Your collegiate experience is an amazing opportunity to meet new people, whether through classes, housing, shared spaces, and even in places you least expect it. In fact, some of your best friends for life can come from college.

In the midst of exciting new friendships, however, you will still want to keep in contact with your other friends as well. And when it comes to long-distance friendships, it can feel challenging trying to stay connected with different schedules and so much space between you.

Thankfully, maintaining connections with your long-distance friends is possible through intentional effort, communication, and understanding on both ends. These actions can help you remain close with those who live far away and enjoy the benefits of all sorts of genuine relationships throughout college. 

The Benefits of Long-Distance Friendships

There are a number of benefits to having long-distance friendships. For example, they help you stay in touch with people that you have known since you were little, ensuring that you can keep relationships strong with those who have seen you at various stages of life and really, truly know you. 

Long-distance friendships can foster deeper connections because they require more intentional effort to keep the friendship alive than those that are easily accessible every day. You have to consistently make a point to reach out and check in, and this can help you grow closer over the years. You may also find that limited time for communication eliminates small talk and helps you skip straight to the stuff that is important. 

Solid communication skills can also be developed through these types of relationships. Between texts and calls, you learn how to be clear, direct, and genuine in your communication. 

Check-Ins and Updates

Life can get busy in college, and you might find that you are both struggling to keep up with everything and talk regularly. A great way to make sure you still stay in contact during busy seasons is to purposefully check in with your friend. Hopefully, they will also check in with you at times as well. This allows you to stay close, stay informed on what is going on in each other's lives, and gives you the best chance of supporting each other. 

Try to choose a day and a time weekly, biweekly, or monthly to check in with your friend. You can set reminders on your phone so that you do not forget about it. Something as simple as “How are you doing?” can go a long way on a hard week. 

If you start to find that a lot of time passes before you are able to speak to your friend, you can also try sending quick text updates when something notable happens to you to help you both stay present in each other's lives. You can always go into this deeper the next time that you have a call, but even a quick text keeps you more connected and shows them that you are thinking of them. 

Scheduled Calls

You and your long-distance friends will likely have different schedules, and you may find that this makes it harder to talk. And if you are in different time zones, it can complicate things further. But despite this, real conversations, whether through phone calls or video calls, are important to your friendships. One way to ensure that you are still able to catch up and have in-depth conversations is to schedule calls in advance. 

By doing this, you can work around both of your schedules and give yourselves time to get necessary things done beforehand, so you have an adequate amount of time to talk. Instead of fitting a last-minute call into the end of a crazy day, you can both benefit from calls at times that are best for both of you.

Give Each Other Grace

There will likely be times when it is harder to reach your long-distance friend, or when it is harder for them to reach you. There might be a season where one of you is not replying as much, and the other is left wondering why.

While that can feel hard, these times can teach you how to give each other grace. You both may face changes to your schedule, unexpected challenges you are trying to navigate, or even just forget to respond in the middle of a busy day. It is important to give each other the space to be imperfect in your communication as long as you both keep making an effort. 

It is always easy to assume the worst when there are delays or problems with communication, and this can lead to conflict or misunderstandings. But if someone is a genuine friend, try to assume the best instead. Give them some credit that something else may be going on, or that they are simply just busy. And when you can, suggest rescheduling or try to support them in whatever ways they need. 

BYUI Housing at American Avenue

During your time as a BYU-I housing student, you will want to find the perfect place to live as you invest in both new and old friendships.

Our affordable BYU-I housing options offer unbeatable amenities and the chance to connect with a supportive community.  Our fully furnished apartments, townhomes, and common spaces are a great place for you to meet new people, as well as stay connected with older friends. 

Reach out to us today to find out more about our complex, and we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.