The summer is only weeks away and for those in first and second year it means a few months away from your friends. For those in final year, sadly, these are the last weeks at university, which means you’ve got to make the most of Grad Ball, Extravs and chilling out with those fabulous people you have spent the past few years with.
But how can we maintain these hard-earned friendships we’ve built over our time here? It is necessary to speak every day, in the way you do at university, or is it a case of no contact until October? How can we best handle this?
My mum likes to remind me that when she was my age, you could only keep in contact through writing letters. Long distance friends would eagerly await the postman. There was no email or texting – couples would have to nervously call house phones to speak to their beloved. It’s hard to imagine having no internet or mobile phones – keeping in touch meant a lot more effort than today. We have the option to send a friendly text, post on Facebook or just give them a call no matter where you are.
For us, it’s so easy to keep in touch over summer. Arranging to meet up has never been easier; with Facebook and group chats available on apps such as Whatsapp, you can talk to a whole group of friends to plan a catch-up over the holidays.
Skype is a great way to have a conversation, with the option to use your camera, share your screen and take pictures, all for free. Who even needs free minutes on your mobile? Texting and calling are not the only methods of keeping in touch, especially now, as there are so many games that you can connect with friends through. ‘Words with friends’ and ‘draw something’ allow friends to keep in touch without even having a conversation.
For those who have met a guy or girl at university this past year, it might be the first long period that you have had to deal with not seeing each other every day. Living away from each other takes some getting used to, but this all depends on you as a couple. As someone who started this experience in first year, I have made the most of Skype. Living in London this year has tested my relationship, and although seeing each other every couple of weeks isn’t ideal, it is doable! I also know a guy whose girlfriend lives in Hong Kong. If you love or care about someone enough, you can make it work no matter where you are in the world.
I’ve always thought that true friends can go months without speaking and still have so much to say! For those couples facing three months or more in different towns or cities, enjoy the time you have together, and make the most of all the different ways to speak. The summer or final year doesn’t have to be the end for friends or relationships, keep in touch and make it last!
