Graduating from college brings lots of change; a new job, a new location, a new “home”, new friends, and many different adult responsibilities. All of these new experiences can be overwhelming and can take a lot of your attention. Before long, you may realize you haven’t talked to any of your college friends in weeks and those friendships may seem too hard to keep up with in your new life. Many new graduates have the same question- how can I maintain my college friendships while also making friends in my new location? I want to give you some tips to make staying in touch with old friends not seem so daunting.

Set a weekly “meeting” – even if it’s virtual!

Instead of always texting each other, pick a time each week to call a friend.  Or organize a group call once a week or every other week. During that time you can catch up, and you don’t have to worry about constantly texting during the week.

Pick a reunion weekend – NOW!

As we get older, it will be nearly impossible to find a weekend every year that works for each person. Pick a random weekend now, and make that weekend the reunion weekend every year. Not everyone will be able to come every year, but people can plan ahead if they know that the weekend will always be your reunion weekend.

Start an email chain.

Sometimes calling and texting can take too much time, especially when you have a bigger group. By starting an email chain, you can get weekly or monthly updates from each person, without having to be on the phone for hours at a time.

I know that balancing old friends and new friends can be hard and time consuming, but these simple tips can make it easy. Invest time now to keep friendships that will last a lifetime.