In high school, they always tell you that you will only keep about five of those friends after graduation. At the time, you must think that is absurd. All the people you have surrounded yourself with are "your people" that seem to get you better than anyone else. How is it possible that will happen?
Well, I'm in my junior year of college and the five friend thing is a real thing. It stinks that I do not seem to keep in touch with people I used to be really close with, but that's life. Entering my final years of college have made me think about this rule at this point in my life. Does the five friend rule apply after college graduation? Will I not be as close with these people when I finally get that big girl job in a city?
Just think about the stages of college you have been through thus far. First, there is freshmen year where it seems like you are BFFs with everyone on your floor. You experience your first frat party together, eat three meals a day in the crappy dining hall, and get to experience a whole new world. Then you might rush and gain another 50 best friends who go through the new member process with you and bond through the strength of sisterhood. On top of that, you meet the other 100+ girls that are already in the house and love you because you are new, fresh, and fun.
Now fast forward. How many of those people are you currently close with? How many of them know about your ugly big toe you messed up your senior year of high school or about the first guy that broke your heart? How many of them have stayed up all night talking about life goals with you? How many of them stuffed their faces with Ben and Jerry's ice cream with you when Derek died? My guess is probably about five people.
I've learned that this is by no means a bad thing. I have wonderful relationships with a lot of people on campus and I hope that we will always continue to have a friendship and can casually bump into each other after graduation and grab a meal to catch up. But there are always going to be those five people who will be there through it all.
I guess the wonderful part about college is that you are finally at a point in your life where you are no longer dealing with the petty crap. You are finally starting to get what everyone before you has taught you and you begin to appreciate it so much more every day.
