Less contact has more than one explanation
Eva recommends intentional contact with friends and family at home but warns against staying so connected that the new life never receives attention. Midterms produce a similar squeeze inside campus friendships: time, energy and availability all change at once.
Check the relationship without staging a verdict
A useful check-in asks what is happening now and makes the next contact easier.
- Describe the changeSay that you have missed the usual library trip or messages without accusing the other person of withdrawing.
- Ask about capacityGive them room to name deadlines, health, work or another pressure you cannot see.
- Offer a smaller planTry a ten-minute walk, shared study hour or voice note when a full evening is unrealistic.
- Watch the patternOne busy week is different from a relationship where only one person repeatedly restarts contact.
Friendship can change form and remain meaningful
The goal is not to preserve the first-week frequency forever. It is to discover whether both people still make room for some version of the relationship.
If the answer becomes no, naming the effort you did make is kinder than turning every unanswered message into a judgment about your place on campus.