College is hard.

Yup, I said it. It’s been a rough five years. I’ve always managed to somehow make it through. Sometimes I wasn’t so sure how, but I did it.

This year was different. I thought senior year was going to be easy. I’m not sure if that’s the right word, but I figured I had two semesters, nine classes, and 27 credits between me and graduation. It was literally the closest I’ve ever felt to being done school FOREVER.

I’m not saying this year has been the hardest educationally. But life happened this year, a lot. Between breaking up with my boyfriend, my best friend moving an hour and a half away, my family deciding to move to Florida after I graduate, and getting an internship while still working my part-time job.

Stress. Definitely an understatement. But it wasn’t so terrible. Now I still have two to three weeks left. So I’m slightly jumping the gun. I think it’s fine. I’m pretty sure I'm going to pass all my classes.

So you’re probably wondering, how did I survive?

Friends, friend! That’s how.

I made the most amazing friends at school this year. I wish I’d known them a whole lot longer.

They’ve stuck with my sometimes awful attitude all year. They’ve helped me with homework. They’ve lent me old textbooks, so I didn’t have to pay for them. They’ve voluntarily worked with me on multiple group projects.

They’ve gone out with me on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They’ve given me a place to hang out countless times. They’ve given me something to do on an otherwise boring night, more times than I can count. They’ve introduced me to people who I absolutely love and can call friends now, too.

They’ve checked up on me. They’ve made me laugh. They’ve made me realize everything was going to be okay. They’ve acted as my own person, cupid, or wing women (yes you, Ashley) on multiple occasions.

For the first time in forever, they’ve made me kind of sad about a school year being over. But they’ve made me really sad that we won’t all be together like this again.

I don’t think I can thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me this year that they honestly probably don’t even realize. There aren’t enough rides to class, coffee, food or drinks in the world that can repay them. I’ll keep trying because I’m not sure if they know this, but they are most definitely stuck with me forever!