College is an exciting time in which you get to meet a ton of new people and do a lot of networking. However, you need to stay grounded and keep in touch with your roots.
Obviously, you should be contacting your parents often. You should at least make an effort to send them a text once a week, even if it’s a simple “thinking of home” it will mean a lot to them. No matter what your parents say, they will miss you a lot. They will want to know what you’re up to, whether you are 30 minutes away, or 3 hours. Parents are going to be concerned for your safety every time the news reports of something bad (weather or crime related) anywhere near your school. They will want to know that you’re doing well and that you still care and still want them to be in your life.
If you have younger siblings, depending on how young, they will want to hear from you every now and again as well. If your siblings are close in age, and you’re close with them like I am to my sister, you leaving is going to be an adjustment. There will be one less bed slept in every night, one less seat filled at the dinner table, one less load of laundry to be done. Your siblings will miss you and they will be happy every time you contact them.
If you are in a relationship, time apart will be hard. It’s not going to be easy, especially if you go to the same high school. You will go from getting to see your significant other whenever you want, to only on holidays, breaks, or times that one of you makes the trip to the other. In our modern day world, keeping in contact will not be a difficult task. You can text and call each other. You can videochat, snapchat, etc. However, the separation will take a toll. Before technology, people had to write letters to their significant other when they missed them, and that’s not such an outdated idea. Don’t be afraid to send a little note in the mail, it will mean a lot more. Being apart will make your time together more special, though.
Even though you will make plenty of new friends, don’t forget about your old ones. Everyone will have completely new lives, but making time to text your hometown friends shouldn’t be a taxing thing to do. You’re going to miss them, especially at first. You should make plans to meet up during holidays and breaks just to catch up. In your new crazy and fast paced life, it’s important to remember where you came from and all of the people that helped mold you into the person that you are today.
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