College is busy, but it's not going to get any less busy once we get our diplomas and move halfway across the country to pursue further degrees, careers, and families.

Therefore, I think it is crucial to hang out with friends now, while we're all together and the main thing we have to worry about is ourselves.

Yeah, hanging out with groups of friends is super fun and necessary, but I think hanging out with a friend one on one is needed even more. Hence, the ~friendship date~.

Hanging out with friends one on one allows you to get to know each other better. It's a good time to set aside work and just be with your friend, no distractions.

Go for a coffee date. Go to a new movie that came out. Go for a walk. Set out with nothing in mind and simply do things as they come along. It doesn't matter what you do as long as the two of you are together, fully present.

With all distractions taken away, don't be afraid to ask how they are really doing. Life is hard... how are they keeping up? How's school going or relationships? What does the future hold for them? Don't be afraid to ask real questions because those are the best to get to really know your friend and how they think and how they are motivated.

Basically, friend dates are the best. It's a perfect way to hang out with your friend because it is scheduled and intentional. By purposefully setting aside a chunk of time on your calendar, it signifies that this friend is worth your time and that you want to know who they are and how they are.

While college is a unique time in which hanging out with friends is often a spur of the moment, fluid thing, adulthood won't quite make it that easy. We'll have to make time for friends in a way similar to a friendship date. And if we start practicing it now, it'll only make it easier to transition later.

So go ahead, text your friend and ask them out on a date... you won't regret it.