Students maintain long distance friendships, miles and states apart


friendships_mjb_01
Brandon DeChane 'face-times' his friend Vaughn Springer who atends Michigan State University on Monday in Beddow Hall.

When students leave home to start the new chapter of their life at college, they don't only leave their families behind. They also leave the person who they often trust the most: their best friend.

Maintaining a long-distance friendship isn't easy.

Some students move away with the thought that their friendship can withstand any distance and that they'll always be there for each other. That is, until suddenly, they're not. Maintaining friendships while miles apart takes dedication, effort, and a lot of phone calls to prevent the otherwise inevitable fading of the friendship that was once called indestructible.

Brandon DeChane, a freshman from Marysville, knew when he moved in how hard it would be to live away from his best friend, Vaughn, who attends Michigan State. “When we both lived back at home, we’d hang out all the time. Now that we’re moved away, we usually text every other day with phone calls every other day," DeChane said.

Leigh Anne Menard, a freshman from Holly, wasn't worried about growing apart from her best friend, Kegan, who attends Oakland Community College. He visited her last weekend, and they plan on seeing each other every two or three weeks to ensure their friendship remains strong.

"We knew we'd miss each other but we were never worried about growing apart and not talking. We just connect on so many levels and we're always there for each other," Menard said.

With hours separating friends, that connection can be stretched thin as each begins their new lives with new friends. It's good to let them know who the friends being mentioned are so they can form their own far-away opinion of those being discussed. However, it's also important not to continuously ramble on about new friends to old friends.

Constant texts and calls, however, arent always necessary. Sometimes, a long phone call of big events that occured in one week is all that is needed.

Matt Wojcik, a freshman from Woodhaven, only talks to his best friend, Weasley, twice a week, but nothing ever feels off when they see each other every few weeks. "It feels normal. We picked up right where we left off," Wojcik explained.

In a world revolving around social media, friends have more opportunities than ever to constantly talk to their best friend. Constant messages and sharing on Facebook is a small way to make up for the inability to see each other face to face, especially when you're both busy with new friends and classes.

"She’s been the one person I could go to for anything and I've never been uncomfortable telling her about anything," DeChane said. "She literally knows everything about my life so I just think it’s good to have someone you can always go to and she’s that person to me.”

Share: