I know the first thought anyone has while reading this title is, “Why would I want to leave my friends?” During high school, I was lucky enough to find the girls I figured would be my best friends forever, but the only way to truly test this out was to leave one another for college. We did not even look at the same schools because we did not want to be together. Here’s why:
1. You have to learn how to make new friends.
I know for a fact that if my hometown friends came to school with me, I would barely have any other friends. We already know each other so well that we would spend all of our time together. Since they’re not here, I found myself to be a lot more sociable during my first few weeks at college. Whether it was running to other girls’ dorm rooms on move-in day, waving to a stranger or getting comfortable with my softball team, I was forced to branch out. I knew nobody, not a single person. So I had to start new, and I am so glad that I did because now some of these people have grown to be really good friends of mine.
2. Other people are different from them.
When I first came to college, I compared every person I met to my best friends from home. I actually kind of made that the prime reason whether or not we’d be friends. I looked for people who are just as weird, just as funny and just as crazy as them. After some new friendships, and other torn ones, I finally figured out that not everyone I meet is going to be like them, but these new people will open you to different experiences and make you realize that each person is unique in their own way.
3. You need to find yourself.
I know my personality has changed since leaving for college, whether it be by my new “accent,” the jokes I laugh at or just what makes me happy. If I were not on my own, I never would have expanded my thoughts or feelings toward others those first few weeks. The people I have met while here have all affected me as an individual. This is first how we discover who we want to be in this life, and then we finally figure out who we are as a person.
4. It will test how strong your friendships really are.
Although the constant text messages, FaceTime calls, or Snapchats can get old, these are the most important ways to stay in contact with one another. After leaving high school, I was really nervous that my hometown friends and I would become a thing of the past and completely forget one another once we came to college, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. We are stronger than ever; we appreciate each other so much more than we ever did before. Just remember, if the friendship is meant to last, it will. The “Days Until I Go Home” countdowns simmer down to 0 days, and immediately you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face, all because you get to see your hometown best friends (and family of course).
P.S. Only 18 days till we’re back together—for an entire summer!