We’ve all heard it a thousand times. “As soon as you get to college, you won’t be friends with these people anymore.” “They are just temporary people.” I believed these things because that’s what seemed to happen to everybody. I was sad about the fact that I could leave for school and never talk to my friends anymore. I've always made very close friends, so knowing that they would soon be ripped away, I was worried. I didn’t want to feel alone.

My experience with friends after leaving high school is definitely not a typical one. It’s the end of the first semester. I’m about to leave for Christmas break, and I still talk to a lot of my high school friends on a daily basis. We make plans often because we all went to college relatively close to home, and while things are drastically different, our relationships have been maintained. I’ve heard some negative opinions about these from the general population recently.

I didn’t throw away my old relationships when I went to college, and I didn’t wipe my slate clean like so many other people do. I understand that there can be drawbacks to what I've done, and I fought with myself about it for a very long time. I've finally accepted that there are several reasons that it's perfectly okay to stay close to your old friends.

1. You’ve spent a lot of time molding and forming these friendships.

If they weren’t this important to you, why would you have wasted your time? I understand that you can't stay close to everyone. There are plenty of people that were only my friends because I saw them in school every day. I’ve grown apart from those people. The ones who stuck by me and are still here for me are the ones who will be by my side forever. What you have is great. Why throw it away?

2. These are your people.

I’ve realized an important fact about myself: I'm not very good at making friends, but I'm great at keeping them. Going to a big school like WVU is difficult for me. I like to have deep connections to my friends, but getting there is a different story. There are plenty of different kinds of people at a school this big, but for some reason, I have yet to find ones that I really click with. Sure, I’ve made some new friends here, but it seems unnatural and almost forced. We have next to nothing in common, and I’m not sure that I’d be friends with them in any other situation.

When I first came to college and I couldn’t find my “fit”, I was worried. I was told over and over, "There are tons of people there thinking and feeling the same way as you. You just have to find them.” Well... I’ve searched. And searched. And searched. Where are these people? Where are the ones like me? Maybe there are some here, but I already found them a long time ago. Does it really matter what stage of life your friends come from? Does it matter that they came from middle or high school, college, a job, or later in life?

As long as you have found the right people, it shouldn’t matter. I stumbled upon my people a long time ago. While I’m going to be keeping an eye open for more, I’m not going to worry about forcing them.

3. You can still grow on your own.

If you're worried about growing apart from your friends, you shouldn’t be. The great thing about finding good friends is that even though you grow and change, they will support you for the better. If you are worried because you need to grow and your friends are holding you back, you may have a different problem.

I have made drastic changes since I started college. In this short period of time, I have grown and learned a ton, and it’s for the better. Keep in mind that at the same time, I have maintained my close relationships. My friends support me and make me a better person, and they have in no way held me back, and that’s the way it should be.

4. You might not need a clean slate.

Sometimes you don't need to start over. Some people need to, and college is a great opportunity to do that, but if you don't need to change, then don't. I struggled to accept myself in high school, but by the end of my senior year, I felt like I had found myself, my place, and I had discovered my strengths and weaknesses. I didn't need to start over, I needed the opposite. I needed to take what I had discovered and expand on it. I needed to develop those aspects of myself, and starting over would only be taking a step backward. Yes, sometimes in life we need a new chance, but if you don't need a redo, don't.

I worried for months about finding new friends here at school, and while I have found a few, I've also realized that I don't need new ones. I already have wonderful caring people in my life, and that is more than I could ever ask for.