Well
ladies it’s almost here! The grad parties are coming to an end, the boxes are
filling up around your bedroom, and the tearful goodbyes to friends and family
are just beginning. As you are getting ready to start your AMAZING journey at
Penn State, you might be worried about leaving behind some loved ones. But
don’t worry!! I’ve compiled some helpful hints on how to balance all of your
new WEPO friends ;) and the friends you have from back at home.
I
know my biggest fear coming in as a freshman was making new friends! Now, I
knew some people from my high school were also coming to Penn State, but I definitely
wanted to branch out and meet new people. What I wasn’t expecting was just how difficult
it would be to keep in touch with my friends from back home. It became hard to
find the time to catch up with people that I was used to talking to everyday.
Because, when you come to a school as big as Penn State, you have the
opportunity to meet so many new people (close to 44,000 of them) and it’s easy
to fall into a routine with these new friends and almost forget about those
that are still back home without even meaning too. But before you panic, listen
to some of my ideas on how to stay in touch. Following some of these may make
it a lot easier to keep in touch even with friends going to school across the
country!
Tip 1: Once everyone has their
schedules, trying setting time aside each week to catch up. Maybe even put it
on your calendar like another class. From personal experience, this has been
the best way to catch up with everyone at the same time. For example, there are
five of us that have been close since kindergarten and we all go to different
schools across the country, one as far away as Georgia. Since this is the first
time we are in separate schools, we were so worried about losing touch with one
another. So, we decided to plan into our schedules at least one hour a week where
we would all be available to talk. Now of course we would talk throughout the
week, but this one hour was a time when all five of us stopped everything and
got caught up with each other’s lives. It has worked successfully for 3 years
now. It does take effort to make sure that I am available to talk every week,
but it’s that conscious effort that has kept our friendships so strong!! Also,
it’s good practice to try to put away your phone when you are with friends. If
you are constantly texting your friends from home, when you are with your new
Penn State friends, it might send the message that you are uninterested in the
conversation, and therefore, the friendship. Having this set time a week will
allow you to catch up with your friends from home, while not interfering with
time you set aside to see your new friends.
Tip 2: Definitely utilize GroupMe
or some sort of group messaging program! It’s awesome being able to communicate
with all five of them at once. This way everyone can be on the same page with
what’s going on with each other. It’s also a good idea to try to Skype one
another from time to time. Even if it’s the occasional Facetime, it’s always
nice to see each other’s face. Snapchat is also a nice option as well. Using
these programs is a great way to introduce your new friends to your old
friends. I’m sure because of all the stories you’re telling one about the other
and visa verse, their names have come up and it’ll be a great way to put a face
with a name.
Tip 3: One of my friends loves being
traditional, and sends me postcards and letters from time to time. Even though
we talk on a weekly basis, this little personal touch always brightens my day.
It might be worth taking some time to collect your friends’ addresses and
stamps before you leave for school. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I
love the feeling of getting some snail mail! Postcards are always fun! My
friend from Georgia would try to pick up a postcard at every college she ran at
during cross country season. This was a great way for me to see where she had
been. They were always so beautiful and she would fill me in on all of her
races. I also was able to show my new friends these postcards as well and it
became something they looked forward to seeing. Along this same line, it’s
always fun to send each other small packages. Nothing too expensive! I know for
Valentine’s Day I sent each of them a small package with some candy and a
homemade card! Or when I was going through a tough week with exams, my friend
sent me a study care package! It was so thoughtful and really picked me up!
Tip 4: Another thing that becomes
hard to remember once you get to college is everyone’s birthdays! Days start to
fly by once school begins, and sometimes dates and birthdays seem to creep up on
you without you even knowing it. So what I did was I made a list of everyone I
wanted to remember to send a card to and I made sure I put a reminder in my
phone about a week before. This gave me enough time to get a card and something
small in the mail in plenty of time. Facebook is helpful in reminding you the
day of, but if you wanted to send a card, it’s a little late then, this way I
had a whole week to figure out what I wanted to send and it would arrive on
time. It’s the little things that are going to make the difference in keeping
your friendships alive even if you’re not around the person all the time.
Tip 5: I also recommend scheduling
dates ahead of time over break to get together. I know my first Thanksgiving
break I wanted to see so many people, but between family events and some
miscommunication, I only saw a fraction of those friends. When I planned
specific dates out with people prior to winter break, I was able to see a lot
more people! You could also try planning a weekend trip to one another’s
colleges! It’s always really fun to see other colleges and meet your friends’
friends. It can even be a lot of fun to take some of your new friends with you!
A fun little road trip so that everyone can get introduced is an excellent way
to come full circle and link old and new!
Hopefully
you find these tips helpful! It’s always
great to meet new friends, but just remember to keep in touch with your friends
from home as well. One thing to keep in mind is not to compare new and old.
What I mean is, if you are with your new friends from Penn State, don’t
constantly talk about your friends from home and vice versa. It might make
either party feel as though you don’t value their friendship. It’s natural to
talk about stories and events that have happened, but be mindful of how it
sounds.
Hope
everyone enjoys there freshman year!
Sam
Alexander is a senior in Chemical Engineering, and she is a Mentor for WEPO '14!
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