Staying in Touch with Hometown Friends in College

Staying in Touch with Hometown Friends in College Something I worried about a lot near the end of my senior year of high school was the idea of leaving my longtime best friends behind for college. While some of my friends back home I had known for only a few years, I met most of them when we attended the same elementary school. There’s something special about still being in touch with people who knew you back when you went through your pre-college education track. I have to begin this post by saying yes, you will make new friends in college, and it’s okay to do so. But sometimes, there’s nothing quite like calling up a friend from your hometown. You might want to talk about a memory you just rediscovered from when you were both in the fourth grade, or to talk about the differences in your college experiences, or to reminisce about the less strenuous days of high school. Regardless of why you want to stay in touch with your friends from back home, it’s always a good idea to keep in contact with those you love. While these may not work for everyone, here are the tips I’ve created that seem to work the best for me and my group of friends. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to take these tips and make falling out of touch with hometown friends a thing of the past. If you don’t already have a group chat, start one! If you have a group of friends that are also all mutual friends, starting a group chat can be a fun and easy way to make sure everyone stays in the loop. Texting a quick hello! in a larger group chat is sure to get everyone talking every day. Use apps like FaceTime or Skype to make the distance between you and your friends seem smaller.  I FaceTime my best friend from first grade all the time. Sometimes, you just have too much to talk about to put it all in a text. Feeling like youre talking to someone face-to-face is a much better alternative. Also, you get instant feedback from the person instead of waiting for a text back.   Communicate when both you and your friends will be back home at the same time, and make plans to do something at least a few weeks in advance.  This can get a bit tricky! If youre like me, you may have some hometown friends that dont even live in the same state as you anymore. Your hangout weekends may depend mostly on their schedules. For example, this past semester, my friends and I werent all back in our hometown at the same time until winter break. But, it was so rewarding to make sure we all scheduled time to hang out with each other over break, and to share stories we specifically waited to tell until we could all be together again. Make sure you plan ahead, because as college students and young adults, we all have busy lives and our own schedules to follow. Planning ahead will make sure everyone can free up their time and happily hang out! If you use social media, share with your friends what you’ve been up to, and look for the same.  While I dont currently use social media anymore, when I did/when I do in short bursts, I like to see what my friends have been up to. Seeing pictures of them enjoying their time at their own universities makes me smile. I try to update friends on what exciting things are going on in my life as well. Try not to fall back on this as your only form of staying in touch with friends, because social media can often be misleading! Genuinely messaging a friend and asking how they are doing is always the more sincere option. When in doubt, there’s nothing like a quick phone call or text to tell them you care.  I love all my friends, and sometimes a quick, Thinking about you! I hope youre having a great day! makes sure that my friends still know I care about them. I suggest that everyone does the same! If you’re a current high school senior, college may seem like a scary world of the unknown. But, if you choose to stay in touch with your high school friends (not everyone does, and that’s perfectly okay, too), they may help make your college of choice seem that much smaller. I hope you’ve enjoyed my quick tips! Until next time, I-L-L! Lydia Class of 2021 My major is Instrumental Music Education within the College of Fine and Applied Arts. I'm also part of the Marching Illini! Before moving to Urbana, I lived in Collinsville, Illinois, where we are known for some killer Italian food and the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle.