The following are some tips for keeping friends when you part ways for college:

Identify your close friends.
You probably have a circle of close friends, and then friends who you are friendly with, but not "friends" with. Your relationships with your friends should take a lot of time and energy, so make sure you are focusing on relationships with true friends, not just those casual acquaintances. Remember, it's better to have a few close friends than a list of acquaintances.

Stay in touch.
This is the most important thing you can do to keep friends when you part ways for college. There are many different ways you can stay in touch: emails, phone calls, Facebook, and texting are just a few of many. Make it a point to stay in touch with your friends even after you part ways for college.

Visit where possible.
If you are all going to colleges in the same state, make it a point to plan trips together to each others' campuses. This is a good way to maintain your friendships and be a part of your friends' new lives. If there are important events in your friends' lives, take a weekend trip to their campus to help them celebrate.

Introduce new and old.
You will make new friends while in college--that's inevitable. Introduce your new friends to your friends from high school when they come and visit. This will help your friends see that you have not replaced them with new friends, and that you still want them to be part of your life.

Make your friends a priority.
Even though you will all be busy with college life, making new friends, and getting used to your new school and life, you should still make your friends a priority if you want to keep them past high school. So make it a point to call them back, remember birthdays, send them emails, and let them know that you care about them still.

Take the initiative.
With busy schedules, sometimes your friends might not call you first. Instead of getting your feelings hurt or thinking they don't want to be friends anymore, take the initiative to call your friends up and see how they're doing.

Make plans for the summers.
If you all come home for the summers, use this time to make plans to do things together, whether it's a road trip, a concert, camping trip, or vacation somewhere. The summers will give you time to reconnect with each other and strengthen your friendships.

Know that things change.
Keeping friends doesn't mean that things won't change. Be flexible and know that as you get older, change, and deal with different issues in life, the nature of your friendships will change as well.

Friendships are an important part of life. Parting ways for college doesn't mean you have to give up your friends. These few tips will help you to keep friends even as you go off to college.