Summer’s around the corner! We’re all excited to finally say goodbye to weekly Canvas deadlines, but we’re also saying goodbye to something a little more difficult to let go of — living a couple minutes away from our college friends. While it’s daunting to think about your roommate heading back to their hometown or your friend group scattering across the country for internships, maintaining friendships doesn’t need to be stressful. As an international student all too familiar with long distance and a Northern California student who lives hours away from all their friends, we both know that the most important quality of a friendship isn’t proximity. It’s the way you show up for each other despite being many miles apart.
Distance doesn’t have to mean total separation; the power of a call or text can keep you and your friends more connected than ever. But, when calls get scheduled three weeks in advance, friendships can start to feel reduced to deadlines. It’s easier to meaningfully connect with people in unplanned moments; real sincerity can’t be scheduled like it’s an obligation. Learn to reach out without reason — it can be as simple as a 15-second voice recording ranting about rush hour traffic or a photo of the drink you accidentally spilled all over your shirt. Press call before any doubts start to flood your mind. If they’re busy, the worst that can happen is receiving a text saying they’ll call you back. More often than not, they’ll pick up, and you’ll both wonder why you don’t do this more often. It doesn’t have to turn into a five-hour debrief about everything they’ve missed, it can be a short and sweet exchange of “What are you up to?” Spontaneous calls show your friends that they matter and cross your mind unprompted even when you’re far away, and sometimes, that reminder is all it takes to maintain your bond.
Although your friend group’s 3 a.m. side quests may be put on pause, that doesn’t mean you have to limit your interactions to sending TikToks back and forth all summer. Create a joint playlist that combines all your music tastes, a “getting ready” soundtrack to blast together on the first day of Week 0, or a list of songs that capture memories from the last year.
If you’re looking for a good laugh, host a PowerPoint night over Zoom or FaceTime and make presentations about different topics — like what wedding you would plan for each friend or who is most similar to each character from “I Love LA.” If you’re stuck on presentation ideas, rank all the best meals you had in the dining halls or the best beaches you visited — Pines chicken tenders and Windansea, respectively, at No. 1, obviously.
If you and your friends are artistic, Pinterest can also help you connect. Try making vision boards together for the next school year. Print out the pictures and collage together over FaceTime while you listen to your joint playlist!
For a more laid-back activity, host online watch parties with your friends to watch your favorite shows coming out this summer. Plan weekly debriefs as episodes drop; you can’t go wrong with “Love Island USA” Season 8 or a “The Summer I Turned Pretty” rewatch. Try cooking some treats together before watching so you can enjoy the same movie snacks or DoorDash your collective favorite meal — decided during the powerpoint night of course!
We hope that these tips will make coming back to school next quarter feel like you never left.
