Meeting new people, good and the bad, has to be the most profound feeling that I am able to embrace. Having deep or even simple conversations with people gives me the not only ability to understand other people, but how to understand myself as well. You can truly learn so much about a person based on very few principals. Coming into college I did not prepare myself for the amount of people I would actually get to connect with. Which also sparks the notions for the moment I'm going to have to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I have gratefully met.
You enter college anticipating all the friends you're going to have and all the memories that will be made. In high school you would conform to a clique and surround yourself with the same people everyday. This is where college is incredibly similar. The only differences are that you have freedom that you did not have in high school. You can be an entirely different person than the person you left behind in high school. A fresh start in an unfamiliar place.
The greatest gift of college is living with your friends. If you dorm or own a home with a group of your friends, the experiences are endless. When you become a part of your friends' lifestyles you become attached to the company in ways you thought you never could be. It is comforting to have your best friends with you day in and day out, to the point where you can no longer imagine a life without them.
Something that can be difficult to understand is the different paths that we are all on. We all need to do what is best for us, which sometimes means you have to switch schools, or go back home because the college lifestyle just isn't for you. And that's okay. Everyone has a different life planned out for themselves, but it can be a despondent feeling when you build a close friendship and they announce they're changing their path. Especially when it is the opposite of yours.
People come and go I have come to realize. The temporary friendships made now will be the most memorable ones to look back upon. Luckily I have met a bunch of awesome people from all around the world at college. Because i know my time with my friends is so limited because we are all from different areas, I know not to take the time left before graduation for granted.
We need to enjoy college as much as we can because we will never be able to relive these years again, or get to see the same people as frequently as we do now. So go do everything you can everyday to make yourself happy with the people that contribute. Explore places, be curious about everything. Surround yourself with people that love you. Seek things that will inspire you to do and be better. Don't make it so you have to look back and wish you did more.
This is for the close friends I met at school that will no longer be attending Buffalo State next semester. Also for the friends I have that will be graduating. I am so proud of the people you are. You guys will never leave my mind and I hope to see you all again soon. xo
