In my high school psychology class during a lesson about friendships, the teacher asked my class to raise their hands if they planned to keep in touch with their high school friends after graduation. I and nearly everyone in the room raised their hands. Of course, I planned to keep my friendships. At the time, the question seemed ridiculous. I was surprised when she said that after we've been graduated for a few years, it's highly likely that we wouldn't have any of the friendships we had now.

She argued that people tend to value their college friendships more in adulthood and let high school friendships fall to the wayside. I remember thinking that it was rather ignorant to assume that everyone's friendships would end. I didn't want to believe that the awesome friends I had could be gone in just a few years. It didn't matter to me that this was presented as "fact;" I was determined to prove it wrong.

Now that I've graduated, I can say that it was easier said than done, but not impossible. In high school, I was definitely more aware of what was going on in their lives. The busy-ness of college meant that we didn't see each other as often, or even call or text one another. It happened multiple times that I'd realize it had been weeks, if not a month or more since we had last talked. Even if we all managed to be home from college on the same weekends, that didn't necessarily mean we could get together. I felt guilty multiple times that I didn't talk to my high school friends more and didn't take more time to be aware of what was going on in their lives.

When we managed to be home on the same weekends or our breaks overlapped, and our schedules worked out for us to hang out, it felt like no time passed at all. We laughed just as much, the mood was just as laid-back, and I'd come home feeling overjoyed that I had amazing best friends. Whenever I reflect on my high school friendships, I'm glad that we've made the effort to stay in touch. They mean just as much to me, if not more, now, even if we don't see each other all the time. Some of those friendships go back to elementary school while others began in high school, but these friends have been there for years and I know they will be in my future too.

Graduating from high school and moving on to college doesn't mean that you have to abandon your friendships. It might take more effort, and things may not go perfectly, but it's absolutely worth it to keep your friendships going.