Going off to college and separating from my high school friends was really sad and intimidating at first. However, after finishing almost two years of college and making my rounds to almost every single one of my friends at a different school than me, I have learned that making the time to visit them was well worth it.

Here are 5 reasons why visiting your friends in college is a must:

1. You get to experience something other than your school.

It’s funny to think back on how nervous I was about coming to what I now consider my home: Penn State. Facetime and Snapchat can only keep you on the inside scoop about your friends’ lives so much, but physically visiting them shares their college experience with you in a real way.

2. You can meet your friends’ friends.

Meeting my best friends’ school friends is always exciting but also bittersweet. You get to finally meet the new people in your friends’ lives who are there with them when you aren’t. It’s also always fun leaving a weekend trip with a few more friends than before.

3. Check another place off the bucket list.

Not only does visiting your friends give you a chance to catch up with each other, but it also gives you an opportunity to see a new place you probably wouldn’t have visited if it weren’t for your friend. Thanks to putting effort into seeing my friends, I have experienced multiple places including the towns of Boulder, Co., Ann Arbor, MI., College Park, MD., and many more.

4. It's gossip time!

Months have probably passed since you saw your friends last, meaning you will always have a lot of catching up to do during your visit. Catching up face to face will always be better than texting when it comes to your best friend. And while a school visit entails lots of going out and venturing, it could be easy to sit and talk for hours.

5. There’s nothing like seeing your best friend.

While months apart may seem long, you know time away from your best friend will never change anything, but reuniting every once in a while is always a good time. We all eventually adjust to our new college lifestyles and time apart from the people we used to spend every second with, but the feeling of seeing your best friends after so long is priceless.