Going into college, one of the most stressful things is finding friends. I distinctively remember crying in my mother's arms just two days before I had to move into my dorm because I didn't want to make new friends. My two best friends, Maggie and Hannah, were all I needed.
There is not a single person out there like either of them, but before I even was at college, I had convinced myself that no one could compare to them. I was right about the first part, not the second. Anyone who has had a best friend for countless years knows what I am talking about. Before college, I barely went 24 hours without seeing either Maggie or Hannah. It is scary to think about going from that kind of friendship to a long distance one. Lots of times college leaves us with no other option.
Friends are a huge aspect of college life. When you move away from home, your friends become your family. The friends you make at your college, you see more over the four years there than your own family. You family will visit and, for some, your friends from home will too. I was fortunate enough to have my two best friends visit me at college a good handful of times in the fall. It was the greatest thing ever. Right before my best friends came up for the very first time, I was really nervous. I am lucky to have made so many new close friends at college, but I was worried they would not mesh well with my friends from home. What if I was a different person around my best friends and my college friends didn't like it? What if my best friends from home were jealous of how close I was becoming with my new friends? What if everyone just hated each other? OK...the last question was a little irrational, but never less relevant. Very literally, my two worlds were going to collide, and I was a little stressed about what would happen.
When my best friends from home came to stay with me at college for the first time, I realized two things. First off, it is extremely crowded when there are four people in your dorm room.
Second, I realized that my best friends were going to get along just fine with my new friends at college. What people don't realize is that, unless you drastically change when you move to college, you are drawn to the same people no matter where you are. My old friends and my new friends got along so well because they had more than me as a friend in common. I found people at college that had the same humor, loving personality, and strong values as my best friends at home. Before you come to college, countless people will tell you about all the great people you will meet and become friends with. Do not let them convince you that means you have to have two separate world when it comes to friendships. When your old friends meet your new friends, you will see those great people get along with other great people. You can't replace your best friends from home because they are unique and unlike anyone else; however, you will meet some darn awesome people at college.