Relationships with Old but now Faraway Friends

It was the end of August, and I was about to embark on what many people have claimed to be the best time of their lives. Even though so many before me have enjoyed their experiences, I was slightly worried about what my college life would entail. Would I survive the coursework? Would I get along with my roommate? Most importantly, would I stay in contact with my friends from home? So it seemed at the end of August. And actually, although it's impossible to ascribe relative degrees of importance to various disparate aspects of peoples' lives, contact with old friends a continent or further away does come close to the top on the importance scale.

As I went through high school I developed a group of friends who were like family to me. Whether we were sunbathing on the beach or roaming the streets of a nearby but unfamiliar city on our senior trip, we were rarely seen apart from each other. When college decisions came out at the end of March, it appeared as if the distances dividing our new schools would blow us apart. In August, we would be heading anywhere from Paris, France, to Los Angeles, USA. I was worried that this new distance would come between us in our previously inseparable friendships.

To my surprise, these distances have reinforced our companionship, while giving us the opportunity to grow as individuals. We have had so many diverse adventures. Each of these experiences has developed us into more unique individuals, bringing new diversity to the friend group as a whole. We have all gained new stories, which we share around the bonfire over holidays.

To be honest, this transition is not easy. It really is a totally new environment and we are all pushed out of our comfort zone. But with social networking and video chat at our fingertips there is always an outlet to connect with a high school friend. Ours is the most technologically advanced college generation and we can use that to our advantage. Anytime you are lonely or are having difficulty adjusting to the new environment, a high school buddy is simply a click away.

Even though many, including myself, utilize these sites daily, we have to avoid dependence on the comforting crutch of old friends. It is an easy trap to fall into, considering that in the initial meet and greet phases of college we all meet more people than anyone can possibly remember. We are not going to develop new best friends immediately, but the fact is that nobody should. Here's what I found, and I'm certain enough of it now to write it in the form of advice.

Think about the number of months and years that it took for your relationships in high school to get to the point they are at now. Giving these new connections time is what creates the bonds that allowed the college-goers before you to have the best time of their lives. Just remember to keep an open mind as you enter this next chapter. If you do, you will be able to develop new ties and extend your old relationships into the future. This will allow you to create a larger and stronger social network, which will provide you with lifelong friendships and memories. And look at things this way too: not everyone in your new circle of friends knows each other.

You are the one who gets to do the intros, and you are the one who knows everyone well enough to know who will click with whom. Hey, some could even get married to each other! Well careful: maybe we could be running into dangerous ground here. One at a time we hope.