As my freshman year comes to an end, it is crazy to look back and see how much has changed. Leaving high school wasn't easy. I wasn't one of those people who had a miserable experience and felt the need to drop all of my high school friends. Although I've always been pretty social, there are only a handful of people that I can call my "best friends." I never thought that anyone I would meet my freshman year would match up to the lifelong friendships that I have built.

In the fall, I went through recruitment to try and find "my place" at FSU. After joining a sorority, I was overwhelmed by the number of girls I was meeting and the friends I was making. Within these friendships, I was struggling to find the ease and comfort I always had with my home friends. My mom once told me, "It is always better to have 4 quarters than 100 pennies." I wasn't looking to become best friends with everyone. I just wanted to find quality friendship, to make what I left behind a little easier.

Just as the initial shock and stress of starting college was starting to catch up with me, I found relief in a person that I'd soon call my best friend.

To my new college best friend,

Thank you for always walking with me whenever I needed to go anywhere on campus. Thank you for living two floors under me, and letting me be your third ~unofficial roommate~ and becoming my ~official~ roommate for next year. Thank you for letting me tell the same story a hundred times and only getting slightly annoyed. Thank you for being the first person up for an adventure, or to just stay in for the night. You became my friend at such a pivotal time in my life, and I know that I will always be able to lean on you.

Friendship in college is different from friendship in high school. In high school, you and your friends grow up together. You may be different now, but shared experiences and memories will always hold you together. In college, you have a group of thousands of people to find friends within. You're essentially starting fresh, and you must make new memories.

I am so lucky to have found a person within over 40,000 that I am able to go through this college experience with. There have been a lot of ups and downs this year, but thanks for sticking by my side. Thank you for being my sister, roommate, and best friend all in one!

My advice for incoming freshmen nervous about making friends or finding their place: Don't be.

Everyone is in the same situation as you, and you will gravitate towards people that are similar towards you. And, if you don't find your best friend right away, you have around 40,000 more people to meet!