6 Ways to Reconnect With Your Hometown Friends

By Christine Ascher on March 9, 2017

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

We’ve all been there: it’s the middle of the semester, you’re overwhelmed with midterms, work, and club activities, and the stress is starting to bring you down. It can be difficult to break yourself out of that mid-semester slump, especially when you only have a limited amount of free time.

When your normal college routine starts to become monotonous, a great way to bring yourself out of it is to reach out to some of your hometown friends. Whether or not you’ve kept in close contact, catching up with some of your old friends will likely cheer you up and provide a change of pace from your normal routine — not to mention the fact that it’ll relieve some of that ever-encroaching homesickness.

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Make Use of Social Media

One of the easiest ways to reconnect with your hometown friends is via social media. Message an old friend on Facebook or Snapchat them to let them know that you’ve been thinking of them. If you haven’t been in touch for a while, social media is a good way to break the ice. You can also take advantage of a study break by posting an old picture of you and your friends; you’ll catch their attention and open up the opportunity to reconnect and reminisce.

Use Snapchat to stay up-to-date on what your hometown friends are doing on a day-to-day basis, so that you know what’s going on with them even if you don’t have the chance to talk every day.

Have Quicks Chats Throughout Your Day

When you’re in the midst of midterms, it can be difficult to set aside the time to catch up with your hometown friends. Instead of feeling pressured to have long, two-hour conversations (however tempting that may be), try calling up one of your old friends for a quick, 10-minute chat while you’re on your way to the library.

Given they’re probably also loaded with a busy schedule, this is probably the easiest way for each of you to catch up with the other without feeling overly pressured to take time out of your day.

Make a Trip Home to Visit

If you live close enough to home, and have friends who do as well, try to plan a trip back to your hometown when some of your friends will also be visiting. You can revisit your old hangouts and even stop by your high school to visit your favorite teachers. Spending time in your hometown with your old friends, even if it’s just for a day, can be a great source of comfort, as you’re temporarily leaving behind the stresses of college and returning to your old life.

If you have multiple friends from your hometown who are available, try organizing a reunion when everyone is free. Even if you don’t have a lot of free time to hang out, try getting everyone together for a quick lunch or a coffee. Just being able to see your old friends, especially within a familiar environment, can be a great comfort when you’re stressed out.

Make a Weekend Trip to Your Friend’s School

If you feel like you need a change of scenery, plan a weekend trip to an old hometown friend’s school to visit and get to know their new college life. In addition to getting away from your own campus for a couple of days, you’ll also be able to meet some new people; your friend can introduce you to his or her college friends, and you’ll be able to get a feel for life on a different campus.

Just hanging around in a new social circle and in a new place might be a refreshing change of pace. If you’re worried about getting work done, bring your books along with you — chances are your friend will need to set aside some time for studying as well. In addition to catching up with an old friend, you’ll also gain a new study-buddy for the weekend.

Invite Your Friends to Come Stay with You

If you don’t have time to get away from school, invite some of your old friends to visit you. They can sleep on the couch and you’ll be able to spend plenty of time catching up. You can show them around your school and introduce them to your new friends, which is always a fun way to share your new life with an old friend.

It may also allow you to see your college life with new eyes; as you show your old friend around, you may start to remember all of the things you love about your school, and that mid-semester monotony may start to ease a bit. If you need to set aside some time to study, tell them to bring some work as well so you can study together.

Organize a Video Reunion

If your hometown friends have scattered throughout the country or you just don’t have time to get together, try organizing a reunion over Skype or FaceTime. That way, you can still see and chat with each other from the comfort of your dorm room. Though it may not be quite like meeting up in person, it’ll still give you plenty of time to catch up with each other.

You can set up your video chat so that you have multiple people in the discussion so you can reunite with all of your old friends at once. Plus, one bonus of video chatting is that you’ll be able to show each other your dorms and a part of your respective schools.

Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

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