If you had asked me a month ago how I felt about my hometown, I would roll my eyes and tell you how much I couldn't wait to leave. When you live in a place for 11 years, it easily becomes the most boring place on Earth. It's easy to run out of things to do in a small town.

After arriving to college, I struggled to fit in to this new environment with people I've never met. Feelings of homesickness quickly came about, and I found myself missing home more than ever.

My friends and I have had a text group chat for over a year now, which isn't unusual, as this is the way in which most teenagers communicate nowadays. We often discuss irrelevant topics such as new episodes of our favorite shows or how cute our dogs are. However, as we all split up and moved to different places all over the country, we became stronger than ever.

As soon as one of us complains about the stress of an upcoming assignment, our inboxes are overflowed with messages of, "Good Luck!" and, "You're going to do amazing!".

I've been able to confide in my friends with every problem I've encountered so far in college. Although they're not here with me, they are so quick to relate and help me through it. Freshman year is a difficult transition for anyone, and it helps to have such a strong support group available to offer advice to me.

While it's important to have friends in college, it's equally as important to stay connected with the friends that know you better than anyone. After all, you grew up with them, they know a lot about you. I'm glad I have this group to support me even when they can't literally be there with me.

If you lost touch with your old friends already, send a quick text to check in, because, chances are, they're going through the same challenges as you.