How to Be A Good Long Distance Friend

As we officially enter October (?!?!), we get further into the semester and are started to feel a bit more settled into the new school year. This is a time of big adjustment for many college freshmen as you are away from home for the first time in a new environment. I think a pretty common fear amongst freshman is not making friends in college (I talked about making friends in college in this blog post) but it is also weird to think about how your high school friendships will change now that y'all are in college.

I know that college was the first time my high school friends and I were really apart for an extended period of time and even though your friendship will change, they can also grow while you are in college (even if you go to different schools!).

Remember Birthdays & Other Important Days

I know I always feel so loved whenever friends send me a quick text to wish me a happy birthday or good luck on an important day. Especially for long distance friends, this is a great way to stay involved without necessarily being physically there. Send a text, Facebook post on their wall, or send them a fun gift to celebrate birthdays and be sure to keep in mind important events (whether a big job interview, congratulating them on a leadership position, or even remembering family events) as it will help y'all's friendship going no matter how far apart you are!

Utilize Social Media

Even if you're not in constant contact with your friends, social media is such a fun way to keep up with some of the big things going on in each other's lives. I always love seeing pictures from my high school friends's sorority events, football game, and other fun events to keep up with them as it makes catching up so much easier!

Like a lot of people my age, I love snap chatting to stay in touch with long distance friends as it is a fun way to get to see the small moments of your friend's day!

Accept Your Friendship May Change
Making friends in college is so weird because your friendships grow so much faster as you literally spend all of your time with them. In high school, you may be in the same classes as your friends and hang out after school but you still don't spend nearly as much time with your friends as you do in college. Considering how quickly you make friends in college, it's ok for your friendships from home to change or to make new friends. You may not text your high school bff as much as you used to but you'll have more to catch up on over breaks!

Never Underestimate Small Gestures

Whether it's tagging them in a meme on Instagram or texting them randomly, you never know how far that small gesture will go. One of my favorite things to do is when I know I have a friend who is having a crazy exam week is to vemno them money for coffee as it makes you remember your friends have your back even when they can't physically be there to treat you to a coffee!

Set up FaceTime Dates

I am not a huge FaceTime gal but I love it on occasion to catch up with friends at other schools or my siblings (and see my puppies haha!). I always love when one of my friends spontaneously facetimes me as it truly brightens up your day and I know it helps you feel a little less homesick as it's the next best thing to having your bff right next to you! My friend Meredith (who is in the picture above and y'all met in this post) and I wound up Facetiming for like 2 hours while I was in the library (in the lobby no worries!) and I loved catching up on things going on in our lives to make due before we could actually have a coffee catch up!

Send Snail Mail
I can't tell y'all the last time I actually mailed a letter other than a thank you note but they are such a fun way to stay in touch with friends as I feel like it's a bit more personal than a text and it's always a fun surprise to get an email from the mailroom saying you have mail to pick up!

Make plans for visit each other
Visiting friends at their colleges is so fun and such a great way to peek into their life at their school. Whether it's a gameday or just a random weekend, it's always a fun time to see your friend in person and it gives you a fun weekend away to look forward to!

Any other tips for long distance friendships? Let me know in the comments!