College is such an exciting period of life. Students start living on their own, begin their professional path, and experience new things, people, and places. All kinds of changes happen during this time, but one regular occurrence is drifting away from your family and friends. While it is healthy to be more independent, you shouldn’t neglect the valuable relationships you’ve been building for years.

Luckily, it takes just a little effort to keep in touch with your family and friends after enrolling in college. Here are our top tips for nurturing those valuable relationships.

 

1.      Get Organized

College is going to throw a lot of curveballs at you, and you’ll need to learn how to cope. Without getting organized from day one, you won’t be able to do all the things you love – including talking to family and friends.

So, as soon as your academic year begins, make sure to:

• create a calendar with all the classes, projects, and deadlines
• establish an efficient daily routine
• set ground rules on how you spend your time

Organizing your time is crucial for maintaining quality family and social relationships, so make that your number one priority. Find tools and resources that will help you spend less time studying and allocate more time to your personal life (to a healthy extent, of course!). Online resources can help you find the best essay writing service or tutor to help with your studies. This way you will finish your academic tasks in time and have some time for your family and friends.

2.      Schedule Family Video Calls

You want to keep in touch with your whole family, but it can be time-consuming and even impossible for a new student. Still, technology can help you out.

Schedule family video calls at least once in two weeks:

• invite the whole family to tune in
• select a time when most of them are available
• talk to them for at least an hour

Two weeks is enough time for a lot to happen in your life, so you’ll have plenty to talk about.

3.      Invite Friends Over

If you’ve moved away for college, and you don’t get to see your friends as much, you can always invite them over. It could be for just a day if you’re sleeping in the dorm. If you’re in an apartment, make it a whole weekend and have them sleep over.

Together, you can:

• visit your college
• explore the nearby area
• go out to eat
• visit your favorite local sights

Your friends will love going on an adventure, and you’ll get to chance to catch up and strengthen your friendship.

4.      Send Daily Check-Ins

You need to be aware that your family worries about you. They think about you every day and just want to know you’re OK.

This is why you should send daily check-ins to let them know you feel the same way. It’ll take you less than a minute a day to:

• send a short message to your parents
• tell them you’re OK
• write what you’re up to that day
• wish them a great day

A short message such as this one will mean the world to them. And, when you find the time, you can even write a letter to your parents. Send it and wait for their emotional reaction.

Final Thoughts

It takes so little of your time to do so much for your friends and family. Let them know you love them and constantly work on strengthening your relationship. Don’t let anything get in the way of showing your friends and family how much they mean to you, and that your relationship didn’t stop once you moved away for college.

Author’s Bio

Melony Hart is a sociologist and a blogger who specializes in family relationships. She loves helping her readers build and maintain healthy family relations through practical tips and advice. She writes about everything – from child development to family issues.