Calling Home

Going to college is very exciting, but it can also be very scary.  You are going to a completely new place, living with new people, and making all new friends.  It can definitely be overwhelming at first.  One thing that I found really helpful is calling home.  It is so important to keep in touch with your family and friends during this new period of your life.

Some people don’t want to call their family because they want to seem independent, but you definitely should.  I called my parents almost every day to tell them about great things that I was doing, or just to complain about something I was having a hard time with.  Before almost every exam I would call them and they would wish me luck and tell me how proud they were of me, and it really calmed me down before my tests.  It was also really nice to call and say goodnight if I was ever feeling homesick.  The first couple weeks especially can make you feel lonely sometimes, so it is really important to keep in touch with your family to remind you that you have people that really love and support you.

I also called my twin brother a lot, which was more difficult because we were both adjusting to a new school, but the calls always brightened up my day.  I am so happy to say that we have become even closer during college since we weren’t constantly around each other and sometimes annoying each other.  Keeping in touch with siblings can sometimes be harder, but it is so worth taking a few minutes out of your day to make a call.

During college you are going to meet so many new friends, but you can’t forget about your old friends at home.  You probably won’t stay very close with all of your high school friends, but definitely make sure you call or text the friends that mean the most to you.  It is really fun to call or Skype each other to talk about your new schools and compare your experiences.  If you don’t keep in touch with your old friends, then you won’t have anyone to hangout with during breaks, and that can be really hard.  It’s kind of like that old Girl Scout song, “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”  Your best friends from home are your gold friends, and you don’t want to lose them.

It can be hard to find time to keep in touch with everyone, but here are some tips for finding the time.  The easiest way to make time for calls is to call while you are walking between classes or just walking to any destination on campus.  Lots of walks take about ten minutes, so you can squeeze in a nice conversation while you are walking.  Also, right before bed is a good time, and it will make you feel happy going to sleep.  Another good time is if you are eating a meal by yourself.  Unfortunately, with everyone’s different schedules, it is very common to have to eat by yourself, and calling someone can make the meal more enjoyable.  A quick text can make a difference too!  Just make sure you are putting in some sort of effort.  Talking with all of these people will really help you feel more comfortable and confident during college, so I strongly recommend that you call home!

Amanda Green is a sophomore majoring in Architectural Engineering, and is a Rover for WEPO'15!