Many people in college have this mindset that “your college friends are forever.” While that may be true for some people, for others it is not, and that is perfectly fine, I promise.

Some people may look back on their freshman year and reminisce about the good times and how it may have been their best year despite all of the adjusting. It was an amazing year for me, and I still wouldn't trade it for anything.

We will call the girl Susan and her best friend, we will call Brooke. Susan and Brooke were best friends their freshman year of college. They lived together, they had classes together, they went out together, they were basically inseparable. They knew each other better than they knew themselves at times.

Sophomore year comes around and they are not roommates due to unforeseen circumstances. The beginning of the semester, they were happy to reunite after a long summer break. They had classes together, but for some reason, things just weren’t the same. Susan has her friends back at home that she loves dearly. She could be away from them for months at a time and when she returned, it would be like nothing has changed and they were the same friends she left when she went back to school.

With Susan and Brooke, it was not like that. Things were not the same, and that is when Susan knew that this “forever friend” would no longer be her “forever friend" but what Susan didn't know is that it was OK.

Susan had a hard time coming to terms with this because your college friends are “supposed to be for forever.” But she finally realized that people grow apart, and the ones you choose to keep in your life are ones who give you the same amount of respect that you give them. These people are there for you when you need them the most, and they value your friendship enough to put in the effort to keep it alive. They remember your birthday, and actually wish you a happy birthday — how about that! Just do not forget that they were once your best friend. They were put in your life for one reason or another. It may have ended, but that does not change what it was.

So the next time someone tells you that your college friends are your forever friends, believe it when you see it and can picture yourself in a friendship that is strong without question or doubt, but keep in mind that it is possible to grow out of a friendship. Out with the old in with the new. College is stressful enough, so do not dwell on what could have been.

Live in the moment, always remember that you are a human and deserve to be treated like one, and always remember to be respectful and kind. Susan never thought that her friendship with Brooke would spiral downwards, nor did she want it to, but people come and go, the ones who are meant to stay will stay, and it'll feel right.