I was so scared to go to college. Not only because I was moving away from the only place I knew, but also because I forgot how to make friends. Like actually. Most of my friends from my hometown are people I met in elementary school. I have known these people for years. They know everything about me - my family, what I like and dislike, my secrets, and just the little things like how I laugh at the most random things and how you shouldn't question it. The thought of having to find new friends terrified me. My friends at home had set the bar real high and I wanted to have the same feeling that I have with them. The feeling of no judgment, pure joy, and just contentment. Little did I know that I would find that feeling and more. These girls have taught me so much and here is just a glimpse of what I have learned from them.

You don't have to be in the same sorority or have the same major to be friends.

Kate Maddox

Shout out to Haggin Hall for bringing me my first friends and the first people I would go to for anything. I never even gave a thought to the kind of people I would be living by my freshman year. I had heard that you find friends through clubs and classes, but I never thought I would become so close to the people who lived 5 steps away. These girls opened their doors for laughs, cries, Bachelor nights, study dates, and even if you just wanted to lay on their comfy rug (this goes out to you Grace and Caroline). It didn't matter if we weren't in the same sorority or had the same major. I could always count on these girls for just being there. It is so crazy to think about how last August I met them for the first time. We were so little and scared to even talk to each other. They truly showed me how a smile and a "hi" goes a long way.

Friends will do anything with you, such as standing for 24 hours to raise money for pediatric cancer.

Kate Maddox

I was super involved in high school and so were my friends. Going to college, I wanted to feel the same high of being super involved but also having people that stand by me and are interested in the same things. I was scared that I would be alone in the thought of wanting to join all of these clubs. Oh, boy was I wrong. My friends are the most passionate people I know. These girls shine in the most unique ways. Seriously, they could all change the world one day. They don't judge or stop you when you want to fight for something. They support you and stand by you. I will never forget participating in Dance Blue alongside my very best friends. That was one of the most amazing feelings, no doubt. It was a feeling of love and the realization that I have people who will fight with me no matter what.

They will be spontaneous and act like little kids with you.

Kate Maddox

I swear the best times I have with my friends are when we just let loose. We let go of all of the worries and stress and just have fun. I was the happiest at college when I was around these people. Even when we were studying in the library or walking to class, someone was cracking a joke or acting ridiculous. College can be very stressful and hard sometimes, which I learned quickly. What made it easier was to surround myself with people who make me smile and laugh and allow me to forget about a bad day. They welcome my random laughing with open arms. We all bounce off of each other. Our personalities are very similar, but also very different which is so amazing. These girls are constantly showing me how unique they are and allowing me to grow as well.

Friends encourage you to be the best you can be.

Kate Maddox

First, let me tell you. My friends are so freaking talented. I continue to be amazed at what they do and will do in the future. They are smart, driven, caring; I could continue this list forever. When one of us is performing or even has a huge test, you can expect all of us to be on the sidelines cheering them on. The support is overwhelmingly amazing. I don't feel like I need to compete with my friends. No one should feel like they're better or less. That's what is so great with the friends I have met in college. They encourage you to be the best you can be. They don't promote your failures. They don't attack your weaknesses. They help you strive to be better.

Friends won't leave your side.

Kate Maddox

This is something I really was looking for in friends. This is very important to me because it is so easy to feel alone in this world. It is so easy to feel like you are the only one going through it. I felt so alone starting college because I was away from my friends who did stick by me. However, we were all starting a new adventure hours away from each other. I remember going through sorority recruitment and my now big (thanks Jillian <3) told me to surround myself with people who remind me of my friends back home. The people who will never leave your side when things get tough and you feel like you can't make it. So, that's what I did. I found these crazy people who I spent the best first year of college with. I would not change it any other way.

These girls have become my future roommates, my future bridesmaids, and my best friends.

Let's take on Sophomore year now! See you guys in a month ;)