With the spring semester ending soon and many WashU students returning to their hometowns for the summer, the Student Life editorial staff wanted to share ways to reconnect with your community and adapt to the changing friendship dynamics that may hit you when you get back home.

There is a good chance that living in St. Louis has changed your perspective on being home. You have probably missed some things about your hometown, while others you’d be happy to never see again. At the same time, there are also unknowns about going home — like how friends may have changed throughout this past year. Here are a few different things you can do to reconnect with your hometown, enjoy time with family, and face whatever changing friend dynamics you might meet.

For many students, college is the first time they have been away from parents, siblings, and pets for an extended period of time. Try to enjoy the things that used to seem like chores, such as taking the dogs on a walk or running an errand. While you are running that errand, stop to get a coffee, grab a bite to eat, or stop in a shop that you have always been curious about. Enjoy spending time with family and making up for lost time.

When you inevitably start to get stir-crazy, create a list of things you never got around to doing before going off to college. Find local organizations to volunteer with, pick up a new hobby, or visit landmarks. You may find that new activities, restaurants, and stores have popped up in the time that you’ve been gone. Be a tourist in your hometown..

One of the most exciting parts of going back home is reuniting with old friends. However, this can also be the most worrisome or challenging. Coming into college, drifting apart from childhood friends seemed like a cliche, and something that one could be immune from. Despite having any conscious or subconscious acceptance that some of your friendships will have to fade away at some point, it can still be hard when the time comes. You may have ceased contact with people you have spent years with the moment you left home, or have kept contact with close friends, but are nervous to see them again after time apart. During your ever-evolving college career, we encourage you to embrace these changes.

If you have hometown friends you are still close to and talk to while in college, the summer is a perfect opportunity to continue developing these relationships. Even during these last couple of weeks of school, making plans with your friends to look forward to when you go home can help combat the finals season stress. Reconnecting over different college experiences and especially traveling, even just for a day, offers a fun way to grow. 

As for those people you have fallen out of touch with, don’t be afraid to take things case-by-case and reach out again. Odds are people will be open or excited to meet up with you. These relationships may not resemble what they used to be. We encourage you to take opportunities to reminisce and relive past friendships and use these new memories to help you accept whatever the friendship looks like next. Getting a coffee, a meal, or doing something simple together is still a meaningful way to meet up.

Even if you do not end up reconnecting with your friends, that’s perfectly alright. Returning to the cliche, the ending of some friendships is inevitable, especially given that you or your friend will have changed during college and adopted new perspectives. Cherish what you can have, and look forward to the possibilities for new friends that lie ahead. 

Prioritize spending time with the friends you have remained close with, and don’t be afraid of meeting new people whether it is through exploring your hometown or getting involved in community organizations.

Despite the never-ending confusions and insecurities surrounding friendship dynamics, remain grounded in sustained relationships, periodically check in with college friends, (they are probably adjusting too) and explore the new perspective you have on your hometown after a year in St. Louis. Whether home sparks excitement, boredom, or dread, summer is the chance to find a new favorite cafe, explore a new path or hike, or make a new friend even if it is just for three months. Find the fun in the familiarity.

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.

Lewis Rand | Senior Sports Editor

Christian Kim | Junior Sports Editor

Sylvie Richards | Managing Forum Editor

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Senior Forum Editor

David Ciorba | Senior Forum Editor

Kate Westfall | Managing Design Editor

Sydney Tran | Editor-in-Chief

Elizabeth Grieve | Senior Scene Editor

Sophie Schwartz | Junior Scene Editor

AnaElda Ramos | Managing Illustration Editor

Astrid Burns | Special Issues Editor 

Eliza Stulman | Junior Sports Editor