Keeping in contact with friends after you leave university

It can be difficult to keep in contact with your uni friends outside of term time. You might feel like you’re annoying them when you send messages or worry about everyone forgetting about you. But whether it’s just over the summer or after you graduate and leave uni, here are some tips to make sure you stay in touch!

1. Keep talking

It might sound obvious, but the most important thing is to keep talking to one another! When you’re not seeing each other regularly anymore, it becomes a lot harder to send messages and find things to say. It might feel like you’re annoying or bothering them, but the chances are they will appreciate the message! Group chats can be a great way to keep in touch with lots of people at once – just don’t be the one that spams the group chat.

2. Go to events together

If you’re planning to go to any festivals or concerts over the summer, try mentioning them to your friends before you buy your tickets. Arranging to go in a group gives you something to look forward to and talk about in the run-up to the event, as well as reminiscing about it and sharing pictures after.

3. Plan a holiday

A holiday with your uni mates can be a great way to stay in touch. Even if the holiday is months away you’ll have lots to talk about in the run-up – what you’ll do, what to take, how amazing it’ll be. If the budget is tight it doesn’t have to be two-weeks at a five-star resort, you could try hostels or even stay within the UK, visiting theme parks or city attractions. Some societies and sports may do their own trips over the summer, so keep an eye out for these opportunities.

4. Visit each other at home

It can be amazing to visit your friends at home or have them come to stay with you. It might be a completely different part of the country and you can plan to do all sorts of things during the visit – if you live near a big city or attraction you can plan to go for the day, or even an adventure into the countryside can be fun! If your funds have dwindled over the summer, this can be a cheap and easy way to see each other without having to buy expensive concert tickets or booking hotel rooms. Plan to do budget-friendly things like sight-seeing and picnics, and sleep on the sofa (or the spare room if you’re lucky!).

5. Game together

If you’re a bit of a gamer make sure you exchange Steam, PSN or Gamertags before you go home for summer. Thrashing your friends on FIFA or Call of Duty is good fun as well as a great way to stay in touch, plus it’s something you can taunt them about when you’re back at uni! This is great if there are a lot of you that all have the same console who can join in at once, start asking!

Leaving your friends can be tough, even if it’s just for a few weeks because you will have made some amazing friends at university. But hopefully, these tips will help you keep in contact.