At first, being in a group chat with nine of my friends from home that constantly went off was something I admittedly wasn't super thrilled about. But after months of sending messages back and forth, and between periods of turning my iPhone on and off "do not disturb" mode, I don't know where I would be without those guys.

It's nice to always have a whole bunch of people there for literally any reason, and this is something that probably all college students could benefit from.

The group chat has been there for me when I needed to make life-altering decisions such as what to eat for dinner or deciding whether or not to procrastinate writing a paper. I've given almost every brutal detail of any difficult situation I've been in to the group chat for deliberation, and they've reciprocated with equally as brutal answers -- whether it's what I want to hear, or what I need to hear.

If I ever need a laugh or want to share something funny that happened, or something I thought of -- all I have to do is tell the group chat. If I need inspiration, the group chat is there to help.

My group chat from home is literally the filter-free Google that everyone needs to express their questions, comments, and so much more. The memories formed in the group chat are usually pretty comedic and unforgettable.

But the best part of all, regardless of any reason, is that it keeps a bunch of college kids who are sprinkled all over the country in constant communication with each other. Sure, it isn't the same as when we used to hang out together all of the time, but a group chat that has been going on for over a year is a true testament to modern technology and its ability to bring people closer, even when they're super far away.

I'm glad to know that, no matter where we are, we can literally be one text away from each other, and I couldn't be more thankful to have stayed so close to my friends because of it.