Freshman year of college is a lot like kindergarten. On the first day, you don’t know anyone, and it’s a little awkward. You meet new people everywhere you go, and most of them are very nice… but many times you go your separate ways and are solely acquaintances from then on out. If you had the chance to get a great group of friends your freshman year, feel blessed. College is a tough time for everyone, so knowing someone always has your back is a great feeling. Here are some reasons why freshman year friends are friends for life.
You go through all of the cliché freshman year activities together. While all of the meet and greets and endless ice-breakers get annoying at the time, you’ll catch yourself laughing about them later and feel the nostalgia set in. I even got asked by one of my good friends last week, “Remember during Welcome Week when I opened your mustard for you and it exploded everywhere?” This may seem insignificant, but seeing how far you have come with someone since day one is crazy.
Your brain is programmed to remember the first time you’ve done something, so all of the ‘firsts’ you experience will stick in your mind, just like the friends who were with you. As repetitive as it is, freshman year really is full of firsts: first time away from home, first college party, first basketball game in the student section. Going through these events together make you so much closer to your friends. It is almost funny looking back at how much you didn’t know about each other at the time.
During freshman year, you make some of the best memories of your life thus far. Up until this point you had your great high school moments, but nothing compares to the memories you make in college. Whether it be attending the big game during which your school beat their rival, or going to a T-Pain concert in the room next to the dining hall, these memories will last a lifetime.
You’ll remember the little things especially. Things such as you and your roommate laughing to the point of a stomach ache until 3 A.M., or you and your friends always meeting to study in the library together. Having dinner with your group of friends (what my friends call “family dinner”) will slow down towards the end of the year, with everyone being busy and on different schedules. But when they do happen, it’s like nothing has changed.
I, only being a freshman myself, have found an amazing group of friends throughout this year. We’ve been through so much together, good and bad. We have all started getting busier, but that doesn’t stop us from piling into a dorm room to tell each other about our day. We have been through so many major experiences together that, looking back on it, I wouldn’t do with anyone but them.