Freshman year is an experience that’s hard to put into words. It’s a crazy roller coaster that forces us to grow up, introduces us to lifelong friends, and teaches us how to have a great time. Then, before we know it summer creeps up, and we're forced to leave all of this behind in exchange for four months back under our parents' roof. After a seemingly never ending summer at home, the only thing more exciting than moving into school for the first time, is moving back to school for the second time.

Sophomore year for many, is a chance to have your first apartment with some of your best friends. There is nothing more gratifying than having a place to call home that spans more than a 13x13 foot dorm room. Living in your own place is a huge perk, but this year has shown me that it's the people we choose to surround ourselves with that have the power to change everything.

Dear Roommates,

First of all, I have to say that I'm not even completely sure who you are. I'm fairly certain that our apartment lease only includes four names, yet it seems like 90 percent of the time, there are eight girls living here. Secondly, I want to thank each and every one of you. In just one semester, you have given me a thousand memories that will last a lifetime. We've had so many amazing times together that I will brag about for years to come... along with one or two never to be repeated.

Thanks to the girl who will always struggling through Sundays on the couch with me for 12 hours straight, only moving to get our Thai takeout at the door. We may take the award for laziest people in the world, with our ability to line up our schedules back to back, so we can drive each other to every single class. And yet, without you, there's no doubt that I would never go to the gym.

Thanks to each of you for providing me with endless laughter. Whether I'm waking up to one of you wrapped in a window curtain on our couch, or coming home to discover that you've spent the entire day locked in the bathroom, you always keep me laughing.Thanks to my personal chef who's alway's trying to keep me healthy. With the amount of pokey sticks that are ordered to this apartment, I'd be seriously obese without your elaborate quinoa, lentil, kale something-or-other dinners. Nothing makes me smile bigger than opening the fridge to a little note stuck to a tupperware container that reads, "EAT THIS, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU."

No matter how many times I get a phone call from one of you begging me to come find you in frat-land, you can always count on me to have your back. Whether we're playing in the waves in Cancun, drinking wine on the boat in Syracuse, or taking on the city, my most cherished memories are with you guys.

You brighten my mornings, my afternoons, and especially my nights, and just the idea of being apart scares me.You're each so beautiful and original in your own way and that's what I appreciate the most. It's almost shocking how polar-opposite we are, yet how seamlessly well we fit together. There's never a dull moment with you guys, and that's why you're my best friends.

Love,