The fall semester is quickly coming to an end. It baffles me how time only seems to speed up the older you get. When I first came to college I had this crazy idea that time would slow down and the years would not flash before my eyes. But, no -- here we are, four years later and time is vanishing and I'm wondering how on earth I became a senior. Senior year is an intense year with the real world lurking just around the corner. However, it is not the most terrifying and difficult aspect to come to terms with, in fact what is makes the real world seem like a piece of cake. Realizing that you are soon to be separated from your best friends is overwhelming.

I've come to notice about myself that I see monumental days as days that will not ever actually come, not because I do not believe in myself but due to the fact I can't wrap my mind around the idea of time passing. Examples of days like this: high school graduation, going to college, marriage, having kids, etc. Senior year has slapped me in the face and brought it to my attention that once again, a day that was never actually going to happen, is indeed going to take place. Yes, college graduation is without a doubt one of these days but right now it is more difficult to realize that all of my friends are about to go in different directions.

My whole life I was always told that I would have the time of my life in college and meet the best friends I'll ever have. I love my hometown friends, but I understand why people always stressed how important your college friends will be to you now. As a freshman and throughout the rest of college the friends you make are the only people who know exactly what you are going through. Being at the same university, going through similar experiences gives you a bond that you will not ever find with anyone else.

I am lucky enough to live with several of my friends and have the last couple of years. With the rest of my friends within five minutes, we are all always doing something together. At this point in my life I cannot imagine not being able to call one of them and go out for drinks, get food, have a wine night, etc. But, the reality of it is that pretty soon we are not going to be able to make spur of the moment plans together.

Everyone moving is just one of those things no one talks about. It doesn't seem real, how are we all about to be in different places? Even if you are going to be a fifth year, everything is about to be different once the spring semester comes to an end and no one wants to face it. It is almost taboo to talk about, it is a constant downer that leaves you wondering what you'll do once you live hours apart and are lucky to see each other a few times a year.

It’s hard to envision not being surrounded by the people who you grew so much as a person with. You do an enormous amount of growth in college and you do it with these people by your side. Trying to imagine a new journey after college without these people is sad, it’s hard to leave what is comfortable, part of the reason why you bond with your college friends on such an intense level, you were all in a new and different place and decided to face the challenge together. It is easy to feel like you are going to be alone after college but its important to remember that these people will always be with you no matter what.

As bad as I wish that my friends and I did not have to go different directions, I know that we will only grow stronger in our friendships in the years to come. We will one day tell stories to our children of that crazy thing so and so did. That's the true beauty in friendships like the ones you make in college, the memories they leave you with. Even if we are cities or countries apart we will all always have our memories of each other and the good times we had ensuring that we will always be life long friends.