Often at college, you have friends you go to meals with, study with, and have set hangout times with. However, those friends aren't always there. My first semester of college my roommate frequently went home during the weekend as did the few other friends I had. I would have to find other ways to pass the time so I didn't stay cooped up in my room for what felt like days. Here are five tips I used to cope with being mostly alone on campus for the weekend.

1. Distract your mind.

Find a movie or a book that can take your thoughts away from this world and entrance your imagination for awhile. It can be surprising how quickly time passes when you dive into a fantasy land by reading a good book or watching some Netflix.

2. Go outside.

Being in fresh air and looking at beautiful sights of nature can help distract you and make you relaxed and happy. Go for a walk around campus, most tend to have paths with trees or mountains that have trails perfect for hiking

3. Listen to music.

I know it is something we all frequently do but instead of skipping songs because they aren't what you are familiar with, try some new songs. Listen to genres you don't usually listen to and get some new favorite songs by expanding your horizons. It might surprise you what small songs you fall in love with.

4. I know this next one isn't that fun, but studying can really burn time.

Your roommate being away makes it an even better to time to study as you have the whole room to yourself and can do it on your own time. This could be the optimum time to power through a presentation or essay that you need to do or to get ahead of future projects in your classes.

5. Do something that you really love.

For me, I love doing makeup and face paint designs. Basically, find a new hobby or one you previously had such as playing video games, building things, blogging, whatever really interests you and makes you feel happy.

So if you are ever stuck on campus without most of your group follow these tips and distract your mind, go outside, listen to music, study, or use a hobby to burn through the hours until your best friends are back.