College is a non-stop merry-go-round of meeting new people. So, how, in the hoards of people you meet, do you find those people who you are meant to be friends with? How do you find the people who will stick by you no matter what? How do you know when it's time to let those people you thought might be your friends for life but definitely aren't go?
When going through recruitment, the whole point is to find out, through conversation, which people you can truly see yourself getting along with. Not those who you idolize, not those who you think are okay, but the chapter that you can see yourself forming bonds in that last forever. This is a lot of weight to put on people who are nervous, but excited, and brand new to their environment. However, it is a necessary evil. These people are the ones that will surround you for four years, and will be there for the rest of your life. Even if you don't go through recruitment, finding friends who will support you no matter what, but push you to become better is always a challenge.
When you get to college it is especially essential to find friends, people you can trust to keep you going no matter how many late study nights you've had for that one class. Find the ones who make you laugh when you should be stressed, the ones who can help you get up when you literally are so tired school doesn't even matter anymore, and the ones who help you get out more because college isn't just about studying. These are the people who are going to make college the best for you. They are the people who will comfort you, but won't let you settle. These are the people who will be by your side forever, even when you finish college.
However, you don't have to surround yourself with just those who will stay by your side through college. You can have more transient friends. Those that sit next to you in class, and essentially become your study group. Those that hang out with you in your dorm. Those that are in the same student groups as you. These are the people that can develop into those lifelong friends, but don't always. They are the people that help you get through that one class, or that one bad day, but aren't there for you whenever. These people are helpful to have around, but sometimes disappear from our lives when class ends, or after we head home for the summer.
Friends are both easy and hard to come by in college. While we make friends every day, we also have to really work to establish those lasting bonds that carry on past college into the rest of our lives. It's okay to have the more transient friends that we know will come and go, but some of the most important relationships of our adult lives begin in college, so it's best not to forget to forge those friendships as best as you can.
