Before I started college a lot of older people — parents, high school teachers, coaches, relatives, etc. — dropped advice to me. Make sure you go to class, get enough sleep, avoid drunk hookups, do your laundry, don’t procrastinate and, most importantly, be picky about with whom you spend time. Your friends in college matter and they’ll likely end up being the most important and best friends you ever make.
From what I’ve seen, people seem to end up closer with their college buds than with friends from other phases of their lives. Sure, your high school crowd will always hold a special place in your heart, along with your awkward adolescence. But those times revolved around stricter rules and curfews, more parental supervision, less self-discovery and, let’s face it, probably fewer embarrassing adventures involving alcohol. The friends you make in college are the ones who get to stand by your side while you break away from childhood and push into adulthood. You know, that awkward time in your life when your parents aren’t around to make sure your dentist appointments are scheduled, but you REALLY need to get that cavity filled because your diet consists of breakfast cereals and cheap beer. But it’s fine. Your friends understand what it’s like to be afraid to talk to your dentist’s secretary over the phone because you have no idea how your insurance works. They’ll help you through it. There’s something special about being together through the disorganized times before you get your act together later on (if you do). Enjoy it and grow together.
When you go through this hideously confusing, messy, laughable and formative period of your life, your college friends become your family. For a lot of people college is the time when they’re living on their own, but they haven’t settled into a new family life with a spouse and a cat. You know what that means; roommates! Your friends in college, just like your family, see you through everything – the good, the bad and the ugly. They’re the ones you spill weird details to about your visit to the gynecologist. They’re there the first time you get buzzed and try to hit on someone way out of your league, only to end up kissing the weird kid in the corner who smells like Taco Bell and prematurely sports a comb-over. They buy your favorite ice cream when they go to the store. They interrogate your dates. They never hesitate to help you unclog your shower drain when it’s the last thing you can think of to put off studying for finals. Then they’re the ones you cry with while you’re stressing over tests and the ones who are there to celebrate the minute you walk out of class after the semester. You become family and there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for each other.
College is a difficult, yet beautiful experience. When your family and childhood friends are far away, even out of state, your new friends matter more than ever. You see each other through some of the hardest times you’ll face and support each other’s wild and daring ideas. You laugh, cry, sing and fart together and through it all you develop a bond unique to your college experience and young adulthood. It’s one that will last a lifetime. With that, I’d like to make a huge shout-out to Megan Blackburn for being all of these things for me. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend and roommate. You’re going to crush your senior year! Love ya, girl.