The start of a new school year was always a really exciting thing for me. I’ve loved everything about it for as long as I can remember― becoming a big kid, getting new school supplies, and the prospect of learning new things were only some of the super awesome things about the new school year.

It also meant that I got to see my friends on a regular basis again. In high school, we’d always compare schedules, talk about if our teachers were rumored to be good or bad, and see if we had the same lunch periods.

But now I’m an extra big kid (also known as an adult).

And that means college.

These past two weeks I’ve had to help two of my best friends pack their bags and somehow, I’ve managed to avoid crying. While one of them is only moving three hours away and is still in the same state, the other one is moving fifteen hours away.

A thousand miles. It’s a lot.

I don’t think I’ve really accepted the fact that when school starts, I won’t be able to seek them out in a crowd anymore, and goes for all the rest of my friends too. In a way, it’s almost like I’m grieving the loss of my friends and all the comfort that the routine excitement of a new school year used to bring.

If you decided to go to college close to your hometown, you might be feeling the same way. Here are the five stages of grief you might feel when your friends move away for college:

1. Denial

We have three more days until you have to leave. That’s plenty of time to hang out! It’s fine. Everything is fine.

2. Anger

No. No, it wasn’t enough time. There’s never enough time. I’m so stupid! Why didn’t I ask to hang out earlier in the summer? We should have hung out the moment we could and gone to Six Flags and had a bonfire...

3. Bargaining

Please pick the later move in date. You don’t have to leave me this early.

4. Depression

I have no more friends. I’m all alone in the world. I have been abandoned.

5. Acceptance

Don't break our streak.

While it might hurt right now, in the back of your head you know that they’ll be back for breaks and The Dream Team™ will be reunited again. Or maybe you’re the type to have already made plans with your best friends to meet up over Thanksgiving and Winter Break when they come home. I know I have.

Make the most of it though― this is a great opportunity to expand your social circle and make new friends. Maybe you’ll meet an amazing person who’ll change your life forever. Or at the very least, you’ll meet a cool person you can talk about your favorite shows on Netflix with.

In time, you’ll be okay.