Although we’re all (mostly) excited to be back on campus to enjoy new challenges and create new memories with our friends in Providence, many of us have friends at other colleges, in other programs, and even across the globe. Just like with romantic relationships, making friendships work long-distance can be quite challenging. However, texting, phone calls, and FaceTime are all invaluable ways to reconnect with a close friend who is far away. You should always remember these friends who knew you before college; we must “make new friends, but keep the old.” With years of friendship under your belt, your conversations are more seamless, your inside jokes more plentiful, and your interests more similar.

In fact, you can even be quite predictable. With that in mind, here are seven conversations that you have with your long-distance best friend:

1. "Look at (insert name)."

Your text conversations with your best friend are chock-full of pictures. Why? We sadly live in a judgmental society that allocates significant value to physical appearance. With each picture sent, you’re hoping that your BFF will likewise obsess over your crush. It helps to normalize the infatuation #safetyinnumbers.

2. "Do you think they like me?"

This question often dovetails the pictures. Best friends present a case to one another that a certain person MUST like them based on X, Y, and Z. Screenshots of Snapchats, Instagram comments, and text messages are often employed as evidence. You even call in another friend for eyewitness testimony. Law and Order is more than just a television show; it’s a lifestyle.

3. "Can you help me stalk them?"

Only your best friend will devote the time and energy to help you find attractive (and embarrassing) photos of your crush. In fact, they’re probably stealthier than the FBI, so use them!

4. Juggling celebrity versus real-life crushes

We all have celebrities who we find attractive and even fantasize about. Nonetheless, we probably have our eye on a special someone in everyday life. You and your friend bounce back and forth about these two loves.

5. Friend Group Drama

Because your long-distance friend does not attend your school, you can use them as an impartial judge of your friends’ drama. You often utilize them for this opinion (and implicitly expect that they at least partially agree with you). At the very least, they’re a crucial sounding-board for all of your collegiate concerns.

6. Food Cravings

You also send a lot of pictures of FOOD, especially food from back home. Only your best friend can understand the delicious tastes that you are both currently missing. You bond over your mutual cravings.

7. The Future

Because you’ve been in each other’s lives for years, you have a history that can provide a solid foundation for imagining your futures. You divulge dreams about your career, your future family, your ideal house, and the like. Doing so just cements that your best friend will be a part of that future, too.

Don’t forget about your friends from back home while you’re at college! Be sure to check in with them, because they know you best. You will see each other soon enough!