By Kiana Ziadkhanpour
When you first walked through the doors of your freshman entryway, it was probably hard to imagine that in just four short years you would be graduating and moving onto your career in finance. With finals done — possibly forever — and your commitments temporarily put on hold, take this time to appreciate your final days as an undergraduate surrounded by your closest friends.
It may not feel real yet, but soon you and your friends will be off on separate journeys in different parts of the world. So make sure to hold onto the friendships you’ve made over these four years and keep in contact with these cherished people — even when your lives become more hectic.{shortcode-0dfe1457d2bbb5c5698700bf526f4b132ce3ba01}
Respond to the Texts
We’ve all been there: We thought we responded to a text, but we never actually did. This may have once been easy to remedy — you’d bump into your friend while eating in the dhall or walking through the Yard, but with your friends now scattered across the globe, the easiest form of communication is frequent texting. This may even include having to download a new messaging app to keep in contact with friends who are in different countries! Learn to be prompt with the messages and remember that a quick text can remind your friends that you’ll always be there for them, even if you can’t go out for late-night Jefe’s anymore.
Snail Mail
Sometimes the best form of communication comes from an unexpected, handwritten note. This can be especially touching if you’re writing to a friend who is halfway around the world (taking a gap year before they’re off to medical school or going back home after being an international student at Harvard).
Plan Meetups
It’s nice to look forward to reunions with your blockmates and all the other friends with whom you’ve spent countless nights in Lamont. Make sure to always let your friends know when you’ll be in their area or plan when you’ll all have the chance to do a group FaceTime. Face-to-face catch-ups are the best ways to reminisce about the past and update your friends on your new adventures.{shortcode-11f45a0313849bf3c6c460d9141b21724af13e0f}
Watch Shows Together
You may be hundreds or thousands of miles apart, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still watch your favorite shows together! Live text each other while watching the newest episode of “The Bachelor” and immediately be transported back to the good old days in your dorm room.
Even if your life after college is even busier than before, the friendships you’ve made are too invaluable to lose. Make sure to keep in touch with each other using concrete plans and hangouts supplemented with frequent (group) texts, calls, and FaceTimes. Maybe even make a shared Google Calendar outlining monthly catch-ups!{shortcode-930491b05525ae5257aad473f93222c193f55d24}
It may be difficult, but understand that everyone is busy and caught up with their new routines. Make plans, stick with them, and be honest about your schedule!
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