You’re pretty cool, too!