By: Lucy Wideman

“In college, you will make the friendships that last a lifetime.”  We hear this phrase thrown around when transitioning into college, but how true is it really?

Emerging as a fresh adult in college is an exciting time.  However, it’s no secret that the friendships you either maintain from high school, or the new ones you make in college, predict the happiness, loneliness or depression you may feel.  Hence, knowing how friendships form and the effort it takes to sustain them is important when transitioning from high school to college.

Communication researchers Riley Redd and her colleagues published a study in the Iowa Journal of Communication about the changes young adults face when entering college.  Their study analyzed how emerging adults who have transitioned to college experience their geographically distant high school friends and geographically close new college friends.

They interviewed 23 undergraduate students ranging from 18-23 years old who attended college at a medium liberal arts university.  First, the researchers had each interviewee identify a high school friend and a college friend.  Next, they measured the interviewee’s maintenance, satisfaction, and solidarity in the two friendships identified.

After conducting the study, the researchers found that certain stories, characteristics and relationship behaviors all played a role in maintaining both their high school friendships and newfound college friendships.

First, the way emerging adults initiate friendships linked back to the theme of origin stories.  Narratives recounted by the interviewees had the common themes of proximity and shared events tying the start of their friendship together.  In high school friendships, proximity was shown through students being neighbors or possibly “locker buddies.” College proximity of friendships was shown through being a roommate, suitemate, or possibly in the hall of the dorm they live in.  Common activities were another way friendships were reported as being introduced. Notably, more males than females recounted this as a trend, with sports being relevant in high school and college friendships.

Second, the characteristics of friendships were evaluated, in which data documented commonalities between both high school and college friendships seeking the same two main qualities: being “chill” and dependable.  Being “chill” was connoted as a friendship not being a high-pressure friendship.  Dependability was described as important in friendships, being that they could count on the other person to be there for them in a time of desperation or when they needed to talk to someone.

Lastly, the behaviors it took to maintain friendships in both friend groups included both face-to-face interactions and technology.  Face-to-face maintenance strategy examples could be eating meals with each other, attending parties, or possibly spending time in common housing spaces.  Examples of technology were primarily through social media outlets such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are ways to communicate with each other.

So, what can we take away from this study about the transition from high school to college and sustaining friendships?

First, Redd and her colleagues determined that the newly made friendships in college that are geographically close use more maintenance strategies in their friendships compared to the geographically distant high school friendships.  Since college friendships are close in proximity, this allows students to actively partake in actions that preserve and build friendships on a daily basis.

Compared to geographically distant high school friendships, participants reported that because of social media, “surveillance” on high school friends could be conducted; individuals are able to scroll for however long they desire in order to “catch up” on the lives of those geographically distant. As well, having a Snapchat streak with their high school friends reported as being a sense of permanence to the friendship.

Second, the new friendships you make in college can be seen as more authentic because you are making them without the help of your parents or high school friends.  The way you pursue friendships in college shows how important intentionality is, which directly correlates to face-to-face interactions; putting oneself out there to make plans with a new friend implicitly displays the vulnerability of seeking out a friendship, which ultimately brings the friendship closer.

The process of making friends happens throughout many developmental stages of our lives.  Old friendships drift, new ones are gained, but most importantly all friendships are somehow maintained.

It is important to know how valuable the art of maintaining friendships is; perhaps once we do, they might just last a lifetime.