Staying in touch with your hometown friends while in college can be a challenge, but there are many fun ways to connect with them while being far away! Read more to find out some ideas!
Download a video chat app such as Zoom or Google Meet, this way you can share your screens with each other. You can watch movies together and see each other’s reactions without having to be in person. My friends and I love to choose more comical movies so we can make jokes the whole time. You can also choose holiday themed movies and have a marathon, such as for Halloween or Christmas. You can also go on websites such as Zillow and look at expensive houses in different parts of the world. It is fun planning your idealistic future out with your friends.
This requires less planning than video chatting because you don’t need to send a link or need to be at a computer. If some of you are outside or in the middle of doing something you can still join the call. Group FaceTimes are a great way to catch up with each other and share funny stories. This is the most used way my friends and I keep in contact, because it is the fastest and easiest way to hear each other’s voices. It also doesn’t require all of you to be on at the same time.
Vlogs are a silly and fun way to update your hometown friends. Whether it’s in a group chat or private story, you can all send each other quick videos about your daily lives. It also works if you have different schedules, because you can open them at different times of the day. You can talk about how classes are going, your relationship status, what you are eating, anything and everything. It also is nice after having a stressful day to watch videos from people you love sharing their day.
Who doesn’t love some friendly competition? Playing games with your friends is a quick way to get you all involved in something that is different and entertaining. There are so many games you can play without even being in the same room and are completely free. You can even play games on Imessage, such as Crazy8. You can also download games on your phone such as Roblox or Among Us. If you want to have it on a larger screen you can also download it on your laptops. If you are more into video games and have gaming consoles you can also do that instead. That is a way you can all communicate and have more options of games to play. You are all likely going to be caught up in the game and spend hours together screaming at the top of your lungs how you are going to win.
Plan in advance what times you will all be home and can hangout. For instance, I am someone who visits my home monthly, so I will talk to my home friends and schedule when to see them, sometimes even weeks before. There are also times such as Thanksgiving or Christmas break, when you know for sure you will all be there at the same time. You don’t even need all the details figured out, but as long as you coordinate work and school schedules, it will work out a lot easier than not communicating. You can also plan a bigger event, such as a trip or sleepover so you all have something to look forward to together.
Sending gifts to each other while you’re apart is a great way to show your appreciation without physically being with them. This is something you can do for birthdays, holidays, or times you are just thinking of them. You can get them a gift basket, some college necessities, or even some candy to surprise them with. Colleges typically have a mailing center that will directly go to your friend. Being college students, your friend will love you sending them something such as food. You can also send them a thoughtful letter or drawing if you don’t want to spend as much money. A letter is an extra step from a text message, and they can keep it in their room. You can also send them photos you printed out of each other.
If you see a funny tweet or post you think your friends from home will like, send it to them! It takes two seconds and will likely start a conversation with them. If you have inside jokes or certain people you both like that is the perfect opportunity to keep that connection with them. Also sending Tiktoks, because they are so personal and something you both can do back and forth. This keeps you both in the loop of what you are interested in and what creators you are following.
A lot of colleges allow you to have a visitors room with you for the weekend! Take advantage of this and invite your home friends to come over. I do this with my best friend who goes to school a few hours from mine. I found buses and trains that will take me directly to her school. It is also fun to experience the environment at another school and meet the friends they tell you so much about. This is also nice if you aren’t completely comfortable at your college yet, because you have a piece of home with you that you can try to go to new places with and try to talk to new people. I go to a much smaller school than my best friend, so it is nice to see what a larger campus is like and what events are going on.
What ways do you use to keep in contact with your home-town friends? Let us know in the comments below!
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