How to manage friendships with those who don't go to university

One of our writers gives advice on how to stay connected to friends who don't go to university...

Abi Ogden
22nd October 2024
Image Credit: Unsplash, Surface
Getting swept up into the fast-paced university lifestyle can make it difficult to keep up with the friends you’ve left behind, but going to university doesn’t mean the end of these friendships, as there are ways to keep them as strong as ever.

The best advice for managing friendships with those who don’t go to university is to always keep each other in the loop. Friendships are bound to falter when you go from seeing each other every day to every few months if you don’t keep up the communication. Sending daily messages can be unrealistic for a busy lifestyle, so instead I opt for weekly roundups where I send my friends a voice note explaining everything that happened during my week. That way, the pressure is removed from talking every day, but you still know everything going on in each other’s lives!

It's important to remember that communication is a two-way street. Make sure to show an interest in what your friends are getting up to as well. It’s easy to make the mistake of spending too much time talking about the excitement of university and failing to show an interest in how they’re finding things at home.

My friends from home absolutely love visiting Newcastle, and I find the occasional visits really help to keep friendships strong. Showing them the places that I’m talking about all the time makes the conversations more relatable, and it’s great to introduce friends from home to university friends. If visits aren’t achievable for you, facetime your friends and take them on a virtual tour or let them chat to your flatmates to make them feel included.

Sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most when dealing with long-distance friendships. Send them a message when you see something that reminds you of them or post the occasional gift or letter to them. One of my friends from home sends me cookies in the post every so often which always brightens my day!

Friendships are always going to change when there’s a distance between you, but the most important thing to remember is that change doesn’t have to be negative. Plus, being apart means there’s so much more to chat about when you go back home for the holidays!

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