"I've learned that your college friends become kind of like family; you eat together, you take naps together, fight, laugh, cry and do absolutely nothing together until you can't remember how you ever lived without them in the first place." - Unknown
1. Your true friends will accept you for who you are.
At first, you find yourself trying to fit into different groups and changing who you are to please others, but when you meet your true friends you won't need to do that. Your best friends will never want you to be anyone but the person that you’ve always been. You will fit in seamlessly and will never, ever feel judged. There’s no fool-proof way of attracting good people other than being yourself.
2. You don't need a ton of friends to be happy.
When it comes to friends, it's definitely about quality over quantity. It took me until junior year of college to figure out where exactly I belong, but I wouldn't change the few close friends I have for the world.
Maybe you have three best friends. Maybe you have one. No matter how big or small your circle is, you'll learn it's less about who is at the table and more about why they're there.
3. It's okay to mess up.
Everybody makes mistakes and your college friends remind you that it's okay. We all get a little crazy and do some things we aren't proud of and the great thing about your college friends is they probably made the same mistake last weekend.
4. You are never alone.
Everyone's always saying, "You can't rely on anyone other than yourself." My friends have proved that wrong. Whether it's attending an event, going to the DC when you're hungover, or staying in on a Friday because you're hurting, I am never truly alone thanks to them.
5. Friendships form unexpectedly.
You’ll be surprised who will end up becoming your best friend. Keep an open mind about that girl you sit next to in psych, that kid you met in the dining hall and even that girl that hated your guts all of sophomore year. People will surprise you.
6. There is nothing a shopping spree can't fix.
Whether it's new clothes, shoes, or makeup, your girls know and understand that that a little retail therapy goes a long way.
7. Friendship shouldn’t be hard work.
College is stressful enough as it is, and friends shouldn't add more stress. Be friends with people who bring out the best in you and don't ever settle for less than you deserve.
8. Crazy friends make the best memories.
There is nothing better than a night out with your best friends. Order wings at 2:00 a.m., go to the bar on a Monday night or walk home barefoot from a party singing "Let It Go" — anything goes with them, and I mean anything.
9. You really don't need that boy, anyway.
They're always there to support you when you find a new love interest, but they're the first ones there when it doesn't work out. Whether it's your first true love or your latest fling, they'll be there to support you regardless. In the end, you realize that all you really need is some good friends (and maybe a bottle of wine).
10. People you've known for months can mean more to you than people you've known your whole life.
Whether you want to believe it or not, college changes you. It's okay to grow apart from the people you went to high school with. Some of my best friends in the world are people I've known for less than six months, and now I can't even fathom how I ever lived without them.
You'll learn that the girl you've known since pre-k probably won't be the one standing next to you on your wedding day and that girl you met one time in the bathroom at a party won't be the one who brings you a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a bottle of wine after a break up.
But the girls that have held your hair back as you puke your brains out, held you while you cried about your first college heartbreak, wiped away your tears when you lost your childhood pet, binge watched "Parks & Recreation" with you, and laughed until they couldn't laugh anymore — those are the ones you'll want standing by you when it counts and every day after that.
